Global fans will recognize him from the likes ofStar Wars spin-offRogue One, as well as this months fourth outing in the phenomenally successfulJohn Wick franchise. And thank god I heard it was because one of the writers in the room turned on and said, oh, theres this actress from Hong Kong, actually, he said, who does her own action. I have stage fright. Now, your Hollywood breakthrough was when you played a Bond and Im not going to use the term girl because Wai Lin was not a girl in the 1997 movie Tomorrow Never Dies. Can you talk about I love Bond movies, and I thought you were fantastic in it. She is this very ordinary woman. As a kid from Hong Kong, let alone one whod spent the previous six years in America, he barely fit in. In China, Yen can play drug lords, animated monkeys, romantic leads, soldierseven sing. Its true. Yen recalls getting approached by Disney to appear in the 2016Star Wars prequelRogue One. Even then, I noticed a couple of Asian diners nearby quietly freaking out. ), Caine is looking cool and fashionable like all the other John Wick characters. Very scary. I have something to say to you. No, no, no, no. Theyve been part of this community forever. This presented Yen asa relatively fresh face to Western audiences, and thus a perfect foil for the A-list presence of Chan and Owen Wilson in Shanghai Knights. It wasnt about her not being rich enough or whatever. Thankfully, Lin pops up for an explosive assist at the last moment that fits right in with the silliness the Shanghai movies pride themselves on. Born July 27, 1963 in Canton, China. If you place the camera over there, I already know exactly where the frame is. Later, as Yen began to work on his own choreography, he learned to compose the film as he went, editing in his head, so that when I moveokay, I move this way towards this medium shot, then I reserve this movement, four, five, and six, to the wider shot. And they're quite heavy. Its these floppy things. You fight with, or you dance with, multiple partners. Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? And there are so many of these stories to be told, and to be exchanged, and to be and also, what I love about Everything Everywhere All At Once, its about here. Yen also revealed that his character Caine didn't initially check all of his boxes until director Chad Staheleski made some changes. If there's one thing Donnie Yen is going to do, it is to call out stereotypes when he sees it. The two had a 20-year quest to join a project together. Ten years later, the pair starred in the epic Hero when Li cuts Yen again, this time above his right eye. The name was Shang or Chang, Yen says. Yen details his famous fight scene in 1992's Once Upon a Time in China II when Li cut his left brow with a large bamboo staff, causing him to get stitches. And did you approach the performance differently? She knows these kind of women, and their jobs, and the responsibility of that job, and how it can really turn so many lives upside down. In the early drafts of the script, Yens character, Chirrut mwe, was just the same generic martial arts warrior. But your face has to register, its like, why, do what, how, you know. In a recent interview with GQ, the actor shared that he's very selective about signing on roles. Right now Ive gotta take three cups of double espresso, do a couple of warm-ups. Yen laughs again. In "Everything Everywhere All at Once," Yeoh plays the superhero: a Chinese American. Da aber Jackie Chan inzwischen fast 70 Jahre alt ist und Donnie Yen noch keine 60, gehe ich Mal davon aus das zweiteres noch agiler und strker ist. And the guys had to step in and teach them a lesson. Its quite sad. The film, which starred Adrian Paul and Christopher Lambert, was produced by the US studio Dimension, and enjoyed a successful worldwide theatrical release.Having relocated to Los Angeles, Yen paid his dues by directing action scenes for the Dimension action thriller 'Stormbreaker' and providing the fight sequences for the German TV series 'The Puma'.Donnie agreed to both action direct and cameo in the major New Line action franchise entry 'Blade 2', starring Wesley Snipes. And What Even Is Web3? Because her husband is the one thats always trying to find happiness and silliness and joy and all those kind of thats why he puts the googly eyes, in hopes that it will make her laugh. From the parents, the grandparents the hierarchy, right? Leeeeeeeeeeeets get ready to rumble in the Bronx. But sometimes it is the failures that make us who we are because every decision matters, and it has an impact. Not to give away, but theyre very tender in your hot dog universe. And I remembered when Ang came to me, at that time, I was doing the press . Why is everything so generic?. Why can't he have a normal name? Coat, $1,981, by Lanvin. You must not give up. Mein Favorit von allen Film-Kung Fu Schauspielern wre aber allerdings Bruce Lee. And I think it really shows because the scenes that I have with Stephanie, she is looking for her mother in every universe. Although, if theres a villain in the movie, the real evil here is nihilism. His characters deploy mixed martial arts. Who is the ultimate fighter? Bad Movies: The 100 Worst Movies of All Time, Netflixs 100 Best Movies Right Now (March 2023), 100 Best Netflix Series To Watch Right Now (March 2023). Donnie Yen is making his "John Wick" debut in the upcoming fourth installment as Caine, a blind assassin caught between his ties to the villainous High Table and his friendship with Keanu. Maybe now it can happen. And Im like, I would bend backwards to talk to him. But the joy and love to be found in that kind of situation gives you such a sense of self-worth. Suddenly, shes thrust into a multiverse where she can jump between different versions of her life. Zero CGI. And that was how my journey started. Brad also offers philosophical musings on martial arts and the filmographies of everyone from Jackie Chan to Donnie Yen on Kung Fu Kingdom, where he's also had the privilege of interviewing many of the world's great stunt professionals, and hearing plenty of gripping stories on injuries incurred in their line of work and the intricacies of designing the acts of death defiance he first thrilled to as a youngster. Yes, but you have, OK money in the bank. Exclusive: Donnie Yen on 'Raging Fire,' 'John Wick 4,' How Yuen Woo-ping Discovered Him, and More By Steve Weintraub Published Aug 29, 2021 Plus, Yen shares what it was like making director. So, you cannot say, well, I want to do this. In 1997, Yen set up his own production company, Bullet Films. You have to take care of yourself. And then you pull back and you go, what the heck do they have at the end of their sleeve? And in that universe, if you just have a very close-up of Jamie and myself holding each other, you see two women in love. He notably turned down a role in The Expendables franchise due to how. When I didBlade II I had a horrible time, man. Its okayIm going to shoot you from one side. Yen laughs. The kicker? I dont understand this. Additional details also revealed that Caine will be joining the ranks of antagonists such as Cassian (hip-hop rapper Common) from Chapter 2 and Zero (Wu Assassins star Mark Dacascos) from Chapter 3., More from NextShark: Ralph Macchio defends Karate Kid from very white criticism, Yen noted during his GQ interview that his actions were not a form of criticism toward Chapter 4.. The film stars Donnie Yen as Crippled Ho, based on real life gangster Ng Sik-ho and Andy Lau reprising his role as Lee Rock from the film series of the same name.The film is about an illegal immigrant from . Which your character was against that, was against Constances character. Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? But for brevitys sake, heres just one. In your dreams, buddy. After a period where he was based in Los Angeles, Donnie returned East by way of the West when Jackie Chan requested that Yen play his nemesis in the hit 'Shanghai Knights', a shoot that took the star from Prague to London.Yen returned to China to co-star in director Zhang Yimou's epic wu xia master work 'Hero'. Gloves, $140, by Ernest W. Baker. It was heralded as a game-changer of how U.S. viewed the Asian film industry. Everybody, one way or the other, knows a Triad, he says. I mean, the universe of your life, your real life as a martial arts movie star, was very sad. It wasnt a protest, okay, it was a riot, Yen says. Were comparing these legends of global cinema across four categories Box Office, Tomatometer and Audience Scores, Iconic Moments, and a special Wild Card Round to see who is the one man left standing when all the dust has settled/limbs have been snapped/henchmen have been felled. Stop trying to change the other person. Id never been to Beijing before. (Yens mom had taught Yuens sister.) The conclusion of their duel also sidesteps there being an actual victor and places more emphasis on the two finding a mutual respect as General Lone reaches the pinnacle of his mission. Donnie Yen really said no Mandarin Collars, but blind Martial Arts expert is okay. They thats actually very, very interesting, very clever question, because I do work on both. Most of the people outside of China dont see it until they are there, Yen says. You know, inHero we did all the poetic shots and beautiful color and posingits been done, Yen says. Why do you have to be so generic? And he was going to be the principal. But its not the only version of her, which is interesting. Jet Li Nearly Blinded Donnie Yen While Filming On Two Different Movies. In this conversation, Kara Swisher and Yeoh discuss the film, which Kara describes as The Matrix meets L.S.D. His mother, Bow-sim Mark, was a kung fu master and his father, Kylster Yen, a newspaper editor and amateur musician. Often, the typecasting isnt even conscious. Anyone can read what you share. Like Li, Yen began his martial arts action career in Hong Kong in the mid-1980s with the Yuen Woo-Ping-directed film Drunken Tai Chi. The name was Shang or Chang, the Ip Man star said. Given that he was by now a serious practitioner of modern Wu Shu, his parents decided to send him to Beijing to train at the Chinese capital's famed Wu Shu academy.It was when Yen returned to Hong Kong en route back to Boston that he met the famed martial arts movie director Yuen Woo-ping.Donnie exploded onto the Hong Kong movie scene when he was cast in the lead role of director Yuen Woo-ping's 'Drunken Tai Chi'. The producer would come in and say, Thats it. Jackie Chan was on the roster several years ago. I cant retire, because I still have projects Im committed to, he says. Why is it this way? [Yuen] said, Youll know when youre a director., Yen eventually started to exert more of his own control, first of stunt choreography, then assuming directing duties. So, I remember when I first said because I dont read Chinese. Yen co-starred in action films with Jet Li and Jackie Chan and continued to play the leading role in many martial arts and action films including Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords" (2005) and crime . But so, Evelyn Wang, when shes pushing her husband out of the way, its like, I have no time for you today. Half a day, a couple of hours. A couple of hours? Naturally, his old pal Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson) is back to lend Chon and hand and continuously mispronounces his name as "John Wayne", while Chon's sister Lin (Fann Wong) also signs up for the mission. The film, which starred two of China's top pop idols, told the tale of young vampire hunters with well-honed martial arts skills. He was electric, determined, lightning fast. Jackie Chan and Jet Li are two of the greatest martial arts actors to ever grace the silver screen. . James Bond is James Bond. And it could be rough and tough. He will be 60 this year. You do whatever you want. Now, thats the real test. Its a major project for Yen. Ridiculous athleticism. But I am by myself and with a white-haired martial arts expert that you know, tells you exactly what to do. When Yen was 10, the family was reunited and moved to Boston, where his father had landed a posting as an editor for a Chinese newspaper. Yen also didn't establish himself in the West to the extent that Chan had until much later on, but he's every bit as recognizable now, and today, Yen has grown into one of the biggest and most revered martial arts stars in the world. I mean, hes 60 years, a legacy thats been so nurtured and protected and well thought out. The film was shot last year, outside Shanghai, on a relatively slim budget. Last take, the guy overshot and cracked Yen in the face, slicing open his brow a quarter-inch from his eye, nearly blinding him. With Jackie Chan's penchant for comedy and Yen's combat versatility seen in his MMA movies, their first showdown has more of a light-hearted spin on it, with their second taking Chan outside of his usual comfort zone with bladed weaponry coming into play, too. Right? When I first read it, I was like, no, no, no, no, no, no. And you must try and find joy and happiness. Yen and fellow martial arts legend Jet Li go at it with bamboo poles, literally bringing down the building around them. As you get older you feel it more and more., Another actor might have hung it up by nowor at least dialed back the physical side of things. After premieres in New York and Los Angeles, the film enjoyed great acclaim from the American critics, and won a prize at that year's Taurus Awards, an event held to celebrate action in cinema.After working on a number of independent features, Yen went on to enjoy huge success on the small screen when he accepted a lucrative offer from Hong Kong's ATV to film a series based on the Bruce Lee classic 'Fist of Fury'. We literally spent the entire day coming up with moves, and then Yuen Woo-ping would say, Not cool enough. The entire day, without coming up with one shot., Those early films with Yuen provided Yen with a crash course in the art of making action movies. Before he accepts a role, hell ask questions, like, Is the role generic? 01 March . The film played at the prestigious Udine Festival in Italy, and took home awards at several other events, including the Japanese Yubari International Action Film Festival.Donnie's body of work had by then attracted the attention of Hollywood, and Yen was approached to choreograph the action for the mainstream franchise films 'Highlander: Endgame' and 'Blade 2'. That was the old Hong Kong way. As Yen grew in confidence, he and Yuen would regularly fall out. Then It Changed My Life. Yen also used the lighter side of his screen persona to good effect in two installments of the hit Hong Kong comedy movie series 'Alls Well Ends Well'.Yen was cast opposite Tang Wei and Takeshi Kaneshiro in director Peter Chan's 'Wu Xia' (aka 'Dragon'), a dark, elegant period martial arts murder mystery. I dont want to do that again. Well, there might be. So, they pulled me up, and Barbara came to meet me in Europe. Yen calmly warned them to leave them alone, but the thugs opted to attack him, which ended up with Donnie thoroughly kicking their asses in the street. Why do you have to be so generic? Oh, I was a Chinese opera singer. I mean, I look at life and were only here for a short time, you know? In this version, they are reimagined as powerful female warriors, complete with stunning costumes and fierce attitudes. Its a stylish affair, beautifully shot. But the stunt double couldnt hit the mark. I witnessed gangsters fight on the set. Yen playsGeneral Lone, a warrior out to free the land of Huadu from the tyrannical rule of a sinister Queen. John Wick: Chapter 4 is set for release on March 24. You never walk away from someone in need. How can I be the worst? He went, "Boop!" Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Donnie Yen, born in 1963, is one of the present masters of the martial arts action film, according to Black Belt Magazine, and Jackie Chan, born in 1954, per Biography, has been acting in several movie genres since he was eight, including musicals. Donnie Yen recently revealed that the production team behind "John Wick: Chapter 4" redesigned his character Caine after he spoke out against it being an Asian stereotype. So, that was that kind of physical comedy that I had not done before. A huge hit for Emperor, the film earned Yen his first Best Action Director prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards. That hasnt stopped a lot of people. Yuen ended up signing Yen, then just 18 years old, to a three-year, multi-movie deal. Boots, $1,495, by Christian Louboutin. ALSO READ:John Wick: Chapter 4 gets longest runtime in the series, clocking near 3 hours, John Wick: Chapter 4 gets longest runtime in the series, clocking near 3 hours. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. Youre a super heroine, and in no time you will be back on your feet again. Whats it like to be in such a silly film for you? But thats another discussion. Donnie, can you come in and shoot a close-up? They grapple and fight dirty. So I went in the day after, and I finished the scene., Yen is not telling this story for the sake of some misguided bravado but more to explain the heady Hong Kong film scene of the 1980s and 90s. All rights reserved. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. Its too easy to take that route. It comes with the jobyou dont carve out a 40-year career kicking ass in Hong Kong action cinema without also getting your own kicked occasionally. These kinds of opportunities occasionally come up: You want to be in this? It doesnt mean anything, he says. Im doing Tigers Apprentice. Im in the next Minions.. (At least not on purpose. If youre listening on The Times website and want to get each new episode of Sway delivered to you, along with the chance to dance with Jamie Lee Curtis, download any podcast app, then search for Sway and follow the show. Mm-hmm. Sway is produced by Nayeema Raza, Blakeney Schick, Daphne Chen, Caitlin OKeefe and Wyatt Orme, and edited by Nayeema Raza; fact-checking by Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker; music and sound design by Isaac Jones; mixing by Carole Sabouraud and Sonia Herrero; audience strategy by Shannon Busta. Youve got to do this, you have to do that. Ihated it. Yen would escape by watching kung fu movies, spending two dollars to catch Bruce Lee double bills at the cinema downtown. At the same time, Donnie Yen, still years away from his Western fame followingRogue One: A Star Wars Storyand the spy moviexXx: Return of Xander Cage, hadonly done two other American movies at the time in Highlander: Endgame and Blade II. Suddenly, Yen found himself apprenticed to one of the great action directors of what might be the last golden age of kung fu filmmaking. Today we talk about injusticeI mean, back in the days, you cant imagine. Shes not trying to be funny. And the mother is trying to convince her otherwise. She calls herself a loser. She doesnt like her husband putting googly eyes on the packaging and stuff. Yeah. But the Daniels have so cleverly manipulated the situations that, you know, theres always that miscommunication, which creates misunderstandings, which become like, oh my god, oh my god, this is just the train wreck waiting to happen. Although his success in the West has been inconsistent, arguably Yen's most well-known role outside of Hong Kong is Chirrut mwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. auditor, who is fantastic. "The name was Shang or Chang. And he heard about it, and he says, oh, get well soon. More News. At the time, the demand for martial arts movies was waning, and Yen was determined to innovate within a genre starting to grow stale. The film received a wide US theatrical release from Miramax, and remains one of the most successful foreign language titles ever distributed in the America market.Donnie returned to Hong Kong to choreograph the smash hit fantasy-horror-comedy 'The Twins Effect', and went on to enjoy his most productive partnership with a director. So, you obviously made your name in Hong Kong action movies. Nothing matters, be free, or nothing matters, give up. You can play, you can playjust come in and jam., But that free-flowing collaborative style meant that when Yen started getting jobs as an action choreographer in the US in the early aughts, he rubbed up against the compartmentalized way that Hollywood studios ran things. More recently, he passed on a role in DCsAquaman in order to spend time with his family. Right, right. It will continue to grow. I was doing the press for Tomorrow Never Dies. They said, oh, you know this director, Ang Lee? As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Its not contemporary. It was crazy macho stupidity, Yen says. These people belong to another dimension, right? Right? That isnt, he says, a criticism directed solely atJohn Wick. And this idea of nothing matters, you can go two ways. of Cond Nast: This Is No Longer a Magazine Company, The Digital Tools That Aided the Buffalo Gunman and What to Do About Them. When Yen was two years old, he and his father, a newspaper editor, moved to Hong Kong. And, while hes still known for his fight scenesno actor better understands or displays the balletic beauty of raw, human combathe no longer has to take shots in the face. It didnt change things because its a period piece. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny' was shot primarily on location in New Zealand, with Yen in the lead role. Its about you going out there and making your own life. Bullying a Dragon: Donnie has an anecdote in which he and his girlfriend were harassed in a Hong Kong club in the 1990s by a troublesome gang. Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Naturally, Chan and Yen had to come face-to-face on the big screen sooner or later, with the pair ultimately fightingtwice. You can see after the huge success of Crazy Rich Asians, can you imagine the weight on our shoulders at that point? Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie.