Its true. Besides his on-screen performance, Donnie was also called on to choreograph the dynamic duel between himself and MMA champion Cung Le. 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. It was horrendous, says Yen. As he often does on movies that hes directing or producing, Yen fed into every element of production: costumes, sets, music, action choreography. And shes unrecognizable as Deirdre. While details about the Hong Kong actor's role were kept under wraps following the films announcement in June 2021, a trailer released in November 2022 revealed that he will face off against Keanu Reeves suave, suit-wearing titular assassin. Why do you have to be so generic? And the mother is trying to convince her otherwise. And I think it really shows because the scenes that I have with Stephanie, she is looking for her mother in every universe. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Walk in showers are going to be the new trend, Hong Kong actor, martial artist and action choreographer, Chinese-Singaporean martial artist and actor, While details about the Hong Kong actor's role were kept under wraps following the, 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 (. From her high-flying kicks in the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to her unconventional take on a Bond girl in Tomorrow Never Dies, Michelle Yeoh has had a multidecade career defying stereotypes. Your first big movie is Yes, Madam. Is that correct? Special thanks to Shannon Busta, Kristin Lin and Kristina Samulewski. Instead of coming across, and I'm supposed to block it like this, he comes across horizontally. Right. Yes. 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. Yes. Its wild, its wonderful, its weird, its everything. Not like, oh, now suddenly I have. What a charming little film, I enjoyed watching this film , it had a good story line , the actors played out the parts very well. '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'. Thats part of life. So, none of us go in saying, Im going to make you laugh purposely, you know. The film followed Ip's life journey to Hong Kong, where he faces both rival kung fu masters, led by the film's choreographer, Sammo Hung, and a brutal foreign boxer, portrayed by the late Darren Shahlavi. You were an equal match. And I dont want to give away, but it plays a big role. I have no tendons in the shoulder, he says. Star and director subsequently teamed to create the comic book inspired fantasy actioner 'Dragon Tiger Gate' and the gritty police thriller 'Flashpoint', in which Donnie created what fans feel is the definitive on-screen MMA action scene. I think they just announced they have a writer. Shes not trying to be funny. So, that was that kind of physical comedy that I had not done before. Brandon Louis is a TV/Movie news writer. It took a long time for Yen to become a leading man. Actors including Jackie Chan, Rogue One's Donnie Yen and Transformers star Li . Take it and run with it, or sink. 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. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. If youre in a podcast app already, you know how to get your podcasts, so follow this one. Very scary. We do the best we can.. No, no, no, no. But I think at the core of the story, really, its a very ordinary, average a woman that you walk by every day. I kid you not, it was spilling like shower spray. Everybody, one way or the other, knows a Triad, he says. Hong Kong action superstar Donnie Yen Ji-dan is revered globally for his martial arts prowess in films such as the Ip Man series and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story . Im like, I worship the ground he walks on. And so, I thought, there was a lot of pressure to make sure they took you seriously. Yen recalls getting approached by Disney to appear in the 2016Star Wars prequelRogue One. And its a science fiction. The BBC, CNN, they never talk about that. He also proposed letting his character have a sense of humor so that he could improvise jokes. 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. They are meant to be respectful. 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. It was Yen who suggested making the character blind, and gave him a sense of humor, improvising jokes on the setand, in turn, turning an otherwise straight clich into the soul of the movie. Im hanging out with Benny, next thing you know hes gone. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Everybodys supposed to be cool and fashionable. You can sing in those. All these interests would have a manifest influence on Yen's later life.In his teens, Donnie defined his own persona by rebelling against his parents edicts. Does this open up opportunities for you, do you think? And I said, aw, poor you. As Bitcoin Busts, Whats the Future of Web3? 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. 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. Now, thats the real test. So, thats a big problem, you know when youre doing Chinese movies and not being able to read the script, and not really being able to say the language. And one of the things that was interesting to me is Ive never seen you in something so silly, which is, I think fantastic. But not Yen. Right? I really, truly appreciate it. But that touches and goes places. You look like youre having much more fun with the hot dog. Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? In a recent interview with GQ, the actor shared that he's very selective about signing on roles. 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 Chinese, we all have our way of interpreting the story. And to invest both his money and his one more valuable resource than moneytimein projects that he loves, likeakra. Heaven or hell, or whatever. Its not just the age thing. I dont know how long that will last, he says. Why is everythingso generic? But he feels it in his body, that he is not quite as quick as he once was. Overall, I enjoyed making the film, he says. Thats in part why hes trying to be more selective with his work. Yen finished the film in his memory. Its why he relishes every action sceneevery bump, every bruise. To travel more, to spend time with his family. The film, about an amnesiac warrior returning to his home village, has become a bona fide cult classic.As director, Donnie followed 'Legend of the Wolf' with a very different venture, 'Ballistic Kiss', an urban thriller about a conflicted assassin. I Thought Mentalphysics Was New-Age Nonsense. But so, Evelyn Wang, when shes pushing her husband out of the way, its like, I have no time for you today. I think if you dont have a big beating heart, its so easy to just say, well, youre already a grown-up. Its hard to do, Yen says. '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. It didnt change things because its a period piece. You can see after the huge success of Crazy Rich Asians, can you imagine the weight on our shoulders at that point? Yen might be approaching 60, but in person he looks a decade younger: lean and muscular, radiant skin, Wite-Out smile. He can stillgo. So, I said, I would love to be able to try I think at that point in that period, the glory years of Hong Kong cinema, it was comedies and action movies that were the best sellers. He arrives at the Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill in London wearing a leather Alexander McQueen jacket and sweats, the brim of his baseball capblazoned with the motivational slogan You Can Do Itpulled low. And thats, I think, the tension between the mother and the daughter. As one of the few Cantonese students, the mainland was a different world. 'Chinese people are the worst': 'Genshin Impact' streamer under fire after racist tirade during stream, Ralph Macchio defends Karate Kid from very white criticism, Curtis Waters is more than a TikTok gimmick: 'There's so much amazing sh*t that I have yet to do', BLACKPINK announce title track Shut Down and ticket sale info. Will ringmaster Mark Ellis give the W to the Drunken Master, the true Hero,Ip Man himself, or the mother-bleeping Dragon himself? Im trying to think. 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. He went, "Boop!" When Donnie was just two years old, the family moved to Hong Kong and then, when he was 11, to Boston, Massachusetts.There, Master Bow-sim Mark became a pioneer for Chinese martial arts in America, and it was only natural that her only son was trained from early childhood in the same skills. The 59-year old will not be taking on Hollywood roles that are deemed "generic" and if it doesn't respect his Chinese culture. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. You never walk away from someone in need. The film brought Yen his first real attention as a thespian and he was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category at that year's Hong Kong Film Awards.Tsui Hark went on to produce a remake of King Hu's classic 'New Dragon Inn', which provided another showcase role for Donnie as the film's apparently invincible villain.Donnie was reunited with director Yuen Woo-ping for 'Iron Monkey', a film which brought Yen's acting and action skills both into focus. 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'. I dont understand this. So, talk about being silly because you, you know, in many of your movies, youre dignified, poised, et cetera. It was so differentthey speak different, the culture, very different food, he says. 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. Picking up in 1887, Shanghai Knights sees Chan's Chon Wang, now Sheriff of Carson City, Nevada, on a mission in London to avenge his father's murder and stop a Royal assassination plot. 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. A father and daughter, husband and wife. Why can't he have a normal name? 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.. A dildo? So, what is it you really, really want? Im curious for your perspective on the global industry, though, because youre such an international star and actor. But beneath the silliness is a universal story of love and belonging and family. 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 10, the family was reunited and moved to Boston, where his father had landed a posting as an editor for a Chinese newspaper. Why is everything so generic?. Doesnt smile, shared Yen, who suggested making Chirrut mwe blind. Legendary Hong Kong martial arts actor Jet Li reveals nearly blinding Ip Man star Donnie Yen while filming fight sequences in two different movies. And shes not trying to be funny. After 20 or 50 moves, he keeps missing, Yen says. But Im there, you know?, Yens Chinese patriotism can get him into troublemost notably during the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, during which Yens pro-Beijing stance prompted many cinemagoers in his home city to boycott his movies. In Hong Kong in those years, he explains, someone on every movie would have mafia connectionsit was a necessity, just to be able to film in certain locations. Bravura martial arts choreography. Im going to go [out] naked. But the only problem is I cant sing. Is there a universe you didnt like? It was because she suddenly realized thats when I dont have Waymond and I dont have Joy. 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. You you have to try and eat healthier. Why do you have to be so generic? Talk about this dynamic between your character, Evelyn, your daughter, Joy. (I told you: ageless.). 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. And I think that was one of the light switches that came on. So, people listening to this will be like, a bagel? Now, definitely. Today, he says, he sees a big difference in the way he and other Asian actors are treated in Hollywood. 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. You almost get sort of boxed and wrapped up in this beautiful thats what Michelle Yeoh represents, elegance and beauty, and refined and dignified. But he always kept at it. I think that was our attitude. Why is everything so generic? Look at theJohn Wick franchise itself, which would not exist without the influences of John Woo and Yuen. He whacked me right on my eyebrow, right? Over the years, Yen has helped to drag the martial arts movie away from the world of pristinely choreographed period pieces into something messier and more authentic. So, they pulled me up, and Barbara came to meet me in Europe. 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. Hes totally cool, and he loves martial arts movies, Yen says. Donnie Yen has been punched, in the name of moviemaking, more times than he can count. Chinese movies, Hollywood movies, his other business pursuits, including a line of sunglassesthe phone rarely stops ringing. Naturally, Chan and Yen had to come face-to-face on the big screen sooner or later, with the pair ultimately fightingtwice. Everybodys supposed to be cool and fashionable. And I just went, when? I dont want to get political. I would suspect she was, Im guessing. In 2016, he starred in Netflix's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny opposite Harry Shum Jr. and Michelle Yeoh. Its not like a Marvel universe where you can understand and you find it relatable. As an outspoken person, I always questioned, Yen says. In Hong Kong during those heady early days, there was no real dividing line between the actors and the stunt department. And he heard about it, and he says, oh, get well soon. Yes, yes. The modernization. All rights reserved. At the time,Yen had no plans to be an actor. 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. 'The Twins Effect' saw Donnie start to introduce elements of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) in his film fight scenes. On an Apple device? Its a stylish affair, beautifully shot. More recently, he passed on a role in DCsAquaman in order to spend time with his family. The actor subsequently scored big hits including Butterfly and Sword and Wing Chun, with Everything Everywhere All at Once star Michelle Yeoh. This film was co-directed by Huang Jianxin and Han Sanping, and includes many famous actors such as Andy Lau, Ge You . 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'. All rights reserved. Each studio was determined to outdo its rivals for the most elaborate action sequences and flat-out dangerous stunts. 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. 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. Did you have a favorite multiverse? The film won Donnie his second Best Action Choreography prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards.He took his on-screen depiction of MMA to new heights in 'Flashpoint', which featured an even longer and more intense final showdown, this time between Yen and 'Matrix Reloaded' actor Collin Chou. Yen, broke, would hang around film sets just so he could eat for free. And walk away. So, the movie borrows from, obviously, martial arts movies in a very cheeky way.

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