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Q: In addition to martial arts, Han also practices calligraphy in the movie. Are the two related?
SHK: I'm glad you asked that, because you're right, they are related. Traditional calligraphy is a significant method of mental practice. Taoists believe that writing is a reflection of the mind. Like martial arts, it requires total concentration. Each stroke in calligraphy is like a basic movement in taekwondo, a kick or punch or block. Once you learn the basics, you can combine them freely and create art. Ultimately, the goal is to write whole heartedly but without attachment to the individual strokes just as in sparring or defending yourself, you need to concentrate fully on the moment but be free from your environment. Calligraphy is a kind of moving meditation. It focuses and calms the mind.
Q: There is also a scene in the movie that makes it seem like there is something hidden in the characters that Han writes.
SHK: Many of the characters that he practices, including the one that he teaches Antonio, are actually striking techniques that can be used to attack with the short stick or sword. So while it appears that Han is a man of peace, he is secretly preparing for war.
Q: It's interesting how martial arts are part of everything in the movie, even when people are not fighting.
SHK: For a martial artist, I think our training is part of everything we do in life. I particularly found three elements that were the same in filmmaking and taekwondo. The first is fitness. I trained for over a year specifically for this movie. By the time we started shooting I literally felt like I was in the same shape as when I was competing in my teens and early twenties. Not only was I training for the fight scenes but for the long days on the set and the many repetitions of every scene. Fitness is the foundation – something solid to build everything else upon. The second is techniques or knowledge. Understanding the basic techniques and being able to apply them in a real life situation is essential. So techniques are like wings that give us the ability to fly as high and as far as we desire. And finally there's discipline, which ironically allows us to be free. Some people ask me how can you be free and be disciplined at the same time, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
Q: What is it that you'd like viewers to take away from this movie?
SHK: That true revenge is not accomplished by avenging something but by resolution within yourself.
