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. And if you think three years ago when Crazy Rich Asians came out, prior to that, it was Joy Luck Club, which was 20-something years ago, before we had an all Asian cast. Gloves, $140, by Ernest W. Baker. Who is the ultimate fighter? Lashana Lynch might become that, but well see. A few years ago, for example, he turned down a role in theExpendables franchise. Yen finished the film in his memory. His journey takes him on an adventure with many allies and enemies along the way until he finally meets the last man standing in his way, Chan's Lord of Armour. Yen joined Li in the sequel as the villainous Commander Lan. I could have been blind. But the stunt double couldnt hit the mark. And then you pull back and you go, what the heck do they have at the end of their sleeve? Oh, my god, I wish I could just flick my head back and zoom. And Im like, are you kidding me? The companys first two movies,Legend of the Wolf andBallistic Kisswhich Yen cowrote, produced, directed, and starred intanked at the box office. The world class creative team gathered by producer Harvey Weinstein included legendary kung fu film director Yuen Woo-ping, acclaimed directors Peter Berg and Morten Tyldum (as producers), 'X-Men' series DP Tom Sigel as well as the Oscar-winning production, costume and FX designers from the 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Hobbit' film series.The film debuted in most international territories as a Netflix Original movie, making it the most widely seen wu xia of all time. 01 March . One thing I pointed out is he was a stereotype. Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, the hardworking owner of a failing laundromat whos too busy to tend to the little but important things in life. With only one film in the massive long-running franchise, Yen's role as the blind fighter proved to be one of the more popular characters since Star Wars' return to cinema with Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny' was shot primarily on location in New Zealand, with Yen in the lead role. How can I be the worst? As appetite for Asian cinema has ebbed and flowed among non-Asian audiencesthrough the 90s Chan boom, the postCrouching Tiger wuxia craze, the more recent but short-lived breakouts helmed by the likes of Tony Jaa and Iko Uwaiseven huge stars like Yen have found their opportunities limited. When the Daniels first wrote it, its true. With a passion for storytelling, his favorite media can give an idea of who he is: Vertigo, Panic Room, Jurassic Park, Lawrence of Arabia. Yeah, its a big beating heart, but this woman is in great pain. Yes, poise. As one of the few Cantonese students, the mainland was a different world. Growing up, Brad developed an innate love of movies and storytelling, and was instantly enamored with the world of adventure while following the exploits of Indiana Jones, Japanese kaiju, and superheroes. Doesnt smile, shared Yen, who suggested making Chirrut mwe blind. I dont want to repeat the same thing that youve seen. auditor, who is fantastic. But as it happened, his mother had a connection to the Hong Kong kung fu director Yuen Woo-ping. Typical master. More from NextShark: 'Chinese people are the worst': 'Genshin Impact' streamer under fire after racist tirade during stream. Yen cannot raise his right arm overhead, for example, on account of having been smashed into a brick wall on 1985sMismatched Couples. I want to be a singer. It became the first foreign language movie to break the $100 million mark in a U.S. box office, and had the most Oscar nods ever for a foreign language film until Roma few years ago from Netflix. And it was like its very much like dancing, if you look at it. 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. 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. Which is embodied by the everything bagel in the movie. Why do you have to be so generic? Whats the cost? 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. I dont understand this. But I think its Barbara Broccoli, Michael Wilson, the producers who realize, its like, yes, lets do something different. Jacket, $3,390, pants, $1,350, and boots, $1,450, by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. And I remembered when Ang came to me, at that time, I was doing the press . 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 . The film premiered to great acclaim at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and subsequently received a North American theatrical release from The Weinstein Company.Donnie Yen played 'The Monkey King' in a hit reimagining of the Chinese classic. If you look at all the visual products from big Hollywood movies to TV, Apple or Netflix or whatever, all these action movies, in one way or another, are [influenced by] Hong Kong movies, Yen says. When Yen was 16, his parents arranged to send him to train with the famed Beijing Wushu Team, in China. A lot of people might not be happy for what Im saying, but Im speaking from my own experience., Where once, Hollywoods attitude toward Chinese filmmakers might have angered him, today Yen is more accepting. 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.. And the guys had to step in and teach them a lesson. So hopefully now they will, you know, get on the horse and really ride out. We came into this life naked. We have this mating dance. And did you approach the performance differently? Sometimes a little intimidating and scary. . It's always fun to see Chan dip his toes into new waters and re-invent his persona, and his battle with Donne Yen in Twins Effect II is an example of exactly that in a sword-clashing duel of two martial arts legends. That hasnt stopped a lot of people. Im hanging out with Benny, next thing you know hes gone. They thats actually very, very interesting, very clever question, because I do work on both. He went, "Boop!" Youre right. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. But he also knows that he cant go on forever being this Donnie Yen. This is a John Wick movie. Lets have a woman whos comparable to James Bond. Yeah. When It Comes to Gun Control, Will Baby Steps Fix Anything? Now, if they hit you in the head, they'll knock you out. And I think that was the biggest leap of empowerment. And theres more. In a recent interview with GQ, the actor shared that he's very selective about signing on roles. I know exactly where the camera is. No, no, no, no. Yen recalls getting approached by Disney to appear in the 2016Star Wars prequelRogue One. I think the hot dog universe is the most beautiful love story going on in all the different universes. She calls herself a loser. Our latest episode of Vs. might be our most epic yet as we pit the four biggest martial artists/movie stars of all time against each other in one stats-heavy battle royale: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Donnie Yen. Yen certainly has a point and as seen in John Wick 4's marketing materials of the actor donning massive sunglasses and a black suit (no Mandarin collars! Right now hes editing the final cut of his new film akra, a lush adaptation of the novelDemi-Gods and Semi-Devils,by the bestselling wuxia author Jin Yong. Yes, yes. You do whatever you want. More from NextShark: Curtis Waters is more than a TikTok gimmick: 'There's so much amazing sh*t that I have yet to do'. It took a long time for Yen to become a leading man. 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. And its very important that I find the Daniels was so bold and courageous to write the lead of the movie, an aging Asian immigrant woman, and give her such a powerful voice, and turn her into a superhero by going to all these multiverses and discovering that, you know, failures also make us who we are. The film was released in North America by The Weinstein Company's Dragon Dynasty label, and remains its biggest hit.Yen also attracted rave reviews when he played an honorable general in 'An Empress and her Warriors' and an offbeat ghost-buster in Gordon Chan's 'Painted Skin'.Yen took his career to a new level when he accepted producer Raymond Wong's suggestion that he play Bruce Lee's teacher, 'Ip Man', in an eponymous film relating the life of the great master. Theyve been here. Its comedy. Do I know this director, Ang Lee? But that was also very, very important that we focus very much on the love between the mother and the son. In "Everything Everywhere All at Once," Yeoh plays the superhero: a Chinese American. The film's two action highlights saw Donnie's character duel the legendary martial arts master Wong Fei-hung, played by his old friend Jet Li. 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. Donnie starred opposite screen legend Chow Yun-fat in the film, which smashed box office records in Mainland China.Showing his versatility, Yen went on to play a kung fu master facing challenges in the modern era in director Teddy Chen's 'Kung Fu Jungle'. Although Jackie Chan began to move away from making American action movies in the mid-2000s, he still found time for a quick cameo in the first Twins Effect, which Donnie Yen co-directed alongside Dante Lam.As a result, there is certainly a sense of fulfillment here as Chan and Yen go head-to-head in Twins Effect II (released in the West of Blade of Kings). But in general, its always an older man. Good fight scenes. It was horrendous, says Yen. They are not in my life. And to invest both his money and his one more valuable resource than moneytimein projects that he loves, likeakra. At the end of the 50 movies, maybe the 48th, 49 moves, he strikes down with his sword. He is not diminished, not yet. 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. Donnie Yen was born in Guangzhou, China. I saw stars. You cannot look like you know what youre doing. In the early drafts of the script, Yens character, Chirrut mwe, was just the same generic martial arts warrior. And he heard about it, and he says, oh, get well soon. Theres one universe where people have floppy hot dog fingers, and another only inhabited by rocks. Over the course of his very long career,kung fu star Jackie Chan has brought audiences equal amounts of thrills and laughter with his penchant for comedy-laced action movies packed full of martial arts and death-defying stunts. Typical master. An action movie, Master Z. Its a spin-off of Ip Man.. And so your body is doing all these wild and wonderful and precise, graceful moves. Boots, $1,495, by Christian Louboutin. In 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', Yen plays one of the Rebel warriors responsible for the theft of the Death Star plans, the adventure that, within the 'Star Wars' universe, leads to the events of the very first film in the series. So what they did was, like, lets switch the roles because its not been done. I try to look at it less defensive than before. 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. One, why do you think it took so long? Jet Li Nearly Blinded Donnie Yen While Filming On Two Different Movies, Donnie Yen's Ip Man 2 Has A Secret Jet Li Connection (& It's Genius), John Wick 4 - Why Donnie Yen Is More Important Than You Think. Just likeStar Wars, youve got to do certain things. Nonetheless, Yen was inspired, and saw inakra an opportunity to do something new by the standards of wuxia films. After about 30 takes, he missed. You know What? Really one of the worst times in my career, Yen says. 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.
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