While many will know Chuck Norris had a close working relationship with martial arts legend Bruce Lee, it’s not common knowledge that he actually turned down a role in Enter the Dragon. As one of the most meme-able action stars of the 1970s and beyond, following a minor role in spy comedy The Wrecking Crew, Norris got his big break as a main villain in Lee’s The Way of the Dragon. Utilizing his skills in multiple martial arts disciplines, Norris sH๏τ to fame portraying Colt, whom Lee’s Tang Lung defeated at the climactic fight in the Colosseum.
As one of the most memorable villains in Lee’s entire filmography, it would have made sense for Norris to show up once again in Enter the Dragon. However, Norris’s career went down a different path as he embraced action movies as a leading man and went on to star in acclaimed martial arts releases like A Force of One, Missing in Action, and The Delta Force. With an incredible career behind him, Norris now stands alongside Bruce Lee as one of the most well-known martial arts stars of all time.
Chuck Norris Declined To Play O’Hara In Enter The Dragon
Lee Offered Norris A Role In His Final Film
The truth was that Norris was actually offered a role in Enter the Dragon but declined the opportunity as he wasn’t willing to lose to Lee a second time. According to Matthew Polly’s 2018 book, Bruce Lee: A Life, although Lee wanted him to portray O’Hara, Norris was more interested in playing main characters from now on. The role of O’Hara ultimately went to Bob Wall, who gave a fantastic performance as the crime boss Han’s bodyguard. Along with Han’s enforcer Bolo, O’Hara was one of two secondary antagonists in Enter the Dragon.
While Wall gave a convincing performance as O’Hara, it’s impossible not to wonder what Norris would have brought to the role. As the ruthless bodyguard responsible for the death of Lee’s sister Su Lin, there was a sense of resentment in the pair’s relationship that arguably would have made their showdown even more iconic than Norris’s fight in The Way of the Dragon. As a genre-bending movie that combined aspects of spy films and blaxploitation cinema, there’s no denying that Enter the Dragon was the defining movie of Lee’s career, and the addition of Norris would have been great.
Why Chuck Norris Was Right Not To Appear In Enter The Dragon
Norris Avoided The Curse Of Being Typecast By Forging His Own Path
As a martial arts fan, it’s impossible to lament the absence of Norris in Enter the Dragon, although from a career perspective, he made the right decision. While Lee and Norris’s careers will always be intrinsically linked, Norris used the notoriety he gained from The Way of the Dragon to kickstart his own career as a leading man. Had Norris appeared in Enter the Dragon, he would have risked being typecast as just another henchman who always loses in the end.
The legacy of Chuck Norris has far exceeded his time as a Bruce Lee villain, as he later starred in a string of independent martial arts movies and major studio releases, became a franchise star, and even made a name for himself on TV.
It would also have been incredibly difficult to repeat the climactic fight between Lee and Colt in The Way of the Dragon, and O’Hara almost feels like a step down for Norris. The best thing Norris could have done for his career after starring opposite Lee was to carve out his own path and showcase he had the potential to lead his own action movies away from the actor that many consider the greatest kung fu star of all time. Had Chuck Norris accepted the role, there’s a chance he never would have graduated to making movies for himself.
Source: Bruce Lee: A Life by Matthew Polly
