Bruce Lee was considered for the lead in the martial arts show Kung Fu. He ultimately did not get it, but the question remains why? Was it due to his accent and personality as was claimed or something more like discrimination or the state of American culture in the 1970s?
Longstreet
In 1971 Lee guest starred in the Paramount crime drama Longstreet and appeared in four episodes including the premier The Way of the Intercepting Fist. Lee played Li Tsung an antique dealer who taught the main character how to fight. Lee created a tremendous amount of buzz in his performance displaying his charisma and martial arts. Paramount executive Tom Tannenbaum was so impressed he offered Lee a development deal (IMDB and Life, page 326).
Warner Bros.
Chairman Ted Asher of Warner Bros. heard the buzz and saw his star potential. He also wanted to sign Lee to a development deal and asked Tom Kuhn, the head of the Paramount tv, to consider Lee for the lead in Kung Fu (Life, pages 321-322).
Kung Fu
Kung Fu was based on a half Chinese Shaolin monk who escaped from China because he had killed the Emperor’s nephew. Lee seemed perfect for this role, because he was one of the few martial artists in Hollywood of mixed Chinese descent (Wikipedia, notes 39 and 40; Life, page 327; Wikipedia, Kung Fu).
Tom Kuhn
Lee was invited to Kuhn’s office for an introductory meeting. Bruce came in determined to make an impression and started swinging his nunchaku around the office which terrified Kuhn. Eventually they were able to have a 30 minute conversation. Khun enjoyed the meeting and getting to know Lee.
“His presence was just mesmerizing. I really enjoyed my time with him. His energy was just fantastic. He was entertaining and he was a character.”
However, Kuhn had some concerns about Lee’s personality and wasn’t sure he would be able to play a Shaolin Monk.
“It did occur to me that this part was rather cerebral, a guy who only fights when he’s absolutely cornered.”
Kuhn also had concerns about Lee’s accent and if the public would tune him out.
“By the end of the half hour I really liked the guy, but frankly I had trouble understanding him. It was fun, but my conclusion was that we’d have to loop the hell out of this guy for an American television audience to understand him. And you can do that with a movie, but you can’t do it on an every-week basis with a television show. You have to take yourself back to 1971. Television was pretty primitive back then. You only had the three networks. Things that weren’t easy for that mass audience to absorb, either audio-wise or visually, there tendency was just to change the channel.” (Life, pages 323-324).
The Rejection
Warner Bros. called Lee on November 25, 1971 and told him he would not get the part. They were concerned he wouldn’t be accepted due to his accent and weren’t sure he had the right temperament to play a monk. His wife Linda said, “He was supremely disappointed. We were not in very good financial shape at that time. So this would have been a major breakthrough.” (Life, page 334; Wikipedia, Kung Fu note 82).
Why was Lee rejected?
Was Lee rejected simply because of his accent and temperament or was it more than that? Lee biographer John Little believed Lee wasn’t hired because Warner thought he was “too asian” and wouldn’t be accepted as a lead of a major Hollywood show (Letters, page 172 note 5).
In a November 1972 article in the Off Duty/Pacific, Lee attributed the rejection to his ethnicity.
“It was a far out idea, but some people were a little worried that a Chinese hero might not go over very well in parts of the United States. ‘They didn’t know if people were ready for ‘Hopalong Wong.’” (Words, page 152).
In a December 9, 1971 interview, Canadian Journalist Pierre Berton asked Lee if he experienced challenges as an actor with Chinese descent. Lee responded very diplomatically.
“…unfortunately, such things does exist in this world, you see? They think that business-wise it’s a risk, and I don’t blame them. I mean, in the same way, it’s like in Hong Kong, if a foreigner comes and becomes a star, if I were the man with the money, I probably would have my own worry of whether or not the acceptance would be there.” (Life, 335-336).
Conclusion
In the end Bruce Lee did not get the lead in Kung Fu. He seemed like a perfect fit due to his charisma, ethnicity, and unmatched martial arts skill. While there was a concern if Lee could play a serene monk, it seems the real hurdle was that America wouldn’t accept a Chinese actor as lead in a Hollywood show. Lee responded to this challenge by taking another approach and going to Hong Kong to make movies. These movies became so successful that it was impossible for even America to ignore this breakout star.
Resources:
Bruce Lee: A Life, Matthew Polly, Author, Simon & Schuster Publishing, 2019. Highly rated biography of Bruce Lee.
Letters of the Dragon: The Original 1958-1973 Correspondence, John Little, Editor, Tuttle Publishing, 1998, 2016. Volume 5 of the Bruce Lee Library, commissioned by the Bruce Lee Estate. Letters to friends, family, and business associates. Put together by John Little, Bruce Lee historian.
Words of the Dragon: Interviews, 1958-1973, John Little, Editor, Tuttle Publishing, 1997, 2017. Volume 1 of the Bruce Lee Library, commissioned by the Bruce Lee Estate. Interview transcripts of Bruce Lee on a variety of topics including philosophy, martial arts, and his personal life. Put together by John Little, Bruce Lee historian.
Wikipedia, Warrior (TV series), retrieved 06/09/2024.
Bruce Lee: the man only I knew. Warner Publishing. Linda Lee, author. 1975.
Wikipedia, Kung Fu (1972 TV series).
Longstreet, The Way of the Intercepting Fist, Season 1, Episode 1, aired September 16, played Li Tsung. Bruce Lee teaches the blind Mike Longstreet to defend himself. The first of four episodes on Longstreet. Bruce Lee received much positive attention and made important statements about his martial arts philosophy. 48m (IMDB).
Longstreet, Spell Legacy Like Death, Season 1, Episode 6, aired October 21, played Li Tsung. Mike Longstreet must discover who is setting off bombs in the city. 49m (IMDB).
Longstreet, Wednesday’s Child, Season 1, Episode 9, aired November 11, played Li Tsung. Bruce Lee helps Mike Longstreet to rescue the kidnapped Nikki. 49m (IMDB).
Longstreet, I See, Said the Blind Man, Season 1, Episode 10, aired November 18, 1971, played Li Tsung. Mike Longstreet must find out the identity of a murderer. 49m (IMDB).
AI Narration provided by elevenlabs.io. Bruce Lee quotes read by AI.
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