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When Jet Li was asked to be Richard Nixon’s bodyguard
It’s not often that the kung-fu star Jet Li is appreciated without the legacy of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee to back up his stardom, but make no mistake, the Chinese acting icon is very much his own entity.
Taking to the martial art Wushu at the age of eight, Li quickly stood out among his peers in the sport, joining the Beijing Wushu Team which performed a display at the All China Games. This led the young athlete to compete against adults, becoming the national all-around champion from 1975 to 1979 from the ages of just 12 to 16.
Speaking in the book China’s Internet Celebrity, Li spoke about his early success in the sport, stating, “My winning first place caused quite a sensation because I was so young. I was 12 years old, and the other two medalists were in their mid-to-late twenties. During the awards ceremony, as I stood on the top step of the podium, I was still shorter than the 2nd and 3rd place medalists. It must have been quite a sight”.
Thanks to the nationwide fame he gained from participating in the sport, Li sought out a career in cinema as a martial arts film star, acquiring his screen name in 1982 when production companies thought his real name, Li Lianjie, was too hard to pronounce. It wouldn’t take long for the sports star to gain cinematic acclaim either, making his film debut in 1982 with the Chinese movie Shaolin Temple, before making his international film debut in 1998 with Lethal Weapon 4 alongside Mel Gibson, Joe Pesci, Chris Rock and Danny Glover.
Long before his success in Hollywood, however, and even before his cinematic acclaim in China, he was already turning important heads, specifically during one event in 1974 when he met the American President Richard Nixon.
Just 11 years old at the time, Li travelled with the Chinese national Wushu team to perform in front of the President at the White House, with the soon-to-be disgraced Nixon taking a shine to the young boy.
Seeing the astonishing skills the young boy possessed, in addition to his own lack of popularity across the nation, Nixon offered Li the job of being his bodyguard. According to a recent article from We Are The Mighty, Nixon repeatedly stated, “Young man, your kung fu is very impressive…How about being my bodyguard when you grow up?”.
Replying with surprising, blunt maturity, Li replied, “No, I don’t want to protect any individual,” adding, “When I grow up, I want to defend my one billion Chinese countrymen!”.
Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger responded with sheer surprise, remarking, “heavens, such a young boy and he already speaks like a diplomat”.
Of course, Li never ended up becoming a bodyguard, enjoying a healthy career in Hollywood, starring in such films as The One in 2001, Hero with Tony Chiu-Wai Leung and The Expendables with Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Terry Crews and Mickey Rourke.
