Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen recently recalled two different occasions when legendary martial arts actor Jet Li nearly blinded him. But beneath the silliness is a universal story of love and belonging and family. Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen recently recalled two different occasions when legendary martial arts actor Jet Li nearly blinded him. And then he said to me, oh, the Daniels came and pitched me the movie in China. Right? Mm-hmm. At first, youre looking at the fingers. Yen playsGeneral Lone, a warrior out to free the land of Huadu from the tyrannical rule of a sinister Queen. Everybodys supposed to be cool and fashionable. Necklace, $20,300, by Cartier. Boots, $1,495, by Christian Louboutin. (Given that series treatment of Jet Liwhose character is called, and Im not joking, Yin Yangyou can imagine why.) Wed broken each others staffs, so we were holding two, one in each hand. The prop staffs werent up to the task, so they were using real bamboo, solid, heavy as hell.. And it could be rough and tough. He was electric, determined, lightning fast. 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. 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. Jackie Chan and Jet Li are two of the greatest martial arts actors to ever grace the silver screen. This is the first time youre seeing an older Asian immigrant woman being the superhero, having the opportunity to demonstrate these kind of martial arts skills. That discussion between her and the man she left behind. Beyond the limitations of his mother's school, Yen began training in various different fighting arts, including Japanese karate, Korean taekwondo and western boxing. 'The Twins Effect' saw Donnie start to introduce elements of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) in his film fight scenes. The name was Shang or Chang, the Ip Man star said. And I think thats a cowards way out. The Founding of a Republic is a Chinese historical drama produced in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China and was made to portray the final years of the Chinese Communist Revolution that followed the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). I know exactly where the camera is. Ive got to perform. At the time, Hong Kong cinemaas personified by Jackie Chanwas producing the most electrifying action movies in the world. Now, definitely. Please. I was the outsider. And I back up, Jet said, "Donnie, there's blood spilling out of your face." David Axelrod, Sarah Longwell and Preet Bharara on What to Look For in the Jan. 6 Hearings, The Elon That Were Seeing Today Is Not the Same One We Saw a Couple Years Ago, David Ellison on Top Gun: Maverick, Working With Tom Cruise and Hiring John Lasseter. I did that . Doesnt smile, shared Yen, who suggested making Chirrut mwe blind. But I think its Barbara Broccoli, Michael Wilson, the producers who realize, its like, yes, lets do something different. Youre not allowed to ask questions. The older I get, the more I kind of look into what Im about, Yen says. 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. He shows me a rough cut of the trailer forakra. 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. And if there was a close-up of someone getting hit? You know, whats the value of life? I really, truly appreciate it. Donnie also received a Best Actor nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards. And one of the great things about cinema, he says, is how unifying it can betranscending barriers of both language and culture. The characters are there, but its more about the love rather than just the playing around, the pranks that they would do on the poor girl poor Constance, and you know. You cannot look like you know what youre doing. People who continue to keep thinking and to go forward no matter what the negativity or setback., Yen was upbeat. But the stunt double couldnt hit the mark. The film, with Wilson Ip as director and Yuen as choreographer, pitted the title character against legendary boxing champion Mike Tyson. The film won Donnie his third Best Action Choreography prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards, as well as a prize for Best Action in a Foreign Language Film at the Taurus Awards.Yen explored different styles of screen combat when he choreographed the stunning kung fu fights for the period actioners 'Legend of the Fist' and 'The Lost Bladesman', the fantasy combat for 'The Monkey King' and the time travel adventure 'Iceman Cometh 3D'.Many fans feel that Yen delivered his best choreographic work to date in Peter Chan's masterful 'Wu Xia', released in the US as 'Dragon'. Right now Ive gotta take three cups of double espresso, do a couple of warm-ups. Yen laughs again. Yes. And shes unrecognizable as Deirdre. In addition to Ip Man and Rogue One, Yen rose to fame by appearing in films such as Hero," Iron Monkey,". Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Walking stick, $295, by Scully & Scully. Well, you got hit. It was horrendous, says Yen. A spy from another country. . Jackie Chan and Sylvester Stallone have a long-running Hollywood friendship. In 2019, Yen was working with the director Benny Chan on a cop movie calledRaging Fire, when Chan fell ill during production. Thats part of life. Burnt. 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. Enjoy some creature comforts. Jackie Chan's 20-Year Quest to Share the Screen With Lifelong Friend Jet Li Finally Came to Fruition After Legal Barriers . Waymond is played by Ke Huy Quan. 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. Whats the cost? 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.. Blood sprays like a horror movie. An ambulance came; Yen received six stitches. As one of the few Cantonese students, the mainland was a different world. 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. And its all about rhythm, precision and timing, all that things put together. And you must try and find joy and happiness. Beginning in the early 80s, Li made a name for himself as one of the top martial artist action stars in Hong Kong cinema with films including Born to Defence and Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin. I dont want to do that again. 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. Because the mother-daughter relationship is central to the story. Donnie Yen was a martial artist who became a performer. From the Triads! Yen says with a grin, relishing the story. According to Today, the two are actually very good friends, and even fought each other in 2008's Forbidden Kingdom, where Li's stock "serene monk" character faced off against a version of Chan's famous drunken master archetype in a battle of moves so intense that the director actually asked them . He started hanging out at other gyms around Boston. 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. 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. 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. But theyve never been to China. It will continue to grow. You can see after the huge success of Crazy Rich Asians, can you imagine the weight on our shoulders at that point? Right now hes editing the final cut of his new film akra, a lush adaptation of the novelDemi-Gods and Semi-Devils,by the bestselling wuxia author Jin Yong. 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. While it is great that Staheleski is open to making changes and removing stereotypes as per Yen's request, we still see one big issue though: How is having a Hong Kong action star appearing as a blind martial arts expert in Hollywood movies isn't in itself a stereotype? You said you wanted to do it, fine. When It Comes to Gun Control, Will Baby Steps Fix Anything? 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. So is that what do you think being successful is? I witnessed gangsters fight on the set. 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. 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. Some people dont know, he says. Does this open up opportunities for you, do you think? Yes, yes. Theres a lot of failure along the line. But interestingly and maybe this is wrong because its been reported different places. You know What? He also proposed letting his character have a sense of humor so that he could improvise jokes. Even as Hollywood has ignored Asian actors, it has over the years co-opted the visual techniques and tropes of Hong Kong cinema. 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. The film has been a daunting task. Why do you have to be so generic? If youre listening on The Times website and want to get each new episode of Sway delivered to you, along with the chance to dance with Jamie Lee Curtis, download any podcast app, then search for Sway and follow the show. Its so funny. Thats not going to happen. Here in America, you are taught you have to be self-sufficient. RELATED: Why Jackie Chan Never Joined Stallone's Expendables Movies. 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.. Is there a universe you didnt like? And I think that was the biggest leap of empowerment. 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. Donnie collaborated with Yuen on the action for the film, designing a new on-screen interpretation of Wong Fei-hung's classic 'Shadowless Kick'. It didnt change things because its a period piece. 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. But she did not say, OK, lets just wrap it up and call it a day. Sometimes a little intimidating and scary. Also, the mother and the daughter-in-law. Theyve been here. 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. Its the first Hollywood movie since the early 90s to have a modern story and all-Asian casts. And perhaps if she was so successful in all that she do, like in the movie universe, she doesnt have a family. In this movie, you were a singer. Jackie Chan and Li have known each other for a long time. In your dreams, buddy. We were all Chinese, but I was outside.. His skills behind the camera began developing from his early days in the industry, and he was very much involved with the action choreography of his films for D&B Films. Its like, even with the hot dog fingers, when you look at them, youre going, what? 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! I cannot do stage. It could have been a girl. Its like when you after I read the script, its like, no one has ever thought of me in a role like this, it is true. Who is the ultimate fighter? Although his success in the West has been inconsistent, arguably Yen's most well-known role outside of Hong Kong is Chirrut mwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. His journey takes him on an adventure with many allies and enemies along the way until he finally meets the last man standing in his way, Chan's Lord of Armour. It was heralded as a game-changer of how U.S. viewed the Asian film industry. Yen calmly warned them to leave them alone, but the thugs opted to attack him, which ended up with Donnie thoroughly kicking their asses in the street. When that camera rolls, I cango.. 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. After a period where he was based in Los Angeles, Donnie returned East by way of the West when Jackie Chan requested that Yen play his nemesis in the hit 'Shanghai Knights', a shoot that took the star from Prague to London.Yen returned to China to co-star in director Zhang Yimou's epic wu xia master work 'Hero'.