As a child, Tony Jaa loved martial arts films and idolised Asian action stars Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan. So much so, he would practise the martial arts moves he’d seen on screen until he’s perfected them.
Even at that age, the Thai-native was keen to become part of the martial arts action film industry like his heroes.
Pursuing that dream, he started studying his country’s martial arts muay thai from the age of 10.
Some years later, he made his way into Thailand’s film industry by becoming a stuntman for more than a decade.
Besides muay thai, Jaa is said to be highly skilled in taekwondo, swordplay and gymnastics.
When he was 27 years old, his bold ambition came into fruition with the release of the film Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, which showcased him executing unbelievable sequences and amazing muay thai skills... all done without computer graphics or wireworks.
Ong Bak was not only a hit in Thailand, it was a hit pretty much everywhere else too.
Jaa followed Ong Bak with two more sequels and other Thai action films. More importantly, the film’s success allowed Jaa to get through doors that would otherwise be shut, and he landed in productions outside of Thailand.
The 45-year-old has been featured in Hong Kong films SPL II: A Time For Consequences, Paradox and Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy; the international effort Triple Threat, featuring Jaa, Indonesian martial artist Iko Uwais and Chinese martial artist Tiger Chen in the main roles; as well as the American film Furious 7 of the successful Fast & Furious franchise.
Hence, in the span of a little more than a decade after Ong Bak’s release, it’s safe to say Jaa has become one of the most famous Thai actor outside Thailand.
Today, the Buddhist calls his childhood hero Jet Li, his “brother”, and Vin Diesel, a friend.
His latest film is the Hollywood production Monster Hunter which sees him starring opposite actress Milla Jovovich.
Monster Hunter opens at cinemas in Malaysia on March 11, after being postponed from its original date in January due to the movement control order.
“I just followed my dream, step by step, training and practising to become an action star,” Jaa tells StarLifestyle during a video interview with a group of international journalists.
“It really is a dream come true to be here today representing my country, Thailand, and muay thai to a global audience,” an elated Jaa continues.
“It felt very far at one point of time, but I kept at it and kept going, because I had this strong desire.”
The proud Thai, whose friendly demeanour comes through loud and clear during this virtual interview, adds: “To be collaborating in Monster Hunter, this big-budget Hollywood movie, is – wow – a dream come true.
“I hope audiences who watch the movie would come away loving everything about the film – Tony Jaa, Milla, the monsters and all the action (sequences).”
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil), Monster Hunter is the big-screen adaptation of the video game of the same name.
Jovovich plays a US Army Ranger named Artemis who is trying to locate another group of soldiers who have disappeared in a desert.
However, Artemis and her team are suddenly caught in a freak sandstorm and transported to another world... one where monsters roam.
Here, Artemis meets Hunter (Jaa), who is skilled in fighting the monsters. She joins forces with him to defeat the many, many, monsters in order to get back home.
For Jaa, who’s always had opponents he could see and touch, it was an interesting process to make a film where he has to fight CG monsters that would be added later in post-production.
He shares with a laugh: “This is definitely a first for me. Before, I would fight one to 50 people on set, where I just keep fighting and fighting.
“In Monster Hunter, everything is CGI. So, I had to rely on Paul’s directions on set... he would say, ‘imagine the monster is as big as an elephant; or here comes the monster, now run!’
“It wasn’t easy to imagine the monsters that weren’t there. It was difficult for me. But, you know, it was also really fun.”
To get a better picture of the monsters his character is fighting, Jaa spent a lot of time playing the video game the film is based on.
He would also train and practise all the moves daily with and without Jovovich so everything would look smooth once filming started.
“Training and keeping up with my martial arts were pertinent in playing Hunter in the film.
“Milla and I would rehearse the moves again and again until finally it is 100% good. It was a pleasure to work with her. I am a fan of hers since Resident Evil,” Jaa states.
Likewise, Jovovich returns Jaa’s compliment. In the film’s production notes, the actress says: “Working with Tony Jaa is crazy because he doesn’t just do stunts – this is his real life. He doesn’t need wires. He just jumps off high places and does a flip and a kick with a sword and everyone’s jaws are on the floor.
“Tony is a real-life superhero – he’s the most unique individual I’ve ever worked with in action films.”
Although he is above average physically, there were some challenges he faced when the shoot moved on location.
Filming in the South African desert was nothing to scoff about. Worse, the costume Jaa had on and the two weapons used by his character were heavy.
He mentions: “The costume Hunter wears is big and heavy, it weighs around 10kg I think. And (one of) the weapons, this really big sword, is heavy too. It was really difficult for me.
“I had to train really hard every day for this movie – I would go to the gym, run for one hour and then work on the choreography using Hunter’s weapons, trying to find the best possible way to handle them.”
As a filmmaker himself, Jaa knows that to get a good scene there is no such thing as finishing the shoot with just one take.
“We could do a scene up to 20 takes, ” he speaks of his experience in the massive Hollywood production.
“There was one scene where I had to run from a monster that’s trying to kill me. (In this case, the director used a drone to capture the monster’s point of view.)
“As the drone came closer, I imagined it to be a monster, and I kept running and looking back. That, took 20 takes, ” recalls Jaa with a chuckle, before continuing to imitate Anderson’s go-to line before shooting another take, “He would say, ‘Everything’s good, everything’s perfect. But Tony, let’s just do one more take. Reset! Reset!’”
Like a super trouper, Jaa sees all of these in a positive light.
“This movie has been a great opportunity and a good experience for me. I am now keen to direct a fantasy film sometime in the future, ” says Jaa, who has directed Ong Bak 2 and Ong Bak 3.
While the good-natured actor jokes about the challenges on the set of Monster Hunter, it’s no secret that Jaa is highly disciplined.
He works out for hours every day whether he is working on a movie or not.
Practising his martial art is a just a way of life for him.
The artist tells us: “You learn more about yourself by practising martial arts. You can learn the art to protect yourself, and also to control your emotions and strength. Martial art, to me, is a philosophy.”
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
Tony Jaa's films
'Paradox'
'Master Z: The Ipman Legacy'
'SPL2: A Time For Consequences'
'Tom Yum Goong 2'
'Skin Trade'
