Following his dazzling debut in 2003’s instant classic “Ong Bak,” Tony Jaa returns to U.S. screens this weekend with “The Protector (Tom Yum Goong),” a wildly entertaining big-budget film that should solidify his status as the next great martial arts star.

During his press tour in New York several weeks ago, I sat down with Tony Jaa at a hotel restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The quiet jazz playing over the speakers encouraged whispered speech, so I could never really tell whether Jaa was as soft-spoken as he seemed. Through a translator, we talked about his new movie, his next project and, yes, his elephants.

TMM: Can you describe ‘The Protector’ and how it’s different from ‘Ong Bak’?

Tony Jaa: This new movie emphasizes a different style of Muay Thai kickboxing that’s related to elephants. I really wanted to show the relationhip of Thai people with elephants. I grew up with two elephants named Leaf and Flower, so I have a natural affinity for elephants. I wanted to portray that in the movie. There’s also more action to this film. My style is not to use stuntmen, not to use CG. It’s a bigger budget. I’m trying to reach out to the international community.

TMM: What makes it different from other martial arts films?

TJ: We really wanted to be clear about the acting and the method. We do all of our own stunts. All the actors were hand selected. There has never been a big feature film that was all Muay Thai. That was something that I really wanted to do.

TMM: What is it about the Muay Thai style of fighting that you want to share?

TJ: The Muay Thai in the movie is a new style that features elephants, a more traditional style of Muay Thai. There is also the breaking of bones—well, not actually breaking but simulating the breaking of bones.

TMM: How was it working with director Prachya Pinkaew and actor Phetthai Wongkhamlao again?

TJ: We’re so familiar with each other, so it helped with the filming.

TMM: Obviously, the budget you worked with for ‘The Protector’ is a lot bigger than what you had for ‘Ong Bak.’ What is lost or gained with this kind of change? What kind of pressure does that put on you?

TJ: There are some pressures that I’ve experienced as a result of working on a bigger budget film, but I see it as a challenge to overcome. It’s made it easier in that I’ve been able to do things that I really want to do—like I wanted to film in Sydney or being able to hire international actors. In those ways, it’s improved the production.

TMM: I know that after I see a film like ‘The Protector’ or ‘Ong Bak,’ I have the urge to go out and fight people or scale walls because you make it look so easy. Why do you think your films elicit such a reaction?