Jet Li Recalls Dinners with 'Charming and Pretty' Aaliyah While Filming Romeo Must Die, Says the Late Star Is 'Always in My Heart'

Action movie icon Jet Li is sharing memories of working with the late Aaliyah while filming the action film Romeo Must Die

via: People

Li recently spoke with PEOPLE about his new book, Beyond Life and Death: The Way of True Freedom. While discussing his early success in the United States, he looked back at the 2000 film.

"For me, Romeo Must Die was a very important movie in my career in Hollywood. It was the first time the studio gave me a chance in my first leading role. Aaliyah worked with me, line by line. We worked together for days on how to act, how to have a relationship on the screen," he recalled.

"After our days of shooting, we'd have dinner. Her mom would bring her. I would bring my brother. We'd sit together just like a family, very warm."

"Everybody in the film loved each other. Aaliyah was very charming and pretty. With Anthony Anderson and DMX, we'd all work together, and it's a very strong memory in my heart."

Aaliyah received praise for her role as Trish O'Day, which was reportedly created with Janet Jackson in mind before the young starlet's audition blew Warner Bros. executives out of the water. The singer's life was tragically cut short when she died in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming her music video “Rock the Boat” on Aug. 25, 2001.

"I say that while the physical part of her has left us, mentally, she's always here. She's always in my heart. Every time I come to the States, people still talk a lot about Aaliyah. I say she's still in my heart. I always feel that she's there. She's living on in a lot of people's hearts."

Romeo Must Die was a box office hit, bringing in $91 million and debuting behind Erin Brockovich. It continued to open doors and present opportunities for Li in the US.

"Marital arts helped me open many doors. I worked, 25 years ago, only making movies in Asia and then came Hollywood. I think a lot of people like my movies because they're a little bit different."

He continued, "There are, I think, two kinds of martial arts movies. One is called the action movie, where every style of whatever fits as long as there's cool movements. But some movies need kung fu, a more Chinese style of fighting. Having that style, fighting with those movements, that's kung fu. And maybe people just like Jet Li. I really appreciate that around the world, a lot of, at that time, young people, who are now also middle-aged, have liked my movies."

Beyond Life and Death: The Way of True Freedom by Jet Li is available now, wherever books are sold.