Background
This famous December 9, 1971 interview of Bruce Lee in Hong Kong has been referred to as The Last Interview because it was his final radio interview. In it he talks about fame, martial arts and the movie The Big Boss. This interview was conducted by British radio and television broadcaster Ted Thomas who was based in Hong Kong for many years. Thomas was also a prolific voice actor who dubbed dialogue in over 1,000 movies including doing the voice of Lee in his movies (Spotlight and Thousand Voices).
Part 1: Being Challenged to Fight
Ted Thomas: Bruce as a screen tough guy, you’re going to have to suffer what all movie heroes suffered, challenges from exhibitionists and nuts asking you to fight, challenging you to fight. It’s already begun to happen, hasn’t it?
Bruce Lee: Yes, it has.
Ted Thomas: How do you deal with it?
Bruce Lee: When I first learned martial art, I too have challenged many established instructor and of course some other challenging me also. But what I have learned is that challenging means one thing is that what is your reaction to it? How does it get? Now if you are secure within yourself you treat it very, very, very lightly, because you ask yourself, am I really afraid of that man? Or is that man, do I have any doubt within me that he’s going to get me? But if I do not have such doubt. And if I do not have such fear, I would certainly treat it very lightly, just as today the rain is going on strong, but tomorrow maybe the sun is going to come out again. I mean, it’s like that type of a thing.
Ted Thomas: Of course, they can’t lose by challenging you. Even if they lose, they get the publicity of being a guy who actually fought you.
Bruce Lee: Ah let’s face it, in Hong Kong, can you have a fight? I mean a no-hold bar fight? Is it, is it a legal thing? It isn’t is it? And to me, see a lot of things, I mean you know like challenging, and all that. It’s…I am the last to know. I am always the last to know, man. I mean I always found out from newspapers, from reporter, before I personally realize what the hell is happening.
Part 2: Training Famous Students
Ted Thomas: Bruce you are teaching martial arts in the states and two of your, two of your students are Steve McQueen and James Coburn. Did you find them tough people the way they are portrayed on the screen?
Bruce Lee: Well first of all, James Coburn definitely is not a fighter. Lover yes. I mean he’s really a super nice guy. Ah, I mean not only that he’s a very peaceful man. He learned martial art because he finds that it is a very, very, it is like a mirror to reflect himself. You know what I mean? I mean like I personally believe that all type of knowledge, I don’t care what it is, ultimately means self-knowledge. And that’s what he is after. Now Steve, Steve is very uptight. Steve is very high strung you know? Now Steve he can be a very good martial artist. But I hope that martial art would cool him down a little bit. Maybe make him a little bit more mellower and be more peaceful like Jim.
Ted Thomas: Did it achieve that his time with you? Did you feel that ah perhaps he learned something from you?
Bruce Lee: Ah no, definitely not yet. First, because of shooting schedule and all that, I mean he can not have it on a regular basis. And, secondly, he is still on the level right now enjoying it as an excitement. Like his motorcycle and his sports car. Some for release of his whatever anger whatever you name it.
Bruce Lee training James Coburn.
Resources:
Last Radio Interview, with Ted Thomas, Hong Kong, December 9th, 1971.
Bruce Lee and Ted Thomas image, Wikizilla.
Hong Kong Image, Flickr, 1971.
Hong Kong Image 2, British Pathe, Youtube.
Bruce Lee Training James Coburn image from Bruce Lee Backyard training. Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC is the exclusive owner of the use of Bruce Lee’s name, image, archival footage, and writings.
Ted Thomas on his time in the Spotlight, Postmag, September 28, 2014.
Man of a Thousand Voices, Hong Kong Voice Actor Ted Thomas on His Prolific Dubbing Career!I Vantage Point Interviews, Brett Hoenick, May 17, 2017.
The Big Boss, Golden Harvest, played Cheng Chao-an. Bruce Lee plays a non-violent man who works in an ice factory. His family members start to disappear. First breakout movie. 1971, 1 h 39m (IMDB).
Long Beach International Karate Championships, August 2, 1964, Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC is the exclusive owner of the use of Bruce Lee’s name, image, archival footage, and writings.
The Green Hornet, 20th Century Fox Television. Season 1, Episodes 1 – 26, aired September 9, 1966 – March 24, 1967. A series where Bruce Lee plays a newspaper publisher’s valet and crime fighting sidekick. Bruce Lee gained much attention with his realistic martial arts. 1966-1967 (IMDB).
Bruce Lee Award image, Pinterest.
Bruce Lee glasses image, Pinterest.
AI Narration provided by elevenlabs.io. Bruce Lee quotes read by AI.
Leave a Reply