September 11, 2005
Jason Scott Lee
I was browsing through AngryAsianMan.com and saw that he had this link to a story about what Jason Scott Lee has been doing recently. You might remember Jason as playing Bruce Lee in the movie “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story,” one of the few major Hollywood productions in the last 15 years or so that had an Asian American man and a White woman in lead romantic roles.
It turns out that Jason has pretty much dropped out of the Hollywood acting scene and instead, is living a relatively primative life (i.e., no electricity, running water, or flush toilet) near a volcano in Hawaii:
In the early ’90s, Lee was the wonder boy of Asian-American actors, wowing audiences with his emotional intensity and physical power in many quality roles. . . . He had five bona fide romantic leads, a major achievement for an Asian actor in Hollywood. Lee loves acting. But even more, he has another dream: He wants to leave his mark other than on the stage or screen. . . .
Turning his back on Hollywood — he dropped his manager and agent — he focused on yet another dream: to build a small performing arts venue for professional-quality, socially conscious plays, workshops and classes. He also hoped to have cast members and instructors live there with him. . . . For his film work, Lee chooses projects that have some significance while providing the income he needs to maintain [his house and land].
I’ve got to hand it to Jason for putting his money where his mouth is. A lot of actors portray themselves as “politically active” or “socially conscious” — right before they drive off in their six figure luxury SUVs to have dinner at a hundred dollar a plate restaurant. But Jason is clearly different — and truly sincere and genuine about his beliefs.
Way to go, my brother!
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Suggested reference: Le, C.N. . "Jason Scott Lee" Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian America. <http://www.asian-nation.org/headlines/2005/09/jason-scott-lee/> ().
Short URL: http://www.asian-nation.org/headlines/?p=128
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