The Chinese, we all have our way of interpreting the story. Everything is so staged its fake, he says. (A full transcript of the episode will be available midday on the Times website.). But he feels it in his body, that he is not quite as quick as he once was. Thats in part why hes trying to be more selective with his work. 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. Im not going to be here talking about how to change how people feel about it. I had a very respectful experience working on John Wick. Overall, I enjoyed making the film, he said. But in Hollywood? With a passion for storytelling, his favorite media can give an idea of who he is: Vertigo, Panic Room, Jurassic Park, Lawrence of Arabia. So what they did was, like, lets switch the roles because its not been done. Yen had been hired by Guillermo del Toro to choreograph the movies superhuman fight sequences, as well as to act alongside Wesley Snipes in a minor role. It wasIp Man that kick-started Yens recent career renaissance, and one reason why, lately, Yen has found himself busier than ever. You do whatever you want. Because Master Yuen Woo-Ping is like my mentor, my guru. Take it and run with it, or sink. Suddenly, Yen found himself apprenticed to one of the great action directors of what might be the last golden age of kung fu filmmaking. But hes never forgotten it. He can stillgo. This is a John Wick movie. Which I cant even explain. Jacket, $2,800, vest, $590, shirt (vintage), and pants, $690, by Double RL. This is a very good question because you know, at that time, especially in the 80s, it was past the Shaw Brothers era where we had a lot of swordswomen who carried themselves but doing martial arts sword fighting. John Wick: Chapter 4 is hitting theatres on March 24. Now, definitely. 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.. Its normally, yes, for a younger version. I really, truly appreciate it. But she did not say, OK, lets just wrap it up and call it a day. Or you have a family. My husband will do what I want. Last take, the guy overshot and cracked Yen in the face, slicing open his brow a quarter-inch from his eye, nearly blinding him. 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 that touches and goes places. And the guys had to step in and teach them a lesson. You are engaged with that emotional thread connection that keeps going through it. We have to give each other the space and be who they are, and accept them. Jet Li Nearly Blinded Donnie Yen While Filming On Two Different Movies. You cant do that anymoreIll hang it up., Oliver Franklin-Wallis is the features editor atBritish GQ, A version of this story originally appeared in the March 2023 issue of GQ with the title Hong Kongs Ageless Action Hero, PRODUCTION CREDITS:Photographs by Puzzleman LeungStyled by Jacky TamHair by Little WhiteSkin by Kenji NgTailoring by Mrs. LamProduced by Jolene Lin, Apply Bed Bath and Beyond Coupon and save 25% Off your entire purchase, Target Circle: up to 50% Off with Target promo code, Save 25% on your purchase of Spring Styles with Asos Coupon, Michael Kors Promo Code: sign up for KORSVIP + Get 10% Off on First Order, 2023 Cond Nast. Heaven or hell, or whatever. Its not just the age thing. 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. I dont want to. Oh, if I was James Bond? Well just put you right back to the same box. More with Michelle Yeoh after the break. How did they get this opportunity? You can see after the huge success of Crazy Rich Asians, can you imagine the weight on our shoulders at that point? Your first big movie is Yes, Madam. Is that correct? This video is a playful and imaginative tribute to three of the world's greatest martial artists, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Donnie Yen, but with a twist. an old friend of Wick's who is speculated to . And Im like, but they dont talk. How much do you know about Donnie Yen, star of the Ip Man series? Why would you want me to do that? 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. One of Hong Kong's top action stars, Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by choreographing MMA in many of his films since the early 2000s. And they missbecause Yen knows that sometimes a full-bodied haymaker that doesnt connect is as useful in selling the reality of a scene as a dozen perfectly timed strikes. And thats, I think, the tension between the mother and the daughter. 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). 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. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Blood sprays like a horror movie. An ambulance came; Yen received six stitches. Jacket, $3,390, pants, $1,350, and boots, $1,450, by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. Let me take a look." Yen went on to lead three successful sequels featuring the likes of Sammo Hung and Mike Tyson, making the actor a household name all over the world. And then it didnt. Im looking at his body at his funeral, and it was like: I was just with him yesterday, Yen says. How can I be the worst? You said you wanted to do it, fine. He whacked me on one side and 10 years later, he whacked me on the other side. It wasnt about her not being rich enough or whatever. Jet Li Nearly Blinded Donnie Yen While Filming On Two Different Movies Brandon Louis is a TV/Movie news writer. Anyone can read what you share. Why can't he have a normal name? Jackie Chan's 20-Year Quest to Share the Screen With Lifelong Friend Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Do I know this director, Ang Lee? 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. And I think what, in 96, 97, when they were doing that, it was because I think the movement of where women were like, OK, I want to go and watch a Bond movie where Im not just sexualized, all right? 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 theyve never been to China. Why is everything so generic? The 2000s saw Yen transition to Hollywood with appearances in Blade II as Snowman and Shanghai Knights opposite Jackie Chan. It could be a mother, an auntie, a grandmother that goes by unnoticed because shes so puts her head down, just goes about her day to do the things to ensure that shes making a better life for her family, and you know, the running the errands. And one of the great things about cinema, he says, is how unifying it can betranscending barriers of both language and culture. 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. And Im like, are you kidding me? My first movie was an action film, but I played the normal damsel in distress where I was a social worker and bullied by the juvenile delinquents. Donnie Yen 'very disappointed' by Tarantino's Bruce Lee Instead of coming across, and I'm supposed to block it like this, he comes across horizontally. 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 . In 1997, Yen set up his own production company, Bullet Films. '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. I guess thats not the same thing, Animation? There was a move where he spun around 360 degrees, he swings at me and I block it. 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. She was very forceful, old school, like what you see in the movies. You can sing in those. Then the wardrobe again oh, mandarin collars. 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. It was only a matter of time before this happened. Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen recently recalled two different occasions when legendary martial arts actor Jet Li nearly blinded him. Boots, $1,495, by Christian Louboutin. Doesnt smile, Yen says. Thrown from horses. 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. Although Yen had a steady career throughout the decade, he didn't truly make a name for himself until his role in Li's Once Upon a Time in China II. 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. One thing I pointed out is he was a stereotype. Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News. 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. My mom and I were separated for eight years, Yen says. Oh, god, you know, with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, that was an Asian movie. They are meant to be respectful. I think that is the superpower thats inherent in all of us. 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. When it first came, I was like, no, no, no, no, no. He was signed to co-star in and action direct 'Highlander: Endgame', the latest in a series of fantasy actioners. Its quite sad. He started hanging out at other gyms around Boston. There were more stories. If you like this interview and want to hear others, follow us on your favorite podcast app. And walk away. Everybody, one way or the other, knows a Triad, he says. At the time, the demand for martial arts movies was waning, and Yen was determined to innovate within a genre starting to grow stale. of Cond Nast: This Is No Longer a Magazine Company, The Digital Tools That Aided the Buffalo Gunman and What to Do About Them. Not that its always gone smoothly. 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. And he said to me, I want to make Sense and Sensibility with martial arts. There was a rumor youd get a Bond spin-off, though that didnt happen. 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. 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. Whats the new approach?. Of his 80-odd movies, most remain unseen by American audiences outside of hard-core martial arts fans but are nonetheless classics of the genre: films likeIron Monkey,SPL, andFlash Point. Then the wardrobe againoh, mandarin collars. She calls herself a loser. Im going to go [out] naked. It is very easy to walk away and just turn a blind eye because then you are not involved emotionally, physically, or you know, any way. Why do you have to be so generic? If youre in a podcast app already, you know how to get your podcasts, so follow this one. But then, when it came to the late 70s and early 80s, it switched over to much more masculine dominated with you know, the Jackie Chan, the Jet Lee, the Donnie Yen. You said Matrix on LSD. The publication also noted that Yen has become more selective when offered Hollywood roles and asks if the roles are respectful to Chinese culture and unique. And then, to just let loose and to be able to go, bleh, and then all of us just went we were so committed to making this because, when you read it, it is wacky. Yen also shared during his interview that he was able to pay homage to his idol, Bruce Lee, through Caines new look. ), Caine is looking cool and fashionable like all the other John Wick characters. Why do you have to be so generic? She is the way she is.
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