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. A spy from another country. James Bond is James Bond. 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. 'Seven Swords' premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and proved a hit with worldwide audiences. 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! Oh, no, no, no. No, no, no, no. Not like, oh, now suddenly I have. The film out-performed all the previous movies featuring the character of Ip Man, smashing box office records throughout Asia. Its about whats happening in our society. Yes, yes. It was only a matter of time before this happened. Honestly, I would love to be in a musical. Im curious for your perspective on the global industry, though, because youre such an international star and actor. 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 I almost chained up life. Yen could regale you with stories of his scrapes for hours. It was old-school military, Yen says. Youre not allowed to look at the camera. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . The 2000s saw Yen transition to Hollywood with appearances in Blade II as Snowman and Shanghai Knights opposite Jackie Chan. Why do you have to be so generic? "The name was Shang or Chang. In this version, they are reimagined as powerful female warriors, complete with stunning costumes and fierce attitudes. When I first read it, I was like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Ive witnessed all kinds of unimaginable things, Yen says, recalling tricky years when the phone rang less or when creative misfires doomed projects. But my own experience, like, I was there, I have many friends who were there. But thats another discussion. It doesnt look real at all.. And I dont want to give away, but it plays a big role. "The name was Shang or Chang. Today we talk about injusticeI mean, back in the days, you cant imagine. The same handful of tired old stereotypes: the sage warrior, the stern general, the one-dimensional villain. 10 February 2023; . I cant believe you jump from trucks and youre scared of the stage. Coat, $1,981, by Lanvin. They make these [MINION VOICES]. Maybe now it can happen. So, a movie musical, not a Broadway musical. I saw stars. Youre not allowed to ask questions. And thats what we all do. They are meant to be respectful. Yens character, an assassin called Caine, originally went by another name. . I had a very respectful experience working on John Wick. Overall, I enjoyed making the film, he said. Born July 27, 1963 in Canton, China. 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. Mm-hmm. And that is the big beating heart of this film. So, that was that kind of physical comedy that I had not done before. [Discussing Hero] I remember there was another choreography where he was wired up with a sword. 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. Really one of the worst times in my career, Yen says. It could have been a girl. We cant be invincible. 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. But I know that once You know what, Donnie? He whacked me on one side and 10 years later, he whacked me on the other side. He also proposed letting his character have a sense of humor so that he could improvise jokes. Do you play a big role in the next movie? 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. 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. Following a high profile Los Angeles premiere, 'Ip Man 3' enjoyed a Los Angeles premiere and a US theatrical release, earning rave reviews in the mainstream American media.Having conquered every territory beneath the Asian skies, Donnie accepted an invitation to join the cast of an entry in the world's biggest film franchise. Theyre giving you an opportunity to do it. Immerhin hat er in "Die Todeskralle schlgt wieder . What a charming little film, I enjoyed watching this film , it had a good story line , the actors played out the parts very well. Why can't he look cool and fashionable?" In addition to Ip Man and Rogue One, Yen rose to fame by appearing in films such as Hero," Iron Monkey," Raging Fire, Once Upon a Time in China," Blade II," Chasing the Dragon opposite Andy Lau, "Shanghai Knights opposite Jackie Chan, and Mulan opposite Liu Yifei. I have stage fright. Shes not trying to be funny. This slapstick romantic comedy was produced by Hong Kong's prestigious Cinema City studio.Donnie was subsequently signed by the newly formed D&B Films, and cast in the hit cop actioner 'Tiger Cage'. Thanks for listening. When it first came, I was like, no, no, no, no, no. You know what Im saying?, Things are changingeven if progress has been agonizingly slow. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Yen playsGeneral Lone, a warrior out to free the land of Huadu from the tyrannical rule of a sinister Queen. Because in 2020, Chinas film market became the worlds biggest box office. 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. Certain camera tricks. Which your character was against that, was against Constances character. And I remembered when Ang came to me, at that time, I was doing the press . The older I get, the more I kind of look into what Im about, Yen says. But you might never have. And her husband, and father and daughter. 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. Its wild, its wonderful, its weird, its everything. Nothing matters, and therefore be free, or nothing matters, and therefore give up. ), Nevertheless, some hurts still linger. Although Yen is widely known and respected in the West, having worked in Hollywood on and off since the late 90s, its nothing compared to how he is recognized in Asia, where his prodigious output made him a giant in the world of Chinese-language cinema. Doesnt smile, shared Yen, who suggested making Chirrut mwe blind. Oh, if I was James Bond? So, what is it you really, really want? Its about are you going to be able to take in and accept and embrace all these new rules that you cannot put yourself first. 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. He would spend countless hours developing hisfa jing, or explosiveness, practicing high kicks on the heavy bag until he knocked it down. So, yes, we became better known in America, like Chow Yun-Fat. It wasIp Man that kick-started Yens recent career renaissance, and one reason why, lately, Yen has found himself busier than ever. Typical master. Brandon Louis is a TV/Movie news writer. But I think at the core of the story, really, its a very ordinary, average a woman that you walk by every day. But do you think it was supposed to change things, I remember. And this idea of nothing matters, you can go two ways. In 2016, he starred in Netflix's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny opposite Harry Shum Jr. and Michelle Yeoh. 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. I have, yes, success and fame. Well, you got hit. But he feels it in his body, that he is not quite as quick as he once was. And to invest both his money and his one more valuable resource than moneytimein projects that he loves, likeakra. Donnie Yen really said no Mandarin Collars, but blind Martial Arts expert is okay. I had a very respectful experience working on John Wick. Overall, I enjoyed making the film, he said. The shot was simple: Yen had to block an incoming strike with his pole, while keeping the straight face of a badass wushu master. Drop my hands. The producer would come in and say, Thats it. Over time, he learned a few tricks to soften the blows. And with Chuck Norris. That discussion between her and the man she left behind. As he often does on movies that hes directing or producing, Yen fed into every element of production: costumes, sets, music, action choreography. So, they said, well, OK, if you want to try action, if it doesnt succeed, thats the easiest thing. Its true. Theres drama. Why do you have to be so generic? I was wondering, when you were doing that, were you held to a different standard than the men? 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. And you should see, Jamie and I, we look at each other and, wahaa! The actor subsequently scored big hits including Butterfly and Sword and Wing Chun, with Everything Everywhere All at Once star Michelle Yeoh. GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. It took a long time for Yen to become a leading man. Well, you did. Here is the full quote below: "[Discussing Once Upon a Time in China II] The most significant experience workingwas one time that I had an injury [that] almost blinded me. 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. In t. 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. 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. To travel more, to spend time with his family. We're comparing these legends of global cinema across four categories . I said, "Really? 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.
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