In Hero, Hong Kong actor/director Donnie Yen, the high-flying martial artist known for his rhythmic, graceful style, pits his gravity-defying leaps against Jet Li in a scene that will have kung fu fans roaring for more. Yen is fresh off success in the U.S. where Yuen Wo-ping's 1993 classic Iron Monkey, in which Yen plays a lead, was rereleased by Miramax and made $10 million at the box office. He spoke to TIME Asia entertainment correspondent Stephen Short. Edited excerpts:

TIME: How much pressure do you sense on this set?
Donnie Yen: I think [martial arts choreographer] Tony Ching is under tremendous pressure, but his work is always stunning. Jet Li and I have worked together for 10 years, so we're O.K. It will be great to be on the big screen again. Sometimes magic just happens and other times it's just not there. I think it would be hard to find a complete production like this one, and if we don't create magic, then no one will.

You were promoting Miramax's Iron Monkey for Harvey Weinstein in the United States when you got the call for Hero, is that right?
Yes, they phoned me a couple of months ago. Harvey had bought some of my films from Media Asia in Hong Kong a while back. I knew years ago, even when I moved to Los Angeles, that Harvey loved Iron Monkey. And in that respect, I've nothing but praise for Yuen Wo-ping, who made it. That's how I got the gig. The choreography in Iron Monkey was so advanced that I think it still wears well today.

Has Zhang Yimou asked you for any tips?
Just this morning I asked him how he felt to be working on his first action movie. He told me he didn't know too much about making one, but that ever since he was young, he's wanted to do it. So I shared my experiences with him, and told him how we used to make films. I think he's a bit confused; he finds action films take a lot of time and so much effort, but for very little screen time. I told him that's the way we were taught. Yuen Wo-ping would spend a whole month with no props, no tracking, not even sets sometimes, just to get one scene right. Zhang found that very amazing. The good thing with Hero is that Zhang has Jet Li, who has given him lots of help with suggestions and advice. But there's one thing that really impresses me about Zhang. For a guy who has never directed action, he's got a nuance for certain pauses, certain breaks. He never stops looking at the bigger picture and perfecting as he sees fit. He's also very calm. Me? I'd just get it over with.

Has the style of martial arts changed over the last decade, as presented on screen, or has it reached a point where it has become stagnant?
I have been trying to find an answer to that myself. Unfortunately the choreography hasn't changed all that much. In fact I would argue that it has actually regressed. We no longer have the luxury of days and days to perfect individual scenes, and as a result we tend to be less technical with the movements than perhaps 10 years ago. The new trend now is to have the whole nine yards in the film, the drama, the emotion, story development, and not just martial arts on its own. In a sense that takes away from the film in a choreographic sense. My feeling is martial-arts films are losing their heritage, their culture.

You're a busy guy. You were directing a German television series, and you were slated to work on several movie projects. Did you say yes as soon as you got offered Hero?
Yes. I feel at home with this movie. I've worked with most of the cast before; that gives me great peace of mind. I was meant to be action director for Chow Yun-fat's Bulletproof Monk, as well as a new project by Steven Seagal. But I pulled out of both. I wanted to make history with this film. I'm sure Jet Li feels the same way.

How long do you think the U.S. fetish for Asian martial-arts films will last?
I know a lot of people in Hong Kong think it's just a trend. But they don't understand American culture -- martial-arts films have been a part of their culture for a long time. I was promoting Iron Monkey with director Quentin Tarantino and one day he took me back to his house, sat me down and described in detail an action film that he wants to make in Hong Kong and Japan. The actress Uma Thurman will play the lead. Is this merely a fetish? No, I don't think so.

Are there any other projects in the works?
In July I'm expecting to go to Tokyo to direct a Japanese version of Charlie's Angels. We don't have a cast yet, but I'll get around to that as soon as Hero finishes shooting this month.