Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
About a month and a half ago, I had occasion to run into Quentin Tarantino at a screening. I don't see him on any sort of regular basis, nor do I think of Quentin as a confidante. I've always enjoyed meeting him at the QT Fests in Austin, and on one occasion, he was cool enough to invite Harry and I to his house. And I like the guy a lot. He's more mellow than you'd expect, and talking to him is like falling into a conversation with any serious film geek. But I would never call him up. I just don't know him well enough for that.
As a result, on those rare moments we do get to talk, I never push too hard. I'm always interested in what he's working on, but I also am keenly aware of where and when it's appropriate to work someone for information. When you're all just hanging out to watch a movie, that's not the time or the place. If the person decides to be talkative and approachable and starts volunteering information, that's cool, and I'll certainly pay attention. That's exactly what happened, too. We had a few minutes to sit and wait before the film began, and there were maybe six of us total in the room, and Quentin just sort of eased into it, talking about how he'd just come from casting, and how he was looking forward to the start of weapons training for the cast, and how much fun locations scouting has been, and the first thing that struck me as he spoke was just how much fun he appears to be having as he puts the thing together, as he eases back into the process.
And all of the information he gave me was, in my mind, off-limits because of the setting. Some of what he said was incredibly detailed, down to music cues for action scenes and the process he and choreographer Master Yuen Wo Ping are going through as they build the film's sure-to-be-blistering action scenes. But there was one story he told that has since been confirmed for me by an outside source... someone who came to me with the story... and it's too much fun not to share.
In the script, there is a character named Pai Mei. In fact, there's a chapter in the film called "The Cruel Tutelage Of Pai Mei." The 150 year old sole survivor of the White Lotus Clan, Pai Mei is an astonishing martial arts master who takes on The Bride (Uma Thurman) at the request of Bill (David Carradine). As Bill says, "He is Nietzsche's psalm personified. If Pai Mei doesn't kill you, he will make you stronger." The Bride goes through a gruelling ordeal as he reshapes her into something deadly, and it's one of the most memorable sequences of the film.
The original plan was for Yuen Wo Ping himself to play the role. As they started work on pre-production in earnest, though, Pai Mei took Quentin aside to explain to him that he wouldn't be able to play the role. "You need me to train your actors," he told Quentin, "and if I'm going to play the role, I'll have to go into training myself. That won't do you any good."
Heartbroken, Quentin started searching for another Asian actor to play the role, someone who carried the same iconic power as Master Wo Ping, but kept coming up short. Finally, during one of their meetings, it was Master Wo Ping who suggested to Quentin, "You know, you should play the role yourself."
Quentin laughed it off, but Yuen Wo Ping was emphatic, citing the voice that Quentin did for the character and the fact that whenever he talked about the role, he would act it out and do all the physical moves. Quentin knew that playing the role would mean that he would have to go through martial arts training during pre-production with his actors, a major investment of time, but gradually warmed up to the idea.
And so it goes. He's already had his headcast done at KNB's makeup FX shop, and they're sculpting the appliances he'll be wearing in the role. And, yes, he's in training with his cast, getting into shape and learning how to convincingly move like a 150 year old master martial artist.
I think it's going to be ridiculous fun to see him play the role, and it should turn "Chapter Eight" into one of the highlights of the movie, already overladen with highlights as it is.
I'll be back later this morning with some more updates. Until then...
"Moriarty" out.
