Issue date: Dec 26, 1999

Action aficionados know Chow Yun-Fat, 42, as the Asian Steve McQueen -- the heat-packing veteran of Hong Kong shoot-'em-ups and such Hollywood crime thrillers as The Replacement Killers and The Corruptor. Now he goes gunless opposite Jodie Foster in the new $70 million non-musical King and I remake, Anna and the King.

What's it like to be the first Asian romantic lead in a big-budget Hollywood movie?
"In the old days, we have John Lone, who did The Last Emperor, and this Japanese actor who did The Bridge on the River Kwai. [There is] not much opportunity for the Asian actor to play a dramatic, heavy role in a big, epic movie. I'm a lucky guy. It'll be fascinating for people to see a real Asian playing the king rather than a white actor pretending they are Asian. [Laughs.]"

How did it feel to play the role that Yul Brynner made famous?
"Actually, the director, Andy Tennant, said, 'Don't stick to the old version. We're talking about a new story.' We are not doing the musical. We have totally new dimensions for the movie, so I didn't use it."

You once fired 500 shots from two guns in a single day -- so many your hands were swollen. Which is more difficult: packing a pistol or acting in a second language?
"One is physical and one is mental. Maybe you're lifting and shooting a gun that weighs 15 pounds using your two hands. And then you have to practice enunciation and diction. Dialogue is more difficult than using two hands. Your tongue gets very tired."

What was it like working with Jodie Foster?
"She gave me a lot of encouragement. In the movie, I have a lot of kingly conversation, which is really hard for me -- the diction and intonation. So if I have some struggle about language, she will tell the director, 'Yun-Fat using simple words to stress out his message rather than using difficult words that he cannot express the meaning.' She was helpful."

What's the most surprising thing you learned about her?
"She's human. My instinct is that most Hollywood stars are very elegant, very self-centered. But she is a normal person."

The 900 extras on the set applauded you after every take. How did that feel?
"We were shooting in a very hot situation. Why they clapped was not just because they liked Yun-Fat. They say, 'Yun-Fat, be good! Be good! We don't want to stand here anymore!' It was so they can go home. [Laughs.]"