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 3: How Good of a Martial Artist are you?
Ted Thomas: Bruce ah how much of your screen personality is really you? I mean you teach martial arts, obviously you’re very good at it. But of course teachers are not always the best exponents or practitioners. Are you able to take care of yourself, would you say?
Bruce Lee: I will ask, I will answer this, first of all with a joke, If you don’t mind. Often time people come up and say ‘Hey, Bruce, are you really that good?’ I said well, if I tell you I’m good probably you will say I’m boasting. But, if I tell you I’m no good, you know I’m lying’. But all right going back to be truthful with you. Let’s just put it this way. I have no fear of opponent in front of me. That I’m very self-sufficient. That they do not bother me. And that should I fight? Should I do anything? I have made up my mind and that’s it baby you better kill me before.
‘Hey, Bruce, are you really that good?’ I said well, if I tell you I’m good probably you will say I’m boasting. But, if I tell you I’m no good, you know I’m lying’.
Part 4: The Big Boss
Ted Thomas: Bruce in The Big Boss you play a man who’s very slow to anger, is shy, diffident, you even stay out of fights in the early scenes because of the promise you made to your mother. Uhm, is that a little bit like you are, or is this just a screen personality?
Bruce Lee: Ah this is definitely a screen personality, because ah as a person, one thing that I have definitely learned in my life, it seems like its ah, its a, it’s a life of self-examination, and self-peeling of myself, bit by bit, day by day, is that I do have a bad temper. A violent temper in fact. Ah so that is definitely, I mean, some people that I am portraying, you know not Bruce Lee as he is.
Ted Thomas: Well as well as being an exceptionally successful film, in terms of finance, uhm and it grossed more than any other picture’s ever done in Hong Kong, The Big Boss does show some very explicit sex scenes, doesn’t it? What’s your reaction to being in bed with a lovely young movie star in front of the whole studio crew? Does it intimidate you? Does it worry you at all?
Bruce Lee: Well it certainly would not intimidate me. I can tell you that. Well it’s all right as long as the script justifies it. But I definitely do not agree to put something in there just for the heck of it because it is an exploitation. You know like for instance when I start shooting The Big Boss, the first question was asked, ‘Hey, man, how many thousands of feet of film, or films,’ my English is getting terrible now ah, ‘is it going to be?’ My reaction is that first of all why do I start fighting? Do you see what I’m saying there?
Ted Thomas: Yeah, motivation.
Bruce Lee: Oh definitely, I mean you see that it seems like to be the thing now that they go for blood, sex. Just really for the sake of sex and really for the sake of blood.
Ted Thomas: May I ask you a question that’s been puzzling me since I saw the film.
Bruce Lee: Sure. Go, man. Yeah.
Ted Thomas: Uhm, at the stage where you decide you’re going to get revenge, I mean, obviously leading up to the clash, you suddenly decide to go off and make love to the girlfriend in the bordello. What is the motivation for that?
Bruce Lee: Now the way I look at that you know it that was a suggestion of the Director. And I accepted in such a way and that is him being a very simple man when all of a sudden he you know he made up his mind that he’s gonna go and either die or either kill or be killed right? So he walk past by it’s a kind of a sudden thing of human being that a thought just occur, ‘Well doggone it man such is the basic need of a human being I might as well enjoy it man before I kick the bucket.’ You know like that type of an attitude. I mean it’s a you cannot say to…it’s, it’s, it’s just an occurrence you know.
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.
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