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.

Well, you see, uh, the title of that, that particular episode of Longstreet is called "the way of the intercepting fist". Now I think the successful ingredient in it was because I was being Bruce lee.

Pierre Berton: Yourself.

Bruce Lee: myself, right. And did that part, just expressed myself, like I say, "honestly expressed myself, at that time. and I, because of that, I brought, you know, favorable mentioning in, like, New York Time, uh which says, like, a chinaman who, incidentally, came off the quite convincingly enough to earn himself a television series and so on and so on and so forth."

Pierre Berton: can you remember the lines by Stirling Silliphant? To the key lines?

Bruce Lee: He's one of my students, you know that?

Pierre Berton: was he too?

Bruce Lee: yes...

Pierre Berton: Everybody's your student! But you read, there are some lines there /// expressed your philosophy. I don't know if you remember them or not....

Bruce Lee: oh I remember them, I said....

Pierre Berton: That's here...

Bruce Lee: this is what it is, ok?

Pierre Berton: you're talking to Longstreet played by James Franciscus...

Bruce Lee: I said, "empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash, be water, my friend, like that, you see?

Pierre Berton: yeah, I see, I got the idea. I got the power behind it...

Bruce Lee: uh-huh....

Pierre Berton: so, now, two things have happened: first there's a pretty good chance that you'll get a TV series in the States called "The Warriors", in which you'll use what, the martial arts in a western setting?

Bruce Lee: Well, uh, that was the original idea. Now Paramount, you know I did Longstreet for Paramount, and Paramount wants me to be in a television series. On the other hand, Warner Brother wants me to be in another one. But both of them, I think, they want me to be in a modernized type of a thing and they think that western idea is out! Whereas I want....

Pierre Berton: But you would use......You want to do the westerner, right?

Bruce Lee: I want to do / because, you see, I mean, how else can you justify all these punching and kicking and violence except in that period of the west? I mean, in nowaday, I mean you don't go around on the street, kicking people or punching people.... because if you do.... (yeah)That's it. I mean, I don't care how "good" you are, I mean, you know.

Pierre Berton: yeah, a gun, but this is true also of the Chinese dramas, which are mainly costume dramas. They're all full of blood and gore over here.

Bruce Lee: oh you mean here?

Pierre Berton: yeah.

Bruce Lee: well, unfortunately,... you see, uh, uh, I hope that the picture I am in would either explain why the violence was done, whether right or wrong, or what not, but, unfortunately, pictures, most of them here, are done mainly just for the sake of violence. You know / I mean, like, you know, fighting for 30 minutes /, get stabbed 50 times.

Pierre Berton: but I'm fascinated, here; let me give you your microphone back...

Bruce Lee: I am a martial artist....

Pierre Berton: I'm fascinated, I'm fascinated that you came back to Hong Kong when you were on the verge of success in Hollywood, and full of it, and suddenly, on the strength of one picture, you become a superstar. Everybody knows you. You have to take, you have to change your phone number. You get mobbed in the streets. Now what are you gonna do? Are you gonna be able to live in both worlds? Are you gonna be a superstar here or one in the States, or both?

Bruce Lee: Well, let me say this. First of all, uh, uh, the words superstar really turn me off, and I'll tell you why. Because the word "star" man, it's an illusion. It's something what the public call you. You should look upon oneself as an actor, man. I mean you would be very pleased if somebody said "Hey, man, you are a super actor!" it is much better than, you know, superstar. Therefore, I...

Pierre Berton: yes, but you've got to admit that you are a superstar. You're not ///....if you're gonna give me the truth!

Bruce Lee: I am now....I am honestly saying this, okay? Yes, I have been very successful, okay?

Pierre Berton: yeah....

Bruce Lee: but I mean, I think the word "star" is....I mean I do not look upon myself as a star. I really don't. I mean believe me, man, when I say it. I mean I'm not saying it because....

Pierre Berton: what are you gonna do? Let's get back to the question.

Bruce Lee: ok.

Pierre Berton: Are you going to stay in Hong Kong and be famous, or are you gonna go to the United States and be famous, or are you going to try to eat your cake and have it too?

Bruce Lee: I am going to do both because, you see, I have already made up my mind, that in the United States, I think something about the oriental, I mean the true oriental, should be shown.

Pierre Berton: Hollywood sure has packed, hasn't it?

Bruce Lee: you better believe it man. I mean it's always that pigtail, bouncing around, "chopchop," you know? With the eyes slanted and all that. And I think that's very, very out of date.

Pierre Berton: is it true that the first job you had was being cast as Charlie Chan's "number one son?"

Bruce Lee: yeah, "number one son."

Pierre Berton: they never made the movie?

Bruce Lee: no, no, no they were gonna make it into like a new Chinese James Bond type of a thing. Now that, you know, "the old man Chan is dead, Charlie is dead, I mean, and his son is carrying on."

Pierre Berton: oh I see. But they didn't do that.

Bruce Lee: no, bad man came along you see. Because and then everything was started to be going into that, you know, that kind of a thing.

Pierre Berton: like the green hornet?

Bruce Lee: yeah.

Pierre Berton: which you were in...but, is it....

Bruce Lee: By the way, I did a really terrible job in that, I have to say.

Pierre Berton: really? You didn't like yourself in that?

Bruce Lee: oh, no.

Pierre Berton: I didn't see it.