“I definitely had a lot of pressure on me, and I have to admit that I was nervous,” said rapper-turned-actor-turned-director RZA. “But my nervousness was overshadowed by my focus. And my pressure was overshadowed by my determination and belief.”
As he readies for the theatrical release for the biggest project in his film career with an epic 19th century Kung Fu action film, RZA even sounds like an Asian master.
RZA not only leads a star-studded character ensemble that includes Lucy Liu and Russell Crowe, but he also co-wrote (with Eli Roth) and makes his directorial debut in The Man with the Iron Fists.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the star of the show – I’m surrounded by a great cast. I will say that I have more screen time than usual,” RZA said.
As “The Blacksmith,” RZA just might be among the most unlikely face of Kung Fu films. But as he spoke of the making of the film and the technical tricks of the trade that he promises will light up the screen, he sounded like a seasoned professional.
“This is living a childhood dream for me, and I didn’t foresee this – but I definitely prepared for it though,” RZA said. “We don’t want negative dreams coming true, but if there is a positive dream with positive energy, don’t let anyone stop you from bringing it to life. Mindpower. The good book teaches us ‘ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be opened.’ You need to take those routes.”
He took those words to heart and asserted himself to study under director Quentin Tarantino and actor Russell Crowe – masters of film in their own right. The end result would be a professional moment RZA couldn’t have ever imagined as he feasted on Kung-Fu movies as a child and later as a star of the acclaimed rap dynasty The Wu Tang Clan.
A trusted advisor, Tarantino confidently lent his name to The Man with the Iron Fist. And Crowe – who RZA shared screen time with in American Gangster and The Next Three Days – agreed to co-star.
RZA was beaming with excitement as he anticipated the film’s release.
“On Nov. 2, be prepared for pure entertainment,” RZA said. “I strive to do the world a good service by the film, but the main thing is I want for them to walk out entertained. It has some action in it and it has some blood in it. At the same time I know I’ll get the fans from Wu Tang, and I definitely put a spoonful of sugar in there for them too. I wanted people to walk out of that theatre and say, ‘Yo, that was a good time. That was a great time.’”
The process of becoming “The Blacksmith” was a process years in the making.
“As an actor I’m able to draw upon different personalities of my own self over my life or draw upon characters that I’ve seen,” RZA said.
“So somebody like The Blacksmith, I’m thinking like, ‘How was Clint Eastwood in his earlier movies?’ when he [expletive] had no name and nothing to say and was a stranger. I studied some things he did. I studied some of the Chinese actors and some of the things they did in their movies, and at the same time I said, ‘Yo, I am a black dude, so I’ve got to make sure that energy is felt.’”
Becoming a director was a bit more complicated.
“It was nerve-wracking, it was tedious, but I studied for years for the chance to do this – I prepared,” RZA said. “I’m an official director now and I feel like I can make movies like I make albums. I got the magic.”
Again, he prepared for this.
“The biggest lesson I learned in this whole process is that you must prepare yourself,” RZA said.
“Preparation is the key to filmmaking – actually it’s the key to making music. It’s the key to everything really. There’s a line in the film where one of the characters says, ‘Many people come upon the path, but very few are prepared.’”
“The Man with the Iron Fists” opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, November 2. The film is Rated R with a running time of 96 minutes.
