Cynthia Rothrock: The Mr. Skin Interview

How did you first get interested in martial arts?

I was thirteen and one of my friend's parents was studying martial arts and they owned a health club. On Sunday we would go down there while they were cleaning up the equipment, and I was initially just very intrigued by the outfit. I thought, "Wow, I'd like to do karate and get a belt." I really didn't know anything about it, but I thought the uniform was something I definitely wanted to wear.

When did it become more than just a cute outfit in your eyes?

Well, after my first class, I knew that right away. For the first two months, I really didn't like it. I was the only girl in the class. It was all guys and they were all shouting and I was very intimidated. I told my mom that I didn't want to go back. She told me that she had paid for four months so I was going to continue for the four months.

Then one day I was getting ready to test for my orange belt and I was sitting there and my instructor gave a talk. I felt he was directing it at me, and he was saying if you're not any good it's because you don't practice. I thought, "You know what? I don't practice and I have a negative attitude about it."

I started practicing and I started getting all the moves that I thought were complicated-all the spins and turns. Once I started getting it, I started really liking it.

Speaking of something else that changes your body, tell us about that Kentucky Fried Chicken TV commercial and how that came about!

At the time I was number one in my Forms and Weapons competition, and one of the talent coordinators for that commercial was walking by a magazine stand looking for sports people and I happened to be on the cover of a karate magazine. He picked it up and called me and asked if I would like to do this commercial. It was my first time flying first class.

The theme was top athletes and we were all number one like Kentucky Fried Chicken. I remember just being blown away. I had never been on a stage set, and I remember they had built a Kentucky Fried Chicken inside a building and I was so impressed by that. I had no idea what filming anything was about and my eyes were wide open. It was an amazing experience for me.

What's your favorite movie that you've starred in?

I would have to say that I love the Chinese movies for the fighting, and the American movies that I've made, they just can't compare to the Chinese movies for how good the fight scenes are.

As far as storyline goes, I'd have to say Sworn to Justice (Picture: 1 - 2). That movie gave me an opportunity to work with actors other than martial artists. I did a scene with Brad Dourif, and he just started crying in his rehearsal. I just learned so much from him, and after the scene he came over and he kissed me on the cheek and he said, "That was an Academy Award performance." So nice!

I think that was the nicest thing on that film that happened. It was also a transition for me, instead of being just a tough karate girl or girlfriend. It was more of a meaty role. I was a therapist and I had to learn all this technical stuff. The role was a challenge for me.

What's the difference between making movies in Hollywood and making movies in Hong Kong?

In Hong Kong we never had a script so we never knew what was happening. They'd tell you what was happening right before you went on camera, and they shoot with no sound so they don't really care what you're saying as long as you do something with your mouth!

For the fight scenes, we'd rehearse on set and sometimes we'd be practicing on set for two or three hours, and when you are doing films here in Hollywood, you are doing everything ahead of time.

In Hong Kong you have to hit people really hard, and here the stunt people don't really want to get hit that hard.

We would shoot in Hong Kong for two days straight without going home. When we were shooting Shanghai Express, [legendary martial artist and filmmaker] Sammo Hung was directing it and he said everyone should just stay in the bedrooms upstairs. We couldn't go home because he was in a rush to get the movie out. There was no overtime and you just do whatever you have to do.

There's quite a difference between the two places. I remember when I first saw that movie in a midnight screening, I thought, "Oh, wow! That's what I was saying! I wish I had known I was quitting my job-I would have made my facial expression a bit different!"

What American director would you compare Sammo Hung to?

I'd compare him to Steven Spielberg because he not only has amazing choreography but he brings that fantasy filmmaking to the Chinese market much like Spielberg does to Americans.

Why do you think that there aren't more strong, athletic, martial-arts-practicing female stars like you in American films?

You know, I had a tough time. I think most of the industry looks at us like we're stunt people or we're just action. They seem to think that if it's a Western, let's just get Sharon Stone (Picture: 1) to do that and we'll get someone to double her and the movie comes out and the general public is pretty smart and they can see that she's not really doing that. Then they say that action women don't really sell and a year or two will go by and they'll do the same thing.

People will ask me why I wasn't in The Matrix. It's not that I don't want to be in those films; it just seems like all the people who have the money and make the decisions don't even look at us. They just think "let's get Angelina Jolie" (Picture: 1). It's a weird Hollywood thing.

You've worked with Michelle Yeoh in the past. What have you learned in your time with her that might surprise people who don't know her?

We became really great friends making Yes, Madam. One thing that was great about Michelle was that she had made a couple of films before me and that was my first one. She spoke the language and she helped me out a real lot.

The two of us were so darn tough when we were shooting that movie. The more we'd get hit, the more we'd laugh. We did a fight scene that they had to cut out because we both were bruised so badly.

At that point in her career, Michelle wasn't that strong of a martial artist, but she gave her heart and soul when she worked. We'd get hurt, but we'd just keep working. We both had this toughness, and we both really knew that we just wanted to make a good movie.

You just don't see that in too many women, whether they are in action or not-where people just go to extremes to make a good movie.

You also worked with the late Dana Plato in The Hostage. What do you most remember about her?

Dana Plato (Picture: 1) was very nice and very professional. She seemed like a nice girl. I didn't get that close to her, but she didn't seem troubled by anything. She seemed like she was on a right path and she was trying to reestablish her career.

Speaking of trouble, what do you think your character China O'Brien is up to these days?

[Laughs] She's trying to get another sequel going. It's funny because those are some of my most renowned movies but they were my very first English-speaking movies, and we shot two of them at the same time, so every day we were shooting tons and tons of dialogue.

I had just come from Hong Kong, and I came in with that attitude that you just don't have to study your scenes. When I look at China O'Brien now, I see that I knew nothing about acting or character.

Anyway, I think making another China O'Brien movie would be great-there would be better acting and everyone would have matured out of those '80s haircuts. It would be a good idea because China O'Brien was a really great character.

What was it like on the Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! set? That was kind of a departure for you.

It was one of the most fun shoots that I've had. I was nervous-this was the original Dukes of Hazzard cast!

To me, this was really big, as I'd only done these independent martial-arts pictures and here's something that's mainstream.

Everybody was so nice, though, and I had such a great time. I'd go to the studio every day, and everybody became a family.

I said to Catherine Bach (Picture: 1 - 2), "You guys must have had such a great time making those shows." She says, "Well, it wasn't always like that . . . " I guess that one of the cast members passed away and they were all at the funeral when they decided to do a reunion and they decided to make the atmosphere good and happy.

What one self-defense technique would you recommend that people use in their lives?

A strike to the eyes. If you are close enough to your attacker, go right for the eyes and don't just poke. Go straight through.

If you could work for any director that you haven't yet, who would you choose?

Tim Burton. I love his movies. He's quirky and I like quirky films. Everything he has done has impressed me-he's one of my favorite directors.

How about actors?

I'd like to do something with Jet Li or Jackie Chan. I've worked with just about every martial artist, but I have never worked with either of those two.

Let's venture into Mr. Skin territory: Who do you think the hottest chicks in Hollywood are.

Angelina Jolie (Picture: 1 - 2) or Charlize Theron (Picture: 1 - 2). They both look really good on film and they both can act. That's a great combination. It's the whole package.

What do you watch to relax?

I'm a major Dancing with the Stars fan and I watch American Idol. I don't watch a lot of TV, but I make sure to Tivo those. I like late-night talk shows too.

For movies, I tend to really like comedies-Wedding Crashers (Picture: 1), Fred Claus. Borat is one of my favorites-I think that Sacha [Baron] Cohen is brilliant. I like Johnny Depp's Tim Burton movies-I totally can't wait to see Sweeney Todd.

So you've got CYN the comic coming out this year. What can fans expect to see in that?

I've always wanted to do a comic book because I love them. We have, with this comic book, the best of the best doing it. It's been slow coming because we're all doing it on our own for the love of it.

We're all doing it because we believe in it, and we should be able to get it published this year if we can get a publisher interested in it. We already had people interested in doing the toys and in distributing it, but we don't want to bring it out until everything about it is exactly where we want it.

You sell a beverage that you say changed your life. What's Mona Vie about?

The main ingredient in it is a? berry from Brazil. After I had my daughter, I started getting this back pain, and I'm also one of those people who is paranoid about getting colds and things from other people. I'm a health nut too.

My back pain wouldn't go away and nothing helped. A friend who was a stunt guy gave me a bottle of Mona Vie and said that I had to try it. After two and a half weeks of using it, my back pain was gone. After eight years of back pain, it was 100 percent gone. I also have a lot more energy with it. It's amazing. I believe in it 100 percent. For me, it's something I'll take forever.

Last question: An average guy who believes that martial-arts chicks are hot-does he have to get a black belt to get the girl?

No, and I can say that during my career I've only dated one martial-arts guy.

It's not about whether the guy is a black belt or not. It's about what he is inside. A guy can have a black belt but can have other things that aren't working right.

For me, too, I'm so into martial arts that for a while it was what I'd eat, sleep, and breathe. When I started dating, it was nice to not talk about it all the time.

It's probably easier to meet a martial-arts girl if you're giving martial arts a try, but it's not necessary to do it to date her.