In honor of Bruce Lee's birthday, Doctor Strange actor Benedict Wong shared how the late martial arts legend inspired his career.
On what would have been Lee's 80th birthday, Wong wrote as a THR guest columnist describing how Lee was a symbol of hope to him and to East Asians. "One day, he arrived on my screen, a symbol of East Asian strength," he said. "A symbol of hope as a first-generation British Born Chinese growing up in Salford. Bruce Lee has been with me in many different forms throughout my years, and resonated in different ways."
Wong was first introduced to Lee's work through the 1973 film, Enter the Dragon. The actor described the film as "'70s cool at it's best, and one of the only films where we actually hear him talk rather than him being dubbed."
The actor happened to pick up Lee's book, Tao of Jeet Kune Do, which he recommends as a must-read for all young actors and believes helped him with the development of his career. "When I embarked as an actor 30 years ago, other than some encouraging advice from the legendary Burt Kwouk ('You can do it Kid!') who I was lucky enough to work on radio plays with early on in my career, there were no East Asian actors to guide me through this relatively unchartered path."
In Tao of Jeet Kune Do, Lee wrote about constantly learning and adjusting one's craft in order to move forward and become better. Wong wasn't able to go to drama school and instead incorporated Lee's philosophy into his work. "It's been about the alchemy of bringing your own version and style," said Wong. "Welcoming all forms and accepting that others around you are doing the same. Learning from others what is, and isn't right for you. Discarding what no longer serves you and moving forward."
The quote in Lee's book that he constantly referred to for guidance reads, "If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."
Wong knows limits all too well and felt stereotyped at the beginning of his journey. "Particularly earlier on in my career, there were constant limitations; patterns forming, being boxed in, stereotypes, some I couldn’t wriggle out of," he said. "I tried to understand who and where those limitations were coming from, and over time I'm learning to challenge them. Using the previous quote of rejecting what is useless, closing the door on what I see as limitations and trying to break myself free of them."
To honor his mentor, Wong keeps a pop-art print of Lee in his living room. "He's there as a reminder to me to stay ready," Wong stated. "Be ready for change, be ready to move forward, be organic and flow with what comes at me. Be Water, My Friend."
Source: THR