Of all the martial artists the Dark Knight encounters in the latest DC Animated Movie Batman: Soul of the Dragon, few are quite as lethally formidable as Ben Turner, better known as the antihero and fighting expert Bronze Tiger. Voiced by Michael Jai White, who previously portrayed the character in live-action in a recurring role on Arrow, the character embodies the '70s sensibilities of the film's setting as he battles against evil.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, White discussed bringing the character into the heart of the '70s, pondered the mysterious fate of his character in The Dark Knight and weighed in on Todd McFarlane's planned cinematic reboot of Spawn.
You've portrayed Bronze Tiger before in live-action on Arrow but how was it portraying this character in animated form in the '70s?
Michael Jai White: It was really fun! There's that contemporary Bronze Tiger in the Arrow Universe but I think this one is a little more connected to how it began, really. This Bronze Tiger, being in that '70s locale and it's got that kind of spy genre adventure film [feel], this was a lot of fun doing this.
As someone with a martial arts background yourself and having lived through the Shaw Brothers era depicted in the film, what were some your own cultural touchstones bringing this character and era to life?
White: I looked at Three the Hard Way, Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Jim Kelly; there's a lot of Jim Kelly in there, those movies. It's kind of like those blaxploitation characters move into this James Bond-ish kind of setting.
As someone from New York City right around the time those movies you mentioned were coming out, did that influence you as both an actor and martial artist in general?
White: Oh, absolutely. Of course, Bruce Lee is the first influence martial arts-wise but I looked up to Jim Kelly, Fred Williamson and Jim Brown as someone like role models to later know these people personally which is kind of like a dream come true. For awhile, Jim Brown was kind of like a surrogate father to me.
You were saying we see different side of Bronze Tiger, who comes back to mentor his own students after hunting Kobra worldwide. Was that an outgrowth of that blaxploitation era?
White: Oh yeah, that's definitely one of the touchstones in those kind of movies: You come back and take care of your neighborhood; you give back. And when I wrote Black Dynamite, that was also part of that character as well. I really connect with that time period.
How was it working with Bruce Timm and Sam Liu on voicing this character?
White: It fit perfectly because we were all on the same page...I think they all wrote it so well that we were in the same world. Again, I'm the guy that wrote Black Dynamite and I wrote that from knowing and being so much part of that world and it being part of me when I was younger person. And so reading it and coming from that kind of place with the character, that was all very natural to me; they did their job.
What do you think it is about the '70s that makes it such a rich, attractive and appealing time to visit as a storyteller and performer?
White: The best music ever, the best movies ever, the sexiest time ever. Anytime you see a commercial or anything that depicts something sexy, it has '70s music behind it. The fashion, the environment, the political affiliations, people finding out who they are, the beginning of Black is beautiful; all these things are so material at that time. I think it's just the most vibrant time in American art, to me, which is why I wrote Black Dynamite and why I wanted to concentrate on that time period.
This is a question I've had for over ten years, as you're someone that has faced the Joker before: Is Gambol dead in The Dark Knight? Because it looks like the Joker just cuts his face open! Was there ever anything more with that guy?
White: The intention was that's all that was supposed to happen: He had his face cut. That's why in a movie that is that perfect, we're now sitting here wondering what the hell happened to it. That shows you that was a bit of a mistake because that character was intended to go on. If the death of the character was intended, you know a guy like Christopher Nolan would make that very clear as far as good storytelling. My guess is that because of the unfortunate fate of Heath Ledger that I think maybe there were some things altered to preserve most of his performance and I think maybe the bookend of where Gambol was supposed to go kind of went to the cutting room floor.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this but you got to be Spawn! I was wondering if you could speak to that experience and comment on Todd McFarlane's planned reboot.
White: He's been trying to get a new movie up and going for 23 years so I don't know. [Laughs] The last time I saw him, he was telling me about his idea of Spawn being ethereal fog that you don't see, like Jaws, and he strikes and you never see him and I'm like "Okay, good luck with that!" I don't know. Personally, I wish him well, that would be a major investment. I don't know Todd to be a director at all. It's kind of like Stan Lee: He created the character but he doesn't direct him and I guess somebody would have to pony up a lot of money for Todd McFarlane to direct for his first time directing this movie idea that he has. I've heard about Jamie Foxx starring in it and wish them well. I don't know maybe it continues because this is what people like to hear from Todd McFarlane. He can get attention by promising another Spawn; I don't get it.
To bring it back to Soul of the Dragon, what was something you really wanted to nail and get right as someone with a love for the era and a martial arts background? What are you most proud of in that performance?
White: With every frame of the movie, I just want to be truthful. I want to lend myself completely to it as honestly as I could...I'm proud that people tend to like it, that's what I'm proudest of and if my instincts were right — as an artist, I've got to go with my gut and feel like this is the way to do that — it's great to get reinforcement for your efforts, that's always the best for me. I don't really celebrate until the end result. I'm always asked "Aren't you excited for getting this role?" and I'm always like "I haven't done anything yet." [Laughs] I get excited once it's a success.
Just to close out, you got to reprise your role as Bronze Tiger to help close out Arrow. How was that experience?
White: I'm glad we got a chance to do that prison break episode. To me, that felt like a movie and I'm not the only one who feels this way, that really elevated that show a great deal. I'm glad I got a chance to do that before it went off and people can get to see kind of what it could've been like. I don't want to speak for Stephen Amell too much...he did tell me "if we have more episodes like that, I'd still be on this show" and I don't agree with him: As someone who was off the show and came back, it wasn't quite the same thing when I got back. [Laughs] I got back and I was like "Wait a minute, everybody's a superhero now?!" [Laughs] And Stephen was like "Yeah..." and I was like "Oh my god!" It is what it is. [Laughs]
Directed by Sam Liu and executive produced by Bruce Timm, Batman: Soul of the Dragon stars David Giuntoli as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Mark Dacascos as Richard Dragon, Kelly Hu as Lady Shiva, Michael Jai White as Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger, James Hong as O-Sensei and Josh Keaton as Jeffrey Burr. The film arrives Jan. 12, 2021 on digital HD and on Jan. 26 on Blu-ray and 4K UHD.