Last September I had the pleasure of talking on the phone with Wuershan, the man who directed The Butcher, The Chef and The Swordsman. Scheduling the call was slightly complicated by the fact that Wuershan is in Beijing and I’m in NY, plus I had an evening of re-shoots for our MTV pilot Pants, but this was the first time I’d had the opportunity to talk to Wuershan since I came on board the film as Executive Producer so I didn’t want to pass it up. Most of you won’t be in Toronto but if you are, Butcher premieres late night on September 16. I’ve put the trailer in so you can get a sense of the film. In addition to being a filmmaker, Wuershan is an award-winning commercial director, animator, fine artist and avant-garde composer and musician. If you catch Butcher, you’ll get to see all of these talents at play. It’s awesome.

Doug Liman: Wuershan, I’m curious — we’re approximately the same age but we have grown up in such different cultures — what did you know of American cinema when you were growing up?

Wuershan: The most popular movies in China are all from America and I always watch American cinema and I like American cinema.

DL: Your film is so original and your voice is so original, are your influences from China or are they from films you’ve seen from other countries?

W: I want to stress that I want to keep my film original. I want the film [to be] very unique. Since I was young, I have watched so many movies from around the world. There are films from Asia that I like very much and films from America that I like very much. It is really hard to tell if I have received some influences. I am sure I have been influenced from films that I like but I can’t tell exactly where these influences come from.

DL: When I got my start in America, I raised a little bit of money to make a low budget feature film, which I then sold to a major studio. What was your experience getting your first feature made?

W: I think we had similar paths. I raised my own funds to prove that I could make a commercial movie. I’ve been trained as a commercial director and been doing that for the past ten years. It’s been hard for me to become a film director. I did a small, low budget movie earlier and this is the first time I could make a little bit bigger budget film and could show my style and the genre I like. It’s a good chance for me.

DL: We had different experiences because you established yourself as a commercial director first before moving to doing a feature, but was it hard for you to raise the money?

W: It was very difficult to raise money in China. I had to prove that I could make films and it took me a long time to prove that. But it was good for me because I am more mature and, although it’s my first commercial film, I have enough life experience to make a better film at this stage.

DL: Where did you raise the money from?

W: At first, I really wanted to make a movie so I directed four different projects. I submitted four different projects to five companies. Then I met Ms. Tang Xiru and they would want produce The Butcher, the Chef, and the Swordsman in a way that is very close to [the way] I think [it should be made.] Eventually this film was produced by her company.

DL: I really like the action in your movie. How do you approach directing action sequences?

W: Action genre is my favorite genre. I like action movies and watch a lot of them. When I made this film I imagine that I have to make something very different. I want something very fast paced. I discuss that with the martial arts choreographer and at the same time I want to bring some humorous style for the action. Because we don’t have an action star in the movie, I have to try and resolve the problem and define something that they could manage to show. And that is how we got this kind of action style.

There are a lot of limitations when I filmed this movie and because of the limitations it is up to me to create a new style. In the end the result is very satisfactory. So for example, the action sequence in the tomb and the two stunt doubles do not look alike at all — they are not the same height and it’s quite obvious — even though they are supposed to be twin brothers. So I used four frames-per-second to film it and liked it very much.

DL: What is your favorite genre to direct?

W: Fantasy, Action, Action-Adventure-Fantasy picture. Or better, an Epic picture.

DL: Like you just did?

W: I want to do something more Epic.

DL: Do you have one in mind?

W: Two stories I really want to make are Genghis Khan and Turandot.

DL: Who is the second person?

W: It’s a story of a Mongolian princess from a Puccini opera called Turandot. It’s really captured my imagination partly because I am a Mongolian.

DL: Oh you are? Does that mean you are from Mongolia or your ancestors are from Mongolia?

W: I am from Mongolia and my ancestors and from Mongolia. You should see my wedding pictures. I wore traditional clothes and they are amazing. I will email you some.

DL: That would be awesome.

W: I have a special feeling on how to treat the story of Genghis Khan and I’ve been prepared for over ten years.

DL: Do you feel that your heritage influences your style?

W: I am proud of that.

DL: Do you have any questions for me about putting my films together in America?

W: I am curious about your pictures. I checked your resume and information on the internet and I think you have so much energy because you can produce and direct film, TV commercials and TV series. I am so curious, how many hours do you sleep a day and how can you manage that?

DL: Well, I’m not married, although I’d hope to be someday, and I don’t have a family, kids or a wife. So that is sort of the price I pay. Are you married?

W: I just got married a month ago. I think you are married to your career.

DL: Is your wife an actress? Is that common in China the way it is in America for directors to marry actresses?

W: My wife is not an actress. She is our music composer for this film.

DL: Do you have a sequel planned? Are sequels talked about in Chinese cinema? What’s next?

W: I don’t have any plans yet for a sequel. I would like to see the response from the audience in China. If it is successful I would like to plan for a sequel. I think this movie is very new in China because there is no genre movie in China. But I am not sure about the reaction from the audience. I want to wait and see.

I have a question for you. I was wondering if in America you make something very new, maybe the mainstream audience won’t accept it. What is your choice, to try and make a more mainstream movie or sometimes keep the originality and try to do something different that could be risky?

DL: Early on in my career I was faced with that exact choice. Swingers had become a big hit and I had the choice to make a mainstream studio comedy or a very offbeat and original independent film and against the advice of my agent I went and made the independent film GO and that set me on a career path where I am now expected to choose the riskier path.

I’ve been lucky to be able to do mainstream movies that are very much my voice but that also have done well commercially. I think of myself as more of an unusual director and not necessarily doing things the way other people do them. I think that is one of the reasons I responded to your film. You are approaching Chinese cinema in your own way. A filmmaker always has to remain true to his voice.

W: We are so lucky to have you as Executive Producer.

DL: I feel that even though we live thousand of miles apart, when I look at your movie, I feel like it’s the kind of movie I would make if I were in China. I feel a real connection, like we are kindred spirits.

W: I want to drink with you and talk more when have a chance to see each other in person. When I saw Jumper, I had such a strong feeling because when I was in primary school, I wanted to have the same power, to travel through time and space to go to the girl’s home that I like and I can reach anywhere I want to go. I think it is so amazing you made Jumper. It’s a movie I would want to make. I have imagined myself, even though I don’t have the power to travel through time and space, to try and dress in dark colors and pass as a ninja at night.

DL: I’d like to go drinking with you. I’m not going to Toronto but I’m probably going to one of the openings in Asia. They want you in Toronto and they want me in Asia. Since our films are so similar, perhaps I can go to Toronto as Wuershan and you can go to Thailand as me? But seriously, I would love to go visit Mongolia one day. Maybe I will find a wife there too?

W: I will welcome you. We can ride horses in the dessert. Beautiful Mongolian girls there. They sing well, most of them are musicians. You should drink a lot because girls drink hard there.

DL: What do they drink?

W: They drink white wine but the alcohol is very strong — it’s like 60 proof — and drinking hard is very dangerous.

D: Wow, well I’ll start practicing now. Wuershan, it’s been great talking to you and good luck in Toronto.

W: Thanks, goodbye.

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