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. Does this open up opportunities for you, do you think? Well, there might be. He also proposed letting his character have a sense of humor so that he could improvise jokes. But thats another discussion. 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. Let me take a look." This is not uncommon. Its the same attitude that has guided Yen throughout his career. She doesnt like her husband putting googly eyes on the packaging and stuff. He started hanging out at other gyms around Boston. 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. Yen's duel with Jet Li brought his skills to the emerging Mainland Chinese theatrical audience, and paved the way for Donnie to become the country's biggest action star. Ive witnessed all kinds of unimaginable things, Yen says, recalling tricky years when the phone rang less or when creative misfires doomed projects. 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. How did they get this opportunity? 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. The progressthe freeways, the architecture, the convenience of lifestyle. He is upset when the Western media focuses only on negative stories about China. In this movie, you were a singer. So, they said, well, OK, if you want to try action, if it doesnt succeed, thats the easiest thing. Doesnt smile, Yen says. These people belong to another dimension, right? We never had a storyboard. So he had a stunt double wired up, Yen explains. You said you wanted to do it, fine. And you cannot be sensible and controlled when you are approaching a character like that because Evelyn Wang, to me, is a real person. I cant retire, because I still have projects Im committed to, he says. But he also knows that he cant go on forever being this Donnie Yen. Shes looking for the mother that she can connect with. 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). Jackie Chan was on the roster several years ago. We have to learn to listen to each other and show kindness. I think they just announced they have a writer. And did you approach the performance differently? The film out-performed all the previous movies featuring the character of Ip Man, smashing box office records throughout Asia. 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. 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). 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. Answer (1 of 2): Even if you equalized their ages, my vote would go to Donnie Yen because he is a competent grappler with a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a 2nd dan in judo and has trained some in MMA. He was signed to co-star in and action direct 'Highlander: Endgame', the latest in a series of fantasy actioners. I have something to say to you. In 1997, Yen set up his own production company, Bullet Films. Jacket, $2,800, vest, $590, shirt (vintage), and pants, $690, by Double RL. We have to give each other the space and be who they are, and accept them. This is my schedule, Yen says, showing me the calendar app on his phone, a grid of colored squares so stuffed that it looks like a Tetris endgame. 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. And I remembered when Ang came to me, at that time, I was doing the press . 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. Its like, even with the hot dog fingers, when you look at them, youre going, what? 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. The producer would come in and say, Thats it. 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. The shot was simple: Yen had to block an incoming strike with his pole, while keeping the straight face of a badass wushu master. Im very blessed that I still have a lot of speed, explosiveness, power, he says. auditor, who is fantastic. 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. Shanghai Knights (2003) Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen Shanghai Knights (2003) But hes never forgotten it. So, a movie musical, not a Broadway musical. Her face is still Evelyn Wang going, what the heck is going on? Now, although these are prop swords, they are still quite pointy. Here are both Jackie Chan vs. Donnie Yen fight scenes and the movies in which they feature. 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. ), Caine is looking cool and fashionable like all the other John Wick characters. More recently, he passed on a role in DCsAquaman in order to spend time with his family. And I back up, Jet said, "Donnie, there's blood spilling out of your face." Well just put you right back to the same box. Donnie Yen is a martial-arts master and one of the top leading men in the new style of Hong Kong action cinema. Actors including Jackie Chan, Rogue One's Donnie Yen and Transformers star Li . Copyright 2018 Fandango. 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. Donnie also took up hip-hop and break-dancing. 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. 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. They think theyre serving Chinese food. Please. I dont want to get political. 7 Hong Kong actors who made it big in Hollywood, from Jackie Chan - of course - and Donnie Yen in Star Wars and John Wick, to Reminiscence star Daniel Wu 28/10/2021 Kim accused of damaging . More from NextShark: Curtis Waters is more than a TikTok gimmick: 'There's so much amazing sh*t that I have yet to do'. Oh, I was a Chinese opera singer. 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 ofBlade of Kings). At the same time, Donnie was influenced by his parents' love of music and reached a high level of proficiency as a pianist. Thats not going to happen. I was wondering, when you were doing that, were you held to a different standard than the men? She calls herself a loser. The show was the top-rated action drama show around the region, and was subsequently re-edited for international distribution on video.Donnie went on to make his directorial debut with 'Legend of the Wolf', a stylish period actioner that even attracted the attention of legendary American film-maker Francis Coppola. Stop trying to change the other person. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. I kid you not, it was spilling like shower spray. Why do you have to be so generic? And her husband, and father and daughter. Is that correct? He took the on-screen depiction of the style to new heights with the film 'SPL', released in the US as 'Kill Zone'. Certain camera tricks. Well, you did. I think if you dont have a big beating heart, its so easy to just say, well, youre already a grown-up. If there's one thing Donnie Yen is going to do, it is to call out stereotypes when he sees it. It took a long time for Yen to become a leading man. But I think its Barbara Broccoli, Michael Wilson, the producers who realize, its like, yes, lets do something different. Yeah, so its a silly premise, but the heart of it is not silly. Now, definitely. But if you have humanity, if you have empathy, if you have love, you never walk away from family, or you never walk away from friends. At the time, the demand for martial arts movies was waning, and Yen was determined to innovate within a genre starting to grow stale. You know, whats the value of life? Beginning with the cop actioner 'SPL', Donnie teamed with helmer Wilson Yip for a series of very different films that Yen would star in and action choreograph and Yip would direct. Its like, even with the marriage with the husband of so many years. Then cameIp Man, the semifictionalized 2008 film about the eponymous wing chun master (who was Bruce Lees mentor), which launched a four-film franchise and, in China at least, an entire genre ofIp Man derivatives. When Yen was two years old, he and his father, a newspaper editor, moved to Hong Kong. At the same time, he began spending his nights in Boston's notorious Combat Zone. The kicker? "The name was Shang or Chang. Academically, Yen was a mediocre student. She was very forceful, old school, like what you see in the movies. Donnie Yen really said no Mandarin Collars, but blind Martial Arts expert is okay. Your body knows what its doing because its just extracted this key information. So theres so much this film, and I really urge everyone to see it because its a very different film than most films that are out there, even though its an action film. Lets do it. The Chinese, we all have our way of interpreting the story. Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? following the likes of Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee. Im like, I worship the ground he walks on. And this idea of nothing matters, you can go two ways. Though Chan isn't performing stunts by diving headfirst off of buildings as much these days, and Yen's Ip Manmovie days have concluded, the pair have left a legacy as action stars and martial artists worldwide, meaningfans of both Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen would be remiss to miss out on both times they've faced off. 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). When It Comes to Gun Control, Will Baby Steps Fix Anything? And Ang is like the most quiet spoken. You can see after the huge success of Crazy Rich Asians, can you imagine the weight on our shoulders at that point? So, you cannot say, well, I want to do this. I dont want to. of Cond Nast: This Is No Longer a Magazine Company, The Digital Tools That Aided the Buffalo Gunman and What to Do About Them. 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'. My mom and I were separated for eight years, Yen says. When they came to me, they said, they want you to be a Minion. I guess thats not the same thing, Animation? I dont want to repeat the same thing that youve seen.
