“He Would Be in the Depths of Depression”: Bruce Lee’s Wife Once Recounted the Martial Arts Legend’s Darkest Days

Martial arts legend Bruce Lee not only was a superstar in Hong Kong and in Hollywood, but he was also the pioneer of kung fu in world cinema. During his prime time, the Little Phoenix gifted back-to-back superhits. But was the path always that smooth? Of course, not. Notably, even though he became a popular name in China, after struggling in life, it was hard for him to successfully set foot in America.

In fact, in the tumultuous situation that rose while doing an exemplary movie to project his ability in world cinema, Lee struggled a lot. He faced a downturn at that time, as his wife shared in his biography. What could’ve caused his gloom? Let’s find out.

The little phoenix stumbled in his initial years

In 1973, while Lee was shooting Blood & Steel to make his pedestal in Hollywood, he was conflicted. Evidently, the Chinese martial artist wanted to make some changes in the plot but was failing. In Bruce Lee: A Life, Linda Cadwell talked about his setbacks while he was not complacent about the outcome of the product and thus felt a rivalry with John Saxon.

Unable to change the screenplay, “Bruce was under enormous emotional pressure”, stated his wife. As his suggestions were randomly reversed, the Little Phoenix decided to boycott the shooting and didn’t show up for days. As she implied, “He was certainly distraught at times. At one moment, he would be feeling real high and ready to go. Ten minutes later, he would be in the depths of depression about it all. I had to psych him up at times.”

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The countability between Lee and the scriptwriter took an unexpected turn, and it took almost twelve days to come to mutual terms. Two scriptwriters let the martial artist direct the opening scene, along with an extended flashback. This helped Lee to maintain his image in his country.

The reason behind portraying him as a true Chinese

In the movie, Bruce was supposed to act like Chinese James Bond, as perceived by the director. But he became cautious of the fact that portraying the character of a police officer who works for the British Government, will make his image as an obeyer of the British. Evidently, the Chinese people will not take it in a good way and think of him as a sellout.

However, by making changes, he infused a scene where he will play as a Shaolin Monk in flashback and the convict will kill his sister. Making a perfect reason for the police officer to avenge his sister’s death by working under the British government. It was imperative for the actor to get a clean image in China before setting foot in Hollywood.

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That was indeed the darkest phase for the movie star that proves his determination even when facing challenges to grow.