Happiness is a tree house in Hawaii

by Yeoh Siew Hoon

What is it about celebrities that make grown men grin like little boys and grown women giggle like little girls?

I was wondering that as I sat in a room at the Asian Civilisations Museum, waiting for the press conference to announce the start of production of a new movie, “Dance of the Dragon”, to be shot entirely in Singapore under the Singapore Tourism Board’s Film in Singapore! Scheme.

Due to appear at the press conference were Singapore starlet Fann Wong, Korean heartthrob Jang Hyuk and Hollywood-billed Jason Scott Lee, the three main actors in this movie that is ballroom dancing-meets-martial arts-meets-love-triangle.

I am not sure who was more excited about whom but I suspect that with the current craze over Korean movies, it was the younger Asian actor that had most of the younger girls fluttering their eyelashes in anticipation.
Anyway, first, local actress Fann billows in, looking like a grasshopper on high heels. I say billow because she’s dressed in a huge balloon-like blouse over skinny ankle-length pants. She looks like a sail about to take off. Then comes Jang Hyuk clad in a dark-striped suit, all very cool and noir.

But it was Jason Scott Lee that caught my eye – dressed in faded blue jeans, flowery shirt and flip-flops, he looked more hippie than Hollywood, more Yoga-like than Shaolin-esque.

Now it’s been a while since I saw Lee in a movie. I remember him best in “Bruce Lee: The Dragon Story” but “ “the wonder boy of Asian-American actors in the 90s” has played roles such as an Inuit Eskimo (Map of the Human Heart), a Polynesian prince (Rapa Nui) and an Indian wild boy (Jungle Book).

But then he disappeared and last publicity about him has him living in and running a “natural farm” on the edge of the Hawaiian rainforest.

Lee apparently traded celluloid for cabbage about 10 years ago when he bought 25 acres of land in Volcano, Hawaii and decided to carve out a new lifestyle for himself. This involved living in a house with no electricity, hot water or flush toilet, and “eating what you grow”.

Whatever he is on, it seems to suit him. He radiates energy and glow. His eyes are bright, his smile wide. He looks like he’s on happy beans.

The Dance of the Dragon’s storyline hardly sounds original: Young Korean boy dreams of being ballroom dancer. To realise his dream, he moves to Singapore to be tutored by well-known teacher. Student falls in love with teacher who happens to have big, strong boyfriend who gets real mad when he sees the affair developing.

But writer/editor Max Mannix believes the combination of martial arts and ballroom dancing in a story of love and courage will produce a blockbuster for the international market.

STB meanwhile hopes the movie will do for Singapore what Sleepless in Seattle did for the rainy city. Ken Low, assistant chief executive-branding and communication, of STB believes the movie and Singapore are a perfect fit. “Singapore is a place to fall in love and pursue your dream.”

As for why Lee accepted the role – after all, he’s been known to say, “I want to work when I want to, on films that I want to, and not have to pay for a lifestyle that doesn’t do anything except obligate me to the machine” – he said it was the chance of working with the cast.

“You’ve got to like the people you’re working with. If you’re going to spend two months of your life with them, that’s a lot of your life and to enjoy everyday, that makes all the difference in your life.”

As for what advice he would give young aspiring actors, he said, “Create a life outside your business. Find something real in this life, find a life outside the façade and illusion that your business creates.”

According to a report in The Honolulu Star, the only electricity in Lee’s house comes from a 12-volt battery.

A tiny room holds the horse water trough that he uses for a bathtub. A single solar panel operates a water pump, and a 5-gallon propane tank heats water for bathing.

An elevated walkway leads 20 feet into the forest, where an outhouse sits above the ground.

That’s as real as living gets.

Join Yeoh Siew Hoon every week over coffee at The Transit Café – www.thetransitcafe.com