Lucy Liu is set to star in Quentin Tarantino's new film, Kill Bill Volume 1, showcasing her exceptional skills with intricate fight sequences. The interview discusses her progression from previous roles in Charlie's Angels and her experience working with Tarantino, highlighting the rigorous training process and the influence of Japanese animation and Westerns in the film.

She recounts her background in martial arts prior to the film and her learning curve with the Filipino art of Kali escrima Si Lot. Liu humorously explains her choice of specific fighting techniques and reflects on her roles' effect on her personal life, including whether they intimidate men. The discussion also touches on her training with samurai swords and working with seasoned Japanese actor Sonny Chiba.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. spaghetti westerns [spəˈɡɛti ˈwɛstərnz] - (n.) - A genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s, typically made by Italian filmmakers. - Synonyms: (Italian Westerns, Euro Westerns)

And a lot of it's based on Japanese animation and sort of Western spaghetti westerns and sort of Quentin's favorite things.

2. pompadour [ˈpɑːmpədɔːr] - (n.) - A hairstyle in which the hair is combed into a high mound at the front of the head. - Synonyms: (quiff, bouffant, wave)

Gonna be born with a giant red pompadour.

3. escrima [esˈkriːmə] - (n.) - A Filipino martial art focused on using sticks, knives, and other bladed weapons. - Synonyms: (stick fighting, Arnis, Filipino martial arts)

It's called Kali escrima Si Lot, and it's a Filipino sort of knife and stick fighting.

4. staccato [stəˈkɑːtoʊ] - (adj.) - With each sound or note sharply detached or separated from the others. - Synonyms: (detached, disconnected, abrupt)

There's Cantonese and there's mandarin. There's so many different dialects, and the Cantonese is a little more staccato.

5. yakuza [jɑːˈkuːzə] - (n.) - Members of organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. - Synonyms: (Japanese mobsters, gangsters, crime syndicate)

In this scene, at this point, my character has become the head of the yakuza, the leader.

6. sponge and gun fighting [spʌndʒ ənd ɡʌn ˈfaɪtɪŋ] - (n.) - A humorous way to describe contrasting or mismatched fighting methods. - Synonyms: (mismatched duel, incongruous fighting style)

That's like saying. It is the ancient art of sponge and gun fighting.

7. mandarin [ˈmændərɪn] - (n.) - The official language of China, characterized as more fluid compared to other dialects. - Synonyms: (Standard Chinese, lingua franca)

And the mandarin, I think, is a little more fluid, which makes sense if you say, like, I love you, what I need.

8. wield [wiːld] - (v.) - To handle a weapon or tool with skill and control. - Synonyms: (manipulate, handle, manage)

He taught me how to wield the sword.

9. guttural [ˈɡʌtərəl] - (adj.) - Sounding rough or harsh, often associated with the throat. - Synonyms: (throaty, harsh, gruff)

Chinese can just sound kind of, you know, guttural to me.

10. samurai [ˈsæmʊˌraɪ] - (n.) - A member of the warrior class in premodern Japan. - Synonyms: (warrior, knight, military nobility)

I learned how to do this, you know, work the samurai sword, because it's a.

Lucy Liu Learned Samurai Sword Fighting from Sonny Chiba - Late Night with Conan O’Brien

You know, my first guest tonight from the Charlie's Angels movies, Chicago and Ally McBeal. Starting Friday, she can be seen in Quentin Tarantino's new movie, Kill Bill, Volume 1. Please welcome the lovely Lucy Liu. You look very good. Thank you. Yes, very happy. Congratulations on your baby. Oh, thank you. Well, soon. Very soon. Yes, yes, very soon. Gonna be born with a giant red pompadour. You know, I saw this movie. One of the nice perks of my job, in addition to a million other things, is I get to see some of these really cool movies early.

And I got to see Kill Bill the other day at a special screening. And this movie, I really loved this movie. I thought you do an amazing job. But the fight sequences in this movie are great. And that's saying something, because I've seen you. Obviously, we've all seen you in these Charlie's Angels movies where you've been busting out the moves, but this is, like, taking it to another level, in my opinion. It's different. It's a totally different movie. And a lot of it's based on Japanese animation and sort of Western spaghetti westerns and sort of Quentin's favorite things.

So we learn different things for it. Like, Quentin actually trained with us on it, too, for, like, the first few weeks. So he was doing. He was in there every morning on the treadmill. He was working out. You'd see him, like, on the floor, and there'd be this, like, little Chinese guy on him, pushing him down and stretching him to make him more flexible. And he had this, like, Japanese headband on. And, you know, he was totally going at it. I didn't know training for ancient Chinese martial arts involved a treadmill, but first it says in the ancient scrolls you get on a treadmill, then Pilates, then a veggie burger.

Did you know any, like, martial art, you know, fighting before you did it in any of these movies, like, going back over the years? I mean, I did do one thing beforehand, but I was terrible at it. But I loved just how beautiful it was. It was. It's called Kali escrima Si Lot, and it's a Filipino sort of knife and stick fighting. Knife and stick fighting?

Yes. So you just took that up because you thought it looked cool? It does look cool. Because when you. When you practice or when you train or when they do it, when they look. You know, when they do it, it looks so fantastic. It's. You hold two sticks and you sort of twirl them in the air so they look like they're spinning. Spinning it's gorgeous. But where does the knife come into it? You said knife and stick. Knife and stick. You can substitute knife. Yeah. I would get a knife instead of a stick. Yeah.

Would you. I'd be like, could I have a knife, please? Well, I think it's both. You can have a stick and a knife. So you block a stick, get two knives. That's like saying. It is the ancient art of sponge and gun fighting. A gun and a sponge. It's your choice. Yeah, I know. So you learned how to do that. Would you ever use that? You can't use that in an emergency because you're not gonna have a stick and a knife on you unless you're whittling at the. And someone comes at you.

I can do it. Sort of fake out the dog when I'm playing, like, you know, fetch. That's when you can do it. Yeah. He's freaking out. Was there. Has it ever been intimidating because a lot of these roles that you play in movies, you play a badass. As someone who knows these martial arts isn't afraid to use them, has it been intimidating in your dating life at all?

I take that to mean yes. No, it's. It's weird because people think that that's, you know, it's my job to convince them that I'm really good at what I'm doing on screen. But in reality, it's not really the case. So it can be. I mean, but if I don't get approached, then I guess I've done my job. So you think sometimes there are guys that aren't approaching you because you put out this maybe, aura, Right? Possibly. Yeah.

Yeah. Well, maybe you just start to playing roles where, you know, you're not killing thousands of people. Karate chops. Thousands of people. Yeah. I'll just sort of start playing the sort of, you know, Julie Andrews making Curtain take the curtains. Yeah, I think Mary Poppins.

I see you in Mary Poppins. Yeah. That's a nice transition. Yeah. Let's kill Bill. A lot of this is. It's shot in China. It's shot in China, but the scene that we're working on or that you see my character in is in Japan. Right. So we shot in Japan, and I spoke Japanese, and I learned how to do this, you know, work the samurai sword, because it's a. And Uma was doing the martial arts kung fu and the samurai sword. She was learning, you know, so many different techniques.

Who taught you how to use the samurai sword? Actually, there's a. One of the actors in the movie There's a chapter that it's the man from Okinawa, and it's Sonny Chiba, who's a really famous actor in Japan, and he was one of the instructors, and he taught me how to wield the sword. He was amazing. Could he speak English?

Yeah, he was. I mean, he speaks English in the movie, and he also speaks Japanese. But he actually was so amazing with us because he would. He would say, look at me. Look at me. And we'd, you know, Daryl, Vivica, Umai, and Quentin just sort of standing there looking at him. And then he would demonstrate this beautiful move, and he goes, now you.

And then we'd all have to do it separately. And then he'd judge you afterwards and he'd say, almost good. Almost good. So it wasn't really interesting. Yeah. How do you know how to take almost good? But it's not. It's like sort of so Japanese because it's polite, but it's. I don't know. It wasn't. You were terrible, but you were terrible. Right, right. Almost good. I like almost good. I'm use that around here from now on. He would do the thumbs up with the thumbs up, so he thought you did really good. And he goes, almost good. So you're like, it actually should be at a 45 degree angle. Yeah, it shouldn't be exactly almost good. But he's got to do it correctly.

Did you speak Chinese? I do. Ye. And some languages just sound so romantic, and there's some that don't. Chinese can just sound kind of, you know, guttural to me, and. Well, it does, you know, because you understand the language so well. Yes. Well, no, just the sound saying. I'm talking about the sound of it. You know what I mean? There's Cantonese and there's mandarin. There's so many different dialects, and the Cantonese is a little more staccato, and the mandarin, I think, is a little more fluid, which makes sense if you say, like, I love you, what I need. Oh, that sounds very pretty, huh?

Cause there's something which is like German. No matter what you're saying, right. You can be saying, I love you. And it's like, what? I love you, too. Okay. You proved me wrong. It was very beautiful. We have a clip here from. We have a clip here from the movie. And this movie had me from the get go. And I'm a Quentin Tarantino fan, but this movie, I was. And it's part one. So when it was over, I was ready for part two, which I guess is going to be along In.

I think it's coming in February. In February. Ok, I'll be there. Because I was really into it the whole way. Tell us a little bit about the scene we're about to see. Okay. In this scene, at this point, my character has become the head of the yakuza, the leader. And one of the members in it is really unsatisfied with because the fact that I'm Chinese and American. He feels like it sort of infected their group and he makes a big statement out of it.

And then should I say. Yeah, he insults. Well, in a way, he insults you and I. This is you. He insults me and I sort of correct the matter. I correct the matter. Yeah. And this is after I've done something physical to him. Okay. Which I don't want to say because it might ruin the movie for you. Right. You want to see this in the context. But anyway, let's take a look at this clip From Kill Bill, Volume 1. As your leader, I encourage you from time to time, and always in a respectful manner, to question my logic. If you're unconvinced a particular plan of action I've decided is the wisest, tell me so.

But allow me to convince you. And I promise you right here and now, no subject will ever be taboo. Except of course, the subject that was just under discussion. The price you pay for bringing up either my Chinese or American heritage as a negative is. I collect your freakin head. It was. I think you'd give it away a little bit because you're spattered in blood. Spattered in blood? Yeah. Kill Bill Volume 1 opens on Friday. And I love it when you come on the show. You're beautiful and talented. Lucy Liu. Go see that movie. Michael Moore coming up. We'll be right back.

MOVIES, ENTERTAINMENT, TECHNOLOGY, LUCY LIU, QUENTIN TARANTINO, MARTIAL ARTS, CONAN O'BRIEN