Bruce Lee 'Lost' Interview

an unedited 25 minute interview with Bruce Lee (1940-1973) on the Pierre Berton Show. Recorded on 9th December 1971 in Hong Kong, Bruce Lee ... all » is seen being himself, speaking candidly and informally about his life, his martial art beliefs and philosophy. Through the programme Bruce's supreme confidence, charisma and focus provide a tremendous insight into the young Bruce Lee - the man behind the legend.

Pierre Berton: What is the difference between Chinese boxing and what we see the young man doing at eight o'clock every morning on the rooftops (eha) and in the parks called "shadowboxing," which they're always...?

Bruce Lee: well, actually, you see, that is part of Chinese boxing (it is). There are so many schools, different schools...

Pierre Berton: Everybody here seems to be you know, going like this all the time.

Bruce Lee: Haha, well, that's good. I mean, I mean I'm very glad, I'm very glad to see that because at least somebody is caring for their own bodies, right?

Pierre Berton: yeah.

Bruce Lee: I mean that's a good sign. Well it's a kinda of a slow form of exercise which is called "tai chi chuan". I'm speaking mandarin just now (yeah), in Cantonese, "Kai di kune", haha, Okay? (I see) And it's more than an exercise for the elderly, not so much for the young.

Pierre Berton: Give me a demonstration, show me, can you do a little bit of it, just …?

Bruce Lee: I mean, hand-wises, it's very slow and you push it out but all the time you are keeping the continuity going: bending, stretching, everything, you know, suppose, you know, I mean, you, you just keep it moving.

Pierre Berton: It sounds like a ballet dancer there...

Bruce Lee: Yeah, it is, I mean to them the idea is "Running water never grows stale." So you've got to just "keep on flowing."

Pierre Berton: Of, of all your students, famous, James Garner, Steve McQueen, Lee Marvin, James Coburn, Roman Polanski, which was the best? Who, who adapted best to this oriental form of exercise and defense?

Bruce Lee: well, um, depending, ok? Now, as a fighter, Steve, Steve McQueen, now, he is good in that department because, that son of a gun has got the toughness in him....

Pierre Berton: Yeah, I see it on the screen....

Bruce Lee: I mean, he would say, "all right baby, here I am, man," you know, and he'll do it, (yeah) now James Coburn is a peace-loving man....

Pierre Berton: I've met him.

Bruce Lee: Right? I mean, (yeah) you've met him....

Pierre Berton: Yeah.

Bruce Lee: I mean he's really, really nice, I mean super mellow, or, and all that...

Pierre Berton: Yeah, he is!

Bruce Lee: You know what I mean? Now he appreciate(d) the philosophical part of it. Therefore, he's understanding of it, is deeper than Steve. So it's really hard to say, you see what I'm saying now?

Pierre Berton: I see....

Bruce Lee: I mean it's, I mean it's different, that's, depending on what you see in it...

Pierre Berton: Interesting, that, we don't, in our world, and haven't since the days of the Greeks who did, combined philosophy and arts with sport. But quite clearly the oriental attitude is that the three, are facets of the same things.

Bruce Lee: Man, listen, you see, really, to me, ok, to me, ultimately, martial art means honestly expressing yourself. Now it is very difficult to do. I mean it is, it is easy for me to put on the show and be cocky (yeah) and be flooded with a cocky feeling and then feel, like pretty cool and all that. Or I can make all kinds of phony thing, you see what I mean? Blinded by it. Or I can show you some, really fancy movement, but, to express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself, and to express myself honestly now, that, my friend is, very hard to do. And you have to train. You have to keep your reflexes so that when you want it, it's there! When you want to move, you are moving and when you move you are determined to move, not taking one inch, not anything less than that, if I want to punch, I'm gonna do it man, and I'm gonna do it. You see, so I mean, so that is the type of thing you have to train yourself into it, to become one with the…, you think.

Pierre Berton: Yeah, this is very un, western, this attitude. I want to ask you about your movie and TV career, but first uh, we take a break, and we will be back with Bruce Lee.

Pierre Berton: I've been taking to Bruce Lee, mainly about the Chinese martial arts which include things like Chinese boxing, karate and judo, which is what he taught when he was in Hollywood after he left the University of Washington, where he studied, of all things, philosophy, if you can believe that. But he did, but that, perhaps you understand why the two go together from the first half of this program. And you can perhaps understand how he got into films, he knew a lot of actors but I'm told that you got the job on the green hornet, where you played Kato, the chauffeur mainly because you were the only Chinese-looking guy who could pronounce the name of the leading character, Brich Reid!

Bruce Lee: I meant that as a joke of course, haha. And it's a heck of name, man, I mean every time I said it, at that time I was super-conscious, I mean, really now, that's another interesting thing, huh? Let's say if you learn to speak Chinese...

Pierre Berton: yeah?

Bruce Lee: And it's very, I mean it's not difficult to learn and speak the words. The hard thing, the difficult thing, it's behind what is the meaning, what brought on the expression and feelings behind those words, like when I first arrived in the United States and I looked at a Caucasian, and I really would not know whether he was putting me on (yeah) or is he really angry? Because, because we have different way of reacting to it, (of course) those are the difficult things, you see?

Pierre Berton: It's almost as if you came upon a strange race or a smile didn't mean what it does to us. In fact, a smile doesn't always mean the same, does it?

Bruce Lee: of course, not.

Pierre Berton: Yeah, and it's a problem of that. Tell me about the big break when you played in long street...

Bruce Lee: Ahh, that's it.

Pierre Berton: I must tell our audience that Bruce lee had a bit part, or a supporting role in, in the long street series and this had an enormous effect on the audience. What was it?

Bruce Lee: well,…