Li Lianjie is one of the most well known faces in martial arts movies, but you probably know
him better as Jet Li . From martial arts movies in the '80s and '90s up to modern-day franchises
like The Expendables, Li has been an action star for as long as many moviegoers can remember.
But fans were sent into a frenzy after a 2018 photo of the actor appearing aged beyond his
years went viral.
The snapshot was almost unrecognizable as the great martial arts star.
Born in 1963, the martial artist would have just turned 55 at the time the buzzworthy
picture was posted, but many thought he appeared to be 20 or 30 years older.
People made their concerns known all around the world, but is there really any reason
to worry?
Here are the real reasons why Jet Li looks completely different now.
Kung fu cult master
Jet Li is an actor with a rare résumé.
Born in Beijing, Li grew up practicing martial arts on a nationally competitive level, transitioning
to a movie career in his late teens.
Since then, he's appeared in both Chinese movies and Hollywood productions, but he slowed
down his Hollywood output around 2010.
Li's partial withdrawal from the spotlight had to do with a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism.
When he announced he was suffering from the illness, Li said that the condition left him
feeling uncertain as to whether or not he could continue working as an actor in martial
arts movies.
Despite this setback, Li seemed content about the situation, saying in 2013,
"I'm in pain, but I'm not suffering.
I'm happy."
Concerns gone viral
Li's diagnosis again became cause for concern in May 2018 when a photo taken of him at a
Tibet temple went viral.
The photo, which showed the five-foot-six star hunched over, with short gray hair and
glasses, made him look remarkably older than his age.
Li's relative absence from American movie screens in recent years, coupled with the
implied notion that he was gravely ill, helped the image to circulate rapidly.
Suddenly, a man who had convincingly defended entire nations on the screen looked like the
sort of person you would help to cross the street.
Fortunately, things aren't nearly as bad as they might look.
While an overactive thyroid can cause drastic changes in one's weight and resting heart
rate, it's a treatable condition.
While the disease has required Li to change up his lifestyle, it's reportedly never threatened
his life.
As his manager told The Washington Post,
"He has hyperthyroidism that he's been dealing with for almost 10 years.
It's nothing life-threatening and he's dealing with it.
He’s all well and good."
A painful career
Li has a lot more going on with his body than an overactive thyroid, and he's been building
up the damage in plain sight, for our entertainment, his whole life.
As a result of his many injuries, Li has said he suffers from problems in his legs and spine,
with the issues keeping him from being able to stand up straight for too long.
The damage is part of a history in martial arts that goes back decades, earning him a
torn knee that required surgery to fix at the age of 18, and a major back injury by
the age of 23.
According to the South China Morning Post, Li has said he was told by doctors in 2013
that he would end up in a wheelchair if he continued to work in martial arts films, which
helps to account for his slowed output in the genre since then.
Who could blame him?
The movies he's already done get to live forever, but Li himself only gets one chance.
From a bad angle
Li's public relations people were quick to pounce on the emerging viral story, with his
manager telling USA Today that his client was "completely fine."
Though Li's manager assured readers that Li appreciated the outpouring of concern, he
also made it clear that the rumors of Li's declining health were greatly exaggerated,
not to mention a snap judgment, based on one photo of questionable composition.
As Li's manager put it,
"It's one picture and people are making these interpretations from it.
If you took a picture [of] me at the wrong angle and wrong time of the day, I could look
frail as well."
As the photo gained traction with news outlets around the world, social media commentators
pointed out that much of Li's appearance could come down to issues of lighting, posture,
and other external factors not indicative of failing health.
The bad photo theory has merit.
In December 2017, Li shared a video on Instagram wishing his fans a Happy New Year.
While his appearance in the video is similar to his look in the viral photo, he appears
considerably healthier, older, but not in trouble.
"Dear fans, this is Jet!
I wish you happy holidays in the great year 2018."
Romeo is fine
While Li does look different now, it doesn't appear to be because his health is declining,
nor are things as bad as one photo makes it look.
Li is still working as a filmmaker, though he's kept most of his work aside from the
Expendables series in China.
That may change soon, as the actor is reportedly in talks to star in the live-action version
of Disney's Mulan, set for release in 2020.
Li may be getting older, but rumors of his condition have been greatly exaggerated.
Just because he's cooled it with the high kicks doesn't mean he's done kicking around.
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