And thats what we all do. Why do we do this? But then, what is it youre giving up? When it first came, I was like, no, no, no, no, no. At the time, Hong Kong cinemaas personified by Jackie Chanwas producing the most electrifying action movies in the world. Everyone was just out there competing, like B-boys or skate crews, to do the coolest shit possible. Always fighting. And the mother is trying to convince her otherwise. Im hanging out with Benny, next thing you know hes gone. And he said to me, I want to make Sense and Sensibility with martial arts. Because the mother-daughter relationship is central to the story. It was crazy macho stupidity, Yen says. 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. 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. Doesnt smile, shared Yen, who suggested making Chirrut mwe blind. Is there any type of roles you havent played yet that you really want to do? Even as Hollywood has ignored Asian actors, it has over the years co-opted the visual techniques and tropes of Hong Kong cinema. Donnie Yen was born in Guangzhou, China. Right? The second time we spoke, Yen was energized to see Michelle Yeoh, a friend and costar of Yens for decades, win a Golden Globe forEverything Everywhere All at Once after being critically ignored for so long. Donnie Yen is a martial-arts master and one of the top leading men in the new style of Hong Kong action cinema. Shes not trying to be funny. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny' was shot primarily on location in New Zealand, with Yen in the lead role. 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. 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. Jackie Chan and Sylvester Stallone have a long-running Hollywood friendship. Donnie Yen confirms Ip Man 4 will be his final kung fu film As a former student of the wing chun grandmaster, Lee also features in Ip Man 4, this time played by Hong Kong actor Danny Chan -. Wire work. [You can listen to this episode of Sway on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Google or wherever you get your podcasts.]. Not going to happen. Yen joined Li in the sequel as the villainous Commander Lan. And I just went, when? 01 March . You you have to try and eat healthier. Its not contemporary. The producer would come in and say, Thats it. You look like youre having much more fun with the hot dog. His debut film immediately established him as a viable leading man, and Yen has remained a major figure in Chinese action cinema to this day.Yen skills as a street dancer were to the fore in his second starring role, 'Mismatched Couples', in which he showed off his breakdance moves, as well as his general athleticism. Then It Changed My Life. Your body knows what its doing because its just extracted this key information. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. Mm-hmm. Im looking at his body at his funeral, and it was like: I was just with him yesterday, Yen says. Im curious, what did that movie did that change things for you in terms of roles coming in? Beyond the limitations of his mother's school, Yen began training in various different fighting arts, including Japanese karate, Korean taekwondo and western boxing. And so your body is doing all these wild and wonderful and precise, graceful moves. Yes, poise. Then the wardrobe again oh, mandarin collars. Donnie Yen was a martial artist who became a performer. I've already done Jackie Chan's best fights and Jet Li's best fights, so with the domestic release of Dragon (), it's time to look at the best fights from the current king of Hong Kong action movies, Donnie Yen.. Theres a love story. 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. Even then, I noticed a couple of Asian diners nearby quietly freaking out. You must not give up. When the cameras roll, the old Donnie Yen still kicks in. 04 Mar 2023 03:42:41 Doesnt smile, Yen says. It didnt change things because its a period piece. Because of the years of having to carry heavy loads of things, her body is not always upright. And so, I thought, there was a lot of pressure to make sure they took you seriously. She calls herself a loser. Yen playsGeneral Lone, a warrior out to free the land of Huadu from the tyrannical rule of a sinister Queen. You said Matrix on LSD. Jackie Chan is a performer who lea. And you know, you carry it with you everywhere you go. 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. Boots, $1,495, by Christian Louboutin. 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'. Yen co-starred in action films with Jet Li and Jackie Chan and continued to play the leading role in many martial arts and action films including Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords" (2005) and crime . The name was Shang or Chang, the Ip Man star said. He also proposed letting his character have a sense of humor so that he could improvise jokes. It was old-school military, Yen says. Yen also used the lighter side of his screen persona to good effect in two installments of the hit Hong Kong comedy movie series 'Alls Well Ends Well'.Yen was cast opposite Tang Wei and Takeshi Kaneshiro in director Peter Chan's 'Wu Xia' (aka 'Dragon'), a dark, elegant period martial arts murder mystery. It was heralded as a game-changer of how U.S. viewed the Asian film industry. following the likes of Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee. And with Chuck Norris. 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.. Id never been to Beijing before. Theres a lot of failure along the line. I gotta say, hot dog fingers might be. There was a rumor youd get a Bond spin-off, though that didnt happen. Every day: pain. When they came to me, they said, they want you to be a Minion. And this idea of nothing matters, you can go two ways. The Planet Is Burning. The senior editor of Sway is Nayeema Raza, and the executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Irene Noguchi. 'The Twins Effect' saw Donnie start to introduce elements of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) in his film fight scenes. Immerhin hat er in "Die Todeskralle schlgt wieder . 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.. So, none of us go in saying, Im going to make you laugh purposely, you know. Sometimes a little intimidating and scary. So, they said, well, OK, if you want to try action, if it doesnt succeed, thats the easiest thing. 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. So, that was what she was trying to impart to her. 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. So, I remember when I first said because I dont read Chinese. Ich denke eine direkte Antwort kann man darauf nicht geben. We came into this life naked. They grapple and fight dirty. Her latest role is no exception she took on a part that was originally written for the actor Jackie Chan. Theyre giving you an opportunity to do it. Fortunately, every time I go to set, the whole Donnie Yen act just kicks in, he says. (I told you: ageless.). So, people listening to this will be like, a bagel? Being Chinese, the closest person, obviously, was Bruce Lee, Yen says. She would drag me out of bed, whack me with a wooden stick. There was the Yuen clan, the Jackie Chan clan, and the Sammo Hung clan, Yen says. Over time, he learned a few tricks to soften the blows. 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. You never walk away from someone in need. It wasnt a protest, okay, it was a riot, Yen says. Honestly, I would love to be in a musical. Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen are two of the biggest martial arts stars in the world, and they've clashed twice in kung fu battles over the years. Shes literally busy. I would suspect she was, Im guessing. Yen might be approaching 60, but in person he looks a decade younger: lean and muscular, radiant skin, Wite-Out smile. Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, the hardworking owner of a failing laundromat whos too busy to tend to the little but important things in life. Maybe now it can happen. 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. Speaking with GQ, Yen admitted that he was nearly blinded by Li while filming with him on two different movies. 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. Shirt, $575, by Nili Lotan. If you place the camera over there, I already know exactly where the frame is. Later, as Yen began to work on his own choreography, he learned to compose the film as he went, editing in his head, so that when I moveokay, I move this way towards this medium shot, then I reserve this movement, four, five, and six, to the wider shot. (SINGING) When you walk in a room, do you have sway? And blood was spilling. But my own experience, like, I was there, I have many friends who were there. And we are very, very much part of you know, the Asians belong. Talk tomorrow. I received a text message from Jackie because I was not well. 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. They make these [MINION VOICES]. Im Kara Swisher, and youre listening to Sway. My guest today is Michelle Yeoh, the actor whose nearly four-decade career has included roles in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Crazy Rich Asians. But only now has Yeoh gotten her first Hollywood top billing in Everything Everywhere All At Once, a new movie by a pair of filmmakers known as the Daniels. So, its interesting because its a posture of disappointment, in a lot of ways. 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. In Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh plays the superhero: a Chinese American immigrant mother who is called upon to save the world and herself by hopping across multiverses. Thats part of life. 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. You do whatever you want. Yes, yes. Thrown from horses. If there was a multiverse universe that you can jump into, I want to be a rock star. I went on to do like Memoirs of a Geisha.. Its a stylish affair, beautifully shot. And I think that was one of the light switches that came on. Does this open up opportunities for you, do you think? And to invest both his money and his one more valuable resource than moneytimein projects that he loves, likeakra. There will always be more people like Michelle, he said. Youll be able to catch up on Sway episodes you may have missed, like my conversation with Andrew Garfield. 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. I guess my destiny is to be making movies., For a decade now, hes been talking about retiring. They are meant to be respectful. We release every Monday and Thursday. Jacket, $3,390, pants, $1,350, and boots, $1,450, by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. 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. 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. But that was also very, very important that we focus very much on the love between the mother and the son. And he heard about it, and he says, oh, get well soon. Theyve been here. We were all Chinese, but I was outside.. She knows these kind of women, and their jobs, and the responsibility of that job, and how it can really turn so many lives upside down. 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. With a passion for storytelling, his favorite media can give an idea of who he is: Vertigo, Panic Room, Jurassic Park, Lawrence of Arabia. Before he accepts a role, hell ask questions, like, Is the role generic? Heaven or hell, or whatever. Its not just the age thing. 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. Our stories do matter. The C.E.O. 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. Will ringmaster Mark Ellis give the W to the Drunken Master, the true Hero,Ip Man himself, or the mother-bleeping Dragon himself? I was doing the press for Tomorrow Never Dies. They said, oh, you know this director, Ang Lee? Shanghai Knights (2003) Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen Shanghai Knights (2003) But I know that once You know what, Donnie? The older I get, the more I kind of look into what Im about, Yen 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 . 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. Are they respectful of Chinese culture? 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. That mahjong scene was something else. ), Nevertheless, some hurts still linger. . But as a martial artist? The movie went on to sweep the board at the Hong Kong Film Awards winning Best Film, among many other prizes. Born July 27, 1963 in Canton, China. Its too easy to take that route. And Jamie Lee Curtis plays Deirdre, the I.R.S. More News. You cannot look like you know what youre doing. Also, the mother and the daughter-in-law. It was only a matter of time before this happened. said Yen. We do the best we can.. Jackie Chan was on the roster several years ago. Its about you going out there and making your own life. 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. Legendary Hong Kong martial arts actor Jet Li reveals nearly blinding Ip Man star Donnie Yen while filming fight sequences in two different movies. Right, right. His characters deploy mixed martial arts. The BBC, CNN, they never talk about that. 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. 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. And theres more. Jacket, $11,000, and scarf, $690, by Dior Men. So he had a stunt double wired up, Yen explains. You almost get sort of boxed and wrapped up in this beautiful thats what Michelle Yeoh represents, elegance and beauty, and refined and dignified. 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. Here in America, you are taught you have to be self-sufficient. Why cant he look cool and fashionable? he continued. You can be auto-tuned. of Cond Nast: This Is No Longer a Magazine Company, The Digital Tools That Aided the Buffalo Gunman and What to Do About Them. Everybodys supposed to be cool and fashionable. And in ancient China. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. So, talk about being silly because you, you know, in many of your movies, youre dignified, poised, et cetera. Previous adaptations have had mixed receptions. But sometimes it is the failures that make us who we are because every decision matters, and it has an impact. He also proposed letting his character have a sense of humor so that he could improvise jokes. He was signed to co-star in and action direct 'Highlander: Endgame', the latest in a series of fantasy actioners. Yeah. Yen also shared during his interview that he was able to pay homage to his idol, Bruce Lee, through Caines new look.