And two, did it do that? Right? Everything is so staged its fake, he says. She calls herself a loser. I could have been blind. As one of the few Cantonese students, the mainland was a different world. 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. Today, Yen is one of China's biggest actors, the last in a dynasty of martial arts stars that runs from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan to Jet Li. This movie was for Jackie Chan originally and then switched very quickly to you. There was a rumor youd get a Bond spin-off, though that didnt happen. And Im like, no way. But he always kept at it. With Chon being the kind of underdog that Chan usually embodiesin stunt-heavy action comedies such asPolice Story, Wu Chow proves to be a much stronger opponent than he's ever previously faced (despite his proclivity for jump-spinning kicks and tiger claw strikes). Yes, poise. These kinds of opportunities occasionally come up: You want to be in this? It doesnt mean anything, he says. Anyway, Michelle, this has been a delight. Shanghai Knights (2003) Donnie Yen: Movies, TV, and Bio - amazon.com But the stunt double couldnt hit the mark. While the more familiar faces of Jackie Chan and Jet Li are household names in America, the 48-year-old Yen still needs one real chance to show his stuff with a significant part in a Hollywood-produced blockbuster to add his name to the list. The Rise of Gru. Oh, my god. Copyright 2018 Fandango. In an interview with GQ, Yen, 59, shared that he spoke to John Wick: Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski about making adjustments to Caine, a blind assassin whose first iteration allegedly employed several Asian tropes. But Id love to know how you would describe the film. And that was how my journey started. But shes so committed to her role. 'Ip Man 2' was the biggest local hit of the year in China, and enjoyed a limited theatrical release in the US.The film's success led to Donnie being cast as a number of legendary Chinese heroes: He played General Qin-long in Daniel Lee's '14 Blades', Guan Yu in 'The Lost Bladesman' and reprised Bruce Lee's Chen Zhen role in Andrew Lau's 'Legend of the Fist'. Before he accepts a role, hell ask questions, like, Is the role generic? "The name was Shang or Chang. So, they pulled me up, and Barbara came to meet me in Europe. 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. And it could be rough and tough. On an Apple device? Chasing the Dragon (Chinese: ; Sidney Lau: Jui 1 Lung 4), previously known as King of Drug Dealers, is a Hong Kong-Chinese action crime drama film directed by Wong Jing and Jason Kwan. Its the first Hollywood movie since the early 90s to have a modern story and all-Asian casts. We're comparing these legends of global cinema across four categories . Well, you did. Really one of the worst times in my career, Yen says. I cant take it with me, Yen says. And then you pull back and you go, what the heck do they have at the end of their sleeve? Donnie Yen was a martial artist who became a performer. Shes one hell of a determined woman, even though she fails at so many things. She barely notices Waymond, her husband, who tries to make her smile by sticking googly eyes on the laundry bags, or her lesbian daughter Joy, whos struggling to come out to her grandfather with absolutely no support from her mother. We talked about the way you prepped and trained for the movie, and the Daniels had to tell you to be worse at fighting and things like that because youre such, again, also an elegant and specific fighter, the way you do stunts, whether its in Shang-Chi or Crouching Tiger.. Who knows: In my 70s I might be lucky, and be one of those very few that are still able tobut why push that?, Thats why he still wakes up in the morning and does jump kicks. 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. Walking stick, $295, by Scully & Scully. She was very forceful, old school, like what you see in the movies. (At least not on purpose. I have been in so many countries in the world, but its not even close. The film has been a daunting task. On his phone, he has about a dozen group chats going, connecting him to the various departments, so that when he inevitably wakes up at 4 a.m. with ideas, he can make changes from afar. And Im like, are you kidding me? So, yes, we became better known in America, like Chow Yun-Fat. Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen talks about his favorite martial arts films, his extensive career, and infusing his latest film, Flash Point, with the styles of Mixed Martial Arts. As Bitcoin Busts, Whats the Future of Web3? If Bruce Lee could do it, I could do it, you know?, Movies also opened Yens eyes to martial arts styles outside of his mothers traditional forms of tai chi. Due to restrictions imposed by the Mao government of the era, Yens motherBow-sim Mark, a nationally renowned wushu grandmasterwas not permitted to accompany them. I had a very respectful experience working on John Wick. Overall, I enjoyed making the film, he said. You never walk away from someone in need. John Wick 4's Donnie Yen Shares Experiences Dealing With Asian According to Today, the two are actually very good friends, and even fought each other in 2008's Forbidden Kingdom, where Li's stock "serene monk" character faced off against a version of Chan's famous drunken master archetype in a battle of moves so intense that the director actually asked them . Special thanks to Kristin Lin and Kristina Samulewski. Because of the years of having to carry heavy loads of things, her body is not always upright. Do you know theres auto-tune? 'Ip Man' confirmed Donnie's position as China's greatest action hero, and he was immediately signed to lead a strong ensemble cast for Teddy Chen's 'Bodyguards and Assassins', produced by Peter Chan. You can see after the huge success of Crazy Rich Asians, can you imagine the weight on our shoulders at that point? Yen is the latest Asian action star to find Hollywood fame, following the likes of Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee. Boston itself was not always welcoming. If you like this interview and want to hear others, follow us on your favorite podcast app. In Hong Kong I spent two weeks shooting this stuff!I think its a lack of respect, and a level of not understanding, not appreciating what we do.. As he often does on movies that hes directing or producing, Yen fed into every element of production: costumes, sets, music, action choreography. We cant be invincible. Who would win in a fight between Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen? Like, running and taking off my things and going, OK, now Im going on a plane, and fly straight back to China in Shanghai to be with him. Yeah, its a big beating heart, but this woman is in great pain. John Wick: Chapter 4 is set for release on March 24. Sliced open. Its where you want to go, right? Copyright Fandango. While it is great that Staheleski is open to making changes and removing stereotypes as per Yen's request, we still see one big issue though: How is having a Hong Kong action star appearing as a blind martial arts expert in Hollywood movies isn't in itself a stereotype? Follow Brad on Twitter @BradCurran. The two had a 20-year quest to join a project together. The film won Donnie his third Best Action Choreography prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards, as well as a prize for Best Action in a Foreign Language Film at the Taurus Awards.Yen explored different styles of screen combat when he choreographed the stunning kung fu fights for the period actioners 'Legend of the Fist' and 'The Lost Bladesman', the fantasy combat for 'The Monkey King' and the time travel adventure 'Iceman Cometh 3D'.Many fans feel that Yen delivered his best choreographic work to date in Peter Chan's masterful 'Wu Xia', released in the US as 'Dragon'. But that touches and goes places. But then, what is it youre giving up? Beginning in the early 80s, Li made a name for himself as one of the top martial artist action stars in Hong Kong cinema with films including Born to Defence and Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin. Yen might be approaching 60, but in person he looks a decade younger: lean and muscular, radiant skin, Wite-Out smile. All rights reserved. The film was shot primarily at the famed Elstree Studios in England.Donnie had a role opposite Vin Diesel and his fellow Asian action star, Tony Jaa, in xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017), which filmed in Toronto, Canada.Now firmly established as a leading player across the globe, Donnie Yen continues to present a unique blend of Eastern experience and Western innovation, of musical grace with martial impact, from Hong Kong to a galaxy far, far away.Donnie is one of the leading martial arts choreographers in the world of action cinema. 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. What a charming little film, I enjoyed watching this film , it had a good story line , the actors played out the parts very well. Hes totally cool, and he loves martial arts movies, Yen says. Right, which the daughter is doing. When it first came, I was like, no, no, no, no, no. Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen are both action movie legends - and here's a look at when the two have done battle in fight scenes with each other. But for brevitys sake, heres just one. 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. But then, what she understood was, I can keep learning. He whacked me on one side and 10 years later, he whacked me on the other side. What are you willing to walk away from? I know seven, eight is going to be the close-up. Yen demonstrates, throwing little blocks and jabs as if training at the wooden dummy. Yeah. He started hanging out at other gyms around Boston. 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. In this movie, you were a singer. 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. You have to take care of yourself. I mean, I look at life and were only here for a short time, you know? Jacket, $11,000, and scarf, $690, by Dior Men. I think what the strong core of the message, apart from the very familial connections, is that no matter how tragic or how despair or frustrated you are, its you cannot give up. That was the old Hong Kong way. As Yen grew in confidence, he and Yuen would regularly fall out. Shes not trying to be funny. A spy from another country. How much do you know about Donnie Yen, star of the Ip Man series? But hes never forgotten it. Ive witnessed all kinds of unimaginable things, Yen says, recalling tricky years when the phone rang less or when creative misfires doomed projects. You know, whats the value of life? . Theres one universe where people have floppy hot dog fingers, and another only inhabited by rocks. Why do you have to be so generic? It was crazy macho stupidity, Yen says. And Evelyn, who is I think it was the funniest when Evelyn realizes, what do you mean Im the worst failure of Evelyn Wang in all the universes? If youre in a podcast app already, you know how to get your podcasts, so follow this one. I think action movies, he says, are a genre that everybody in the world can appreciate.. Blood sprays like a horror movie. An ambulance came; Yen received six stitches. An action movie, Master Z. Its a spin-off of Ip Man.. Ad Choices, Nearing 60, the last of a golden era of martial arts stars looks back on an unparalleled careerand forward, to his role in the new, Donnie Yen Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters, The Essential Michelle Yeoh Viewing Guide. But so, Evelyn Wang, when shes pushing her husband out of the way, its like, I have no time for you today. I would love to do like a Moulin Rouge because thats the dancer-performer in me. And the women became the damsel in distress. I kid you not, it was spilling like shower spray. There will always be more people like Michelle, he said. But because she is so focused and weighed down by the sheer sense of responsibility of a failing business, and then being audited, and the daughter and then the father shows up on her doorstep, the one who is always disapproving, disappointed. In your dreams, buddy. Donnie Yen was born in Guangzhou, China. He started to dress like Lee, showing off his moves at school, stuffing nunchucks in his socks. I dont understand this. I had a very respectful experience working on John Wick. Overall, I enjoyed making the film, he said. This whole shot was one take, about 50 moves or something. Yen finished the film in his memory. I saw stars. Because I was running from Singapore, and then take the flight literally ran out of the set. But thats another discussion. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. I cant do stage. The Founding of a Republic is a Chinese historical drama produced in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China and was made to portray the final years of the Chinese Communist Revolution that followed the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). And perhaps if she was so successful in all that she do, like in the movie universe, she doesnt have a family. Here are both Jackie Chan vs. Donnie Yen fight scenes and the movies in which they feature. I think, for me, no. 8 of 134. Donnie Yen criticises original 'John Wick: 4' script for stereotyping Yes, but you have, OK money in the bank. It will continue to grow. Now, thats the real test. When the Daniels first wrote it, its true. You cannot look like you know what youre doing. But she did not say, OK, lets just wrap it up and call it a day. The BBC, CNN, they never talk about that. Yen recalls getting approached by Disney to appear in the 2016Star Wars prequelRogue One. Beyond the limitations of his mother's school, Yen began training in various different fighting arts, including Japanese karate, Korean taekwondo and western boxing. The actor subsequently scored big hits including Butterfly and Sword and Wing Chun, with Everything Everywhere All at Once star Michelle Yeoh. I was able to perform like a robot., The Hong Kong studio system was a strict no bullshit environment. Although Jackie Chan beganto move away from making American action moviesin the mid-2000s, he still found time for a quick cameo in the first Twins Effect, which Donnie Yen co-directed alongside Dante Lam. Typical master. I was wondering, when you were doing that, were you held to a different standard than the men? As an outspoken person, I always questioned, Yen says. Jackie Chan's 20-Year Quest to Share the Screen With Lifelong Friend Its all like a bunch of jazz musicians, Yen says. 'Jackie Chan made me want to become a stuntman,' says Kenji Tanigaki, but he learned filmmaking working with Donnie Yen - lessons he's applied to Snake Eyes: G.I. Why can't he have a normal name? 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. In this movie, and his follow-up features for the company ('In the Line of Duty 4', 'Tiger Cage 2'), Yen showed off his own unique form of contemporary screen combat, a form that included elements of rapid fire kicking, Western boxing and grappling moves.Having established a worldwide fan base, Yen moved on to star in a string of independent Asian action features before director Tsui Hark tapped him to co-star in 'Once Upon A Time In China 2'. RELATED: Why Jackie Chan Never Joined Stallone's Expendables Movies. Do you think its a new phase or not? Yen also revealed that his character Caine didn't initially check all of his boxes until director Chad Staheleski made some changes. Besides his on-screen performance, Donnie was also called on to choreograph the dynamic duel between himself and MMA champion Cung Le. 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. Yen was on the set of Tsui Harks now classic 1992 sequelOnce Upon a Time in China II, filming the kind of action scene they really dont make anymore. Theyve been part of this community forever. 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. You can be auto-tuned. Donnie Yen really said no Mandarin Collars, but blind Martial Arts expert is okay. Who is the ultimate fighter? Jackie Chan and Jet Li are two of the greatest martial arts actors to ever grace the silver screen. Mm-hmm. 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. said Yen. Thats not going to happen. In 2016, he starred in Netflix's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny opposite Harry Shum Jr. and Michelle Yeoh. When he's not writing, Brad enjoys going on a ride with the latest action hit or Netflix original, though he's also known to just pop in "The Room" from time to time. trip. They chat about how films like Crazy Rich Asians have catapulted change in Hollywood, and how Yeohs career has bridged two of the biggest movie markets in the world, from the United States to China. I went to my friends karate school, or a boxing gym, Yen says. But interestingly and maybe this is wrong because its been reported different places. Even with the Crazy Rich Asians one, we sort of diverted from the original book. But he feels it in his body, that he is not quite as quick as he once was. Its true. The couple now has two children, a girl and boy, Jasmine and James. He's only a few months younger than Jet Li, and they entered the . 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'. A few years ago, for example, he turned down a role in theExpendables franchise. Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News. Jackie Chan was on the roster several years ago. He got one of his producers to make an introduction, borrowed the money. I have so many injuries, Yen says, laughing. And Im like, but they dont talk. She would drag me out of bed, whack me with a wooden stick. You must not give up. At that point, it was like, nothing will faze you. More recently, he passed on a role in DCsAquaman in order to spend time with his family. She is this very ordinary woman. Will ringmaster Mark Ellis give the W to the Drunken Master, the true Hero,Ip Man himself, or the mother-bleeping Dragon himself? No, no, no, no. Shes literally busy. And as an audience, I think thats what he does for you, is he puts you in so many places, and then he pulls the rug from under you. John Wick: Chapter 4 is set for release on March 24. Boots, $1,495, by Christian Louboutin. All of them are under attack by an evil force in the form of a giant spinning everything bagel you heard that right and Evelyn is being recruited to save the world. And I think that was one of the light switches that came on. Your first big movie is Yes, Madam. Is that correct? What Id do is Id use a cotton ball and put it between my back teeth, so they [didnt] knock my teeth out., Today, Yen is one of Chinas biggest actors, the last in a dynasty of martial arts stars that runs from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan to Jet Li. Why cant he have a normal name? Yen previously played a blind character in another big-budget project: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The martial artist, who portrayed Chirrut mwe in the 2016 film, told GQ that he also asked for a redesign of his character after taking issue with him in early script drafts. Amazon.com: Blade of Kings : Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Bingbing Fan Suddenly, shes thrust into a multiverse where she can jump between different versions of her life. Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan, Tony Jaa, Jean Claude Van Damme, Jason Statham, Vin Diesel, Sylvester Stallone, Action movie. Yen is next set to appear in the highly-anticipated John Wick: Chapter 4 with Keanu Reeves and Sleeping Dogs, an adaptation of the popular video game of the same name. And Im like, I would bend backwards to talk to him. Its wild, its wonderful, its weird, its everything. I really, truly appreciate it. Its like, even with the marriage with the husband of so many years. If Im not allowed to have my creative control, Yen says, its not worth my time., Yen is proudly Chinese (its been reported that he gave up his US citizenship in the late aughts; he has since described himself as 100 percent Chinese) and is still amazed at the progress that he has witnessed in his home country during his lifetime. Donnie, can you come in and shoot a close-up? And you can sing to many, or you can just sing to one. Ho-hum. Why would you want me to do that? So it would have been in that original thing, initially, it was like, I would have played the wife of Jackie Chan. I gotta say, hot dog fingers might be. In 1997, Yen set up his own production company, Bullet Films. We never had a storyboard. The film was shot last year, outside Shanghai, on a relatively slim budget. His mother, Bow-sim Mark, was a kung fu master and his father, Kylster Yen, a newspaper editor and amateur musician. John Wick 4's Donnie Yen Shares Experiences Dealing With Asian Yen was to return to this hard-hitting, urban action style for the later 'Special ID'.Donnie now found himself in demand as a leading man in a series of prestigious period actioners produced for the Chinese market. Yen cannot raise his right arm overhead, for example, on account of having been smashed into a brick wall on 1985sMismatched Couples. But that was also very much about how the cultural because if you are born and raised and only live in Asia versus if you are American-born Chinese or Asian, because here the whole mentality, the whole educational process, the whole upbringing is very different.