“For me, the martial arts is a search for something inside. It’s not just a physical discipline.”

Immortality is to live your life doing good things, and leaving your mark behind.

For what level of mediocrity will you settle?

There’s sort of a theory that’s going around in the China-watching community about a perfect storm coming up with the 2008 Olympics, a U.S. election and a Taiwanese election, some sort of mutually reinforcing explosion and crisis.

I’ve made six films since I made Secrets and Lies but I still live in London and I’d love to do theater.

My mother is very wise and intelligent. If I have children and can do half as good a job as she did in keeping me in line, I’ll be very happy.

Believe me, nothing is trivial.