Donnie Yen: Uber Awesome !!

[lonewolf]

i watch a lot of doonie yen's movies and television series from hong kong and once in a while see him in some american stuff like blade 2. what i wonder is why a guy that seems to have such talent get stuck in bad roles like his less than important fole in blade 2? i would think that the guy from iron monkey and once upon a time in china 2 would have a better foot in hollywood.

[SanSoo Student]

Hollywood stereotypes him as only being a martial artist, and only being a martial artis will get you crappy movies like jet li got in America.

[5Animals1Path]

Hollywood stereotypes him as only being a martial artist, and only being a martial artis will get you crappy movies like jet li got in America.

That's too bad too, because he's a waaaaaaay better actor then Jet. He can actually show emotion and some form of internal monolouge without having to directly tell the audience his character's considering things.


Also, he's the reason the fights in Blade 3 sucked out loud compared to 2.

The lack of him being involved, I mean.

[Jimbo]

I'm not sure Hollywood is ready to give someone like Donnie Yen much more than bad cameo roles. I think his first was in the last Highlander film where he stole the show but got eliminated early on. There seems to be a very low limit of Asian (male) stars that Hollywood will allow in, and as mentioned, he is stereotyped as a martial artist. And in Hollywood, Asian martial artist means Jackie Chan or Jet Li.

Hollywood doesn't seem ready for an Asian man who can actually act and do things besides being a: (1) martial artist; (2) stuffy/boring businessman; (3)nerd who makes fun of self (4) Yakuza/Triad gangster.

[jethro]

He doesn't get to do anythign in that movie with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. I kept waiting for them to showdown and then they did and I had to remember that it is an American movie.:(


I have seen a clip of Highlander Endgame where he has an awesome scene. I am guessing it is his only fight scene. I don't know why he can't get a real role. I don't think that Killzone showed he is a superstar or anything but he should at least be given a couple of REAL shots in Hollywood.

[Li Kao]

Obviously we all would like to see more of Donnie -- I think he's capable of taking bigger roles. He is obviously "paying his dues" so to speak -- look at Jackie and Jet -- both of them were basically superstars in Asia when they first started dabbling in Hollywood roles. Both of them had lesser pictures where they were given cameos (ala Cannonball Run or Lethal Weapon IV) and eventually became legitimate Hollywood stars. Hopefully Donnie is on a similiar path -- he sure seems poised to make the next leap. I think a certain part of the equation is luck and getting the right role at the right time as well -- there are many talented Asian-American actors out there who get consistent work but have never become leading stars -- one who comes to mind is Russell Wong, who has done a combination of dramatic roles as well as some action-oriented and martial arts films. I think someone who is definitely getting some great roles lately is Ken Watanabe. And Chow Yun Fat is another HK legend who didn't really get much recognition with his 1st few films. Donnie has the physical skill obviously, plus the looks and charisma -- now I think he just needs the right role and vehicle to take him to the next level.

[Hishaam]

Can't agree more with you guys, has anyone seen the hk series he did which were based on fist of fury?

[Jimbo]

Li Kao:

Regarding Russell Wong, I thought it was a pity he was buried in sub-par roles by Hollywood, always having to affect a fake accent and play subordinate characters. He seemed poised to break the mold and play mainstream American characters like white, black, and many Hispanic actors are able to. He's certainly got the acting chops to do so. But he's always stuck in Asian-themed episodes or films when he is seen. Sorry to have gone off-topic.

Donnie might even be good starring in a U.S. movie that features relatively few martial arts scenes. Something like a crime/suspense type story, similar to Seven, or The Bone Collector, but with some MA. Even similar to Seagal's Marked For Death or Out For Justice before his movies went down the drain. Rather than a movie that's completely martial-themed. He's got a very good, gritty style that would suit that type of film. And the bit of MA he shows would be all the more dramatic. That could further set him apart from Jackie Chan and Jet Li in their American films. And I don't think they should limit Donnie to Chinatown-themed stories like they did to Chow Yun-Fat.

[The Xia]

I think Chow Yun Fat would work well for Hollywood crime/suspense movies. We know he can play a great, gritty cop. They did pigeonhole him into Chinatown themed movies as Jimbo said but I think they should put him in more then that. I really think Chow Yun Fat has the acting ability and charisma and it might be enough to break the mold. He's in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Maybe that will make him more mainstream.

[jethro]

I agree that Chow is amazing and would be good if he was given a great role. I don't think Donnie Yen can be compared to Chow in any way but DOnnie still deserves a serious shot. it just has to be the right role. He has only been working for what, 24 years now?

[lonewolf]

im glad to see that i'm not the only person out there that things donnie has been getting the shaft. as for chow yun fat, was it just me or was bullet proof monk a great movie that nobody knew about? true we could have done without mr. funktastic but if you cut him out i enjoyed it. chow hasn't done too many kung fu films since crouching tiger was his first. i think it was sean's character that drew me in. the scene with were he learns kung fu from watching the movies. that brought back memories. :D

[jethro]

I may have to actually watch Bulletproof Monk. I have it but never planned on watching it. Seriosly, is it good?

And Crouching Dragon wasn't Chow's first fu movie. He did a little bit in Treasure Hunt and Tiger On the Beat. I don't know if you can call it kung fu though.:p Postman Strikes back is the only other one I can think of where he does kung fu.

[PangQuan]

I may have to actually watch Bulletproof Monk. I have it but never planned on watching it. Seriosly, is it good?

And Crouching Dragon wasn't Chow's first fu movie. He did a little bit in Treasure Hunt and Tiger On the Beat. I don't know if you can call it kung fu though.:p Postman Strikes back is the only other one I can think of where he does kung fu.

bulletproof monke...meh....good? no...

worth watching? sure. it will entertain you a little bit. the scene in the kitchen with the cheerios is the best scene in the entire movie.

watch it for that.

oh, and the downfall of immortality seeking tibetan monk killing nazi scum

[doug maverick]

i've been preaching the gospel of donnie yen for a while now, as many of you may know. you guys just wait till city with no mercy comes out. from what i've scene so far its gonna blow spl out of the water.

[jethro]

Hey Ghost of this mother effin sh!t, I have seen some behind the scenes footage and I agree this could be better than SPL.

Also, Isaac Florentine could be on his way to making Hollywood movies(I would at least hope so)and I think him and Donnie Yen could make an outstanding movie together. Of course, I always think too big.

[doug maverick]

here are some pics from louis koos blog, unlike dragon tiger gate. pics and behind the scene footage are hard to come by for this one so check it out:


http://www.kootinlok.net/louisxpress/Blog/2007/2007January/blog20070124.htm

[Li Kao]

This clip showcases some of the action highlights of Donnie's career -- kind of quick and just gives a taste, but still pretty fun to watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQlKLRfyYqo

[Hishaam]

And Crouching Dragon wasn't Chow's first fu movie. He did a little bit in Treasure Hunt and Tiger On the Beat. I don't know if you can call it kung fu though.:p Postman Strikes back is the only other one I can think of where he does kung fu.

Chow is an actor that learned some MA moves to do his craft, not like Donnie or Jet of course, i'd rather see Chow "Gunfuing" in action movies than see him play an MAist as he did in Crouching tiger hidden dragon.

[5Animals1Path]

Chow is an actor that learned some MA moves to do his craft, not like Donnie or Jet of course, i'd rather see Chow "Gunfuing" in action movies than see him play an MAist as he did in Crouching tiger hidden dragon.

I dunno, even if he never learned anything, he comes off as the "old master/*******" about 10,000 times harder then anyone else in current cinema. And honestly, if it's a movie that has kung fu, and not a kung fu movie, I'd rather his way of doing it.

[jethro]

My opinion on this matter-Chow's gun fu stuff is superb!

I have actually seeked out all of CHow's kung fu movies over the years and I think I have actually found them all! I even found a beggar So TV series where he does drunken style! IS Chow a kung fu master? Of course not. Why did I get all of the Chow kung fu movies I could find? Well, that is pretty easy to answer. I like Chow Yun Fat movies, I like kung fu movies, I just added 1 and 1 together and came up with an even bigger number. :D

Postman fights Back is an outstanding movie. If you have not seen it, check it out hishaam. The Yuen clan make CHow look absolutely fabulous. 7/10 rating from me.

[Hishaam]

My opinion on this matter-Chow's gun fu stuff is superb!

I have actually seeked out all of CHow's kung fu movies over the years and I think I have actually found them all! I even found a beggar So TV series where he does drunken style! IS Chow a kung fu master? Of course not. Why did I get all of the Chow kung fu movies I could find? Well, that is pretty easy to answer. I like Chow Yun Fat movies, I like kung fu movies, I just added 1 and 1 together and came up with an even bigger number. :D


Hehe pretty simple and efficient :D



Postman fights Back is an outstanding movie. If you have not seen it, check it out hishaam. The Yuen clan make CHow look absolutely fabulous. 7/10 rating from me.

Sure i'll check it out when i can.

[The Xia]

I agree that Chow is amazing and would be good if he was given a great role. I don't think Donnie Yen can be compared to Chow in any way but DOnnie still deserves a serious shot. it just has to be the right role. He has only been working for what, 24 years now?
I agree that he deserves a shot. But I also think he is part of a long list of actors and actresses (I refuse to use that silly new term "female actor") that don't get their deserved piece of the Hollywood pie.

[The Xia]

I dunno, even if he never learned anything, he comes off as the "old master/*******" about 10,000 times harder then anyone else in current cinema.
I have to disagree with this. I agree that he is good in Kung Fu man roles despite the fact that as far as I know he only learned a little movie fu. However, I don't think he is so much the old master. I think he is more the middle-aged, somewhat weather beaten fighter who has seen and done a lot. Sort of like he was in CTHD. As for someone that does the old master well today, one of them I pick is Gordon Liu. I thought he was fantastic in Kill Bill. He had some big boots to fill but I thought he did a great job.

[jethro]

Xia-I don't know if the Emperor can be considered a "wise old master" role, but NOBODY would have been better playing that part. I am sure you saw the movie, and he had the best action scene by far. Again, not saying he is a kung fu star, just saying he can play a badass, and he can play a wise old badass as well. Just my 2 cents.

[The Xia]

I have to agree with you that he was great in that role and that the character wouldn't classify as a "wise old master". I also agree that Chow could play a wise old bad mofo. I'm just saying that he isn't the only one. Gordon Liu really impressed me in Kill Bill. I'm so used to him as the archetypical Kung Fu hero but when he was given a different hat I thought he wore it very well.

[jethro]

I thought he was great. Good in part 1 and spectacular in 2.

It's just that Chow can't be matched. He would be so freaking good if he could play the same part he did in Curse, but it just needs to be a better movie. Maybe Gordon Liu can be his top General in the next project for Chow. :D

[sanjuro_ronin]

Is there anyone better?

Donnie doing taiji:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82KyZkgE2eA

Doing Hung Kuen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLnXhKN4O4U

Doing Wing Chun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qhPDEOYbx4

Doing MMA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKya2Jd2RqU


Enough said *****es !!!

[dirtyrat]

man crush!! :D

[sanjuro_ronin]

man crush!! :D

In a total non-spartan way !

[Lucas]

what is the old donnie movie where he is in the river and the guy is going to kill his buddy so he throws his knife, skips it off the water under his buddies legs and hits the guy behind him. that scene was sooooo sick but i cant remember what movie it was.

im pretty sure he actually skipped his blade off water under some guys legs (maybe a dummy but u know those old crazy hong kong guys) cuz it was old movie and it looked fully real all in one shot.

[Jimbo]

I could be wrong, but that scene *might* be from Legend of the Wolf.

[jethro]

Donnie Yen is the man right now, but for greatest ever I have to go with Chang Shan-


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K_S9oieRR4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJDp4eLcPlI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_9o6e7BglE&feature=related

[Hebrew Hammer]

Well they have repealed Prop 8...who am I to judge another man's Man Crush! Best wishes lads.

[Lucas]

I could be wrong, but that scene *might* be from Legend of the Wolf.

i think you might be right im going to have to try and find that. thanks

[GeneChing]

19/10/2010
Tony Leung and Donnie Yen are worth $5m each

With the booming China film and television industry, Hong Kong actors are getting paid double

http://sgstb.msn.com/i/B2/66D5A566CDD2C915656281C59A1918.jpg
Tony Leung and Donnie Yen

Hong Kong's top grossing actors are really not cheap to hire.

The most expensive actors would be Tony Leung and Donnie Yen, who are able to command more than $5 million each for a single movie.

Tony's latest project with director Jingle Ma is expected to bring the veteran actor a whopping HKD30 million ($5 million), which is double of what he earned per movie last year at HKD15 million ($2.5 million).

Since Ip Man, Donnie Yen has been one of the most sought after actors in China, with film makers raising his remuneration from RMB15 million ($3 million) last year to RMB30million ($6 million).

The recent film market boom in China has also allowed other stars to make quite a comeback, such as Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung. She is expected to take home HKD10 million ($5 million) for her Lunar New Year flick All's Well, Ends Well.

But the top grossing actor has got to be actor Jet Li, banking in a total of RMB66 million ($12 million) this year.
Jet is worth both of them. Go figure.

[Lucas]

thats ok, donnie would beat the living snot out of jet

:D

[Shaolinlueb]

i'm glad to see the china movie market coming back. i really enjoyed some of the stuff in the earlier 2000's. then it hit a low point where every movie had bad everything. gen x cops was great, so many to name from then.

[GeneChing]

OUaTiCII
;)

[Lucas]

hey now!!

:mad:



:D ;)

[GeneChing]

Jet li VS Donnie Yen (Once upon a Time in China 2) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRsifLFqdyk)

[Lucas]

Jet li VS Donnie Yen (Once upon a Time in China 2) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRsifLFqdyk)

word up!!!

[shaolin_allan]

What do you guys think Donnie's favorite kung fu styles are to practice? I know he is an actor and his mother does baguazhang. Also he trained with the Beijing wushu team but I would think both him and Jet Li have to have favorite systems they practice.

[ghostexorcist]

What do you guys think Donnie's favorite kung fu styles are to practice? I know he is an actor and his mother does baguazhang. Also he trained with the Beijing wushu team but I would think both him and Jet Li have to have favorite systems they practice.

Stomp yo nuts fu

[jethro]

Donnie knows a lot of stuff, but movie fu is his favorite style.

[Jimbo]

Back in the late '80s or early '90s, I read an interview of Donnie Yen, and he mentioned something like his favorite style(s) are whatever worked. When he was in Boston, he said, he learned a lot of different MA's besides just from his mother, Bow Sim-Mark. He also did TKD, kickboxing, some kung fu (I think), and karate under a Sensei Mattson, who was an early karate pioneer and teacher of Uechi-ryu style. I think he was getting into trouble, so he was sent to China for a while to train wushu. I remember him saying something like he never really felt too comfortable with the performance wushu, though he seemed good at it.

Years before he was in movies, he appeared in a book written by his mother, I think it's called Wushu Basics (or something like that). He demo'd a lot of the jumps and kicks in the photos.

When asked what his regime was at the time of the interview, Donnie said "Just my kicking. That's it." I'm sure his training has become more extensive since then.

Of course, he's surely learned a lot more since then, too. How deeply he's gone into any one art, though, who knows.

[GeneChing]

* ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
* DECEMBER 30, 2010, 1:19 A.M. ET
The top five films in Asia this year (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204527804576044801307216860.html)
By DEAN NAPOLITANO

There has been more than one "breakout year" for Asia's movie industry in the recent past. But 2010 was certainly a good 12 months for directors, actors and writers in Asia.

Among the most significant achievements was Chinese director Feng Xiaogang's "Aftershock," a tear-jerker about a family torn apart by the 1976 Tangshan earthquake and reunited years later in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The movie was the first Chinese film to earn more than $100 million at the domestic box office and cemented Mr. Feng's position as China's most commercially successful director.

The most notable actor of the year was, arguably, Donnie Yen, who starred in not one but three blockbusters -- "14 Blades," "Ip Man 2" and "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen." Mr. Yen is easily the world's leading kung-fu star. At 47 years old, he shows no sign of easing his multiple-movies-a-year pace, with a string of films lined up for 2011.

When it comes to picking the most important Asian movies of the year, there are many from which to choose. Among those worth a mention are the chilling Japanese thriller "Confessions"; "I Wish I Knew" from Chinese director Jia Zhangke; Hong Kong's rollicking kung-fu homage "Gallants"; the romantic comedy "Au Revoir Taipei" from Taiwan; "HaHaHa" from South Korea; and "Sandcastle," the debut movie from Singaporean director Boo Junfeng. In addition to all those films, here are my picks as the five most notable Asian films of 2010:

"Caterpillar"

Japan

Director Koji Wakamatsu directed this anti-war drama about a sadistic Japanese soldier who returns home from the Second Sino-Japanese War after having lost his arms and legs in battle and continues to inflict abuse on his wife, who is repulsed by his horrific condition. The filmmaker reveals in stark imagery his fierce distaste of war under any circumstances.

"Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame"

Hong Kong-China

There likely isn't another filmmaker besides Tsui Hark who could successfully pull off a Tang Dynasty-era martial-arts whodunit. After more than 30 years in the business, Mr. Tsui still demonstrates a flair for the sort of movie excitement that he showed with "Once Upon a Time in China" and other classics from Hong Kong's golden age.

"Echoes of the Rainbow"

Hong Kong

Director Alex Law's autobiographical Valentine to 1960s Hong Kong rekindled nostalgic memories and became an unexpected box-office hit. At a time when Cantonese-language movies often struggle to find an audience, this story of a working-class family striving to make ends meet was a sentimental reminder that there was a simpler day -- before the city's current obsession with materialism.

"Norwegian Wood"

Japan

It took 23 years to adapt for film Haruki Murakami's influential novel about a university student in 1960s Japan who finds himself drawn to two women -- one shy and emotionally unstable, the other lively and independent. The Japanese author rejected several offers for a film version over the years before finally agreeing to this adaptation by award-winning Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung.

"Under the Hawthorn Tree"

China

After years of big-budget movies and costume period pieces, director Zhang Yimou reminded audiences why he remains China's most-famous cinematic export. This story of youthful love set against the Cultural Revolution recalls Mr. Zhang's early films with its rural setting, literary pace and rich detail.
14 Blades (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53892)
Ip Man 2 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56421)
Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55650)
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52870)

[GeneChing]

I was recently reminded of this gem from Mismatched Couples. Yea, Donnie has paid his dues.

Donnie Yen Break Dance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtwxiCuUtSE#!)

[doug maverick]

i think the math is wrong on this article can someone confirm this? unless they are talking about his worth.


Donnie Yen may have been recently named the highest paid Hong Kong celebrity of 2012, but the "Ip Man" actor doesn't find his whopping HKD263 million such a big deal.

According to Jayne Stars website, the actor revealed, "In terms of our flourishing society, an artiste's income isn't that high. Often, artistes have to work a lifetime to develop their career. You may earn nothing at first, but when you are doing well, others will only see your success."

The actor continued, "Take me for example. I had to struggle for many years to get to where I am today. If you compare my life's work with professionals like lawyers and doctors, my income is nothing."

The actor was of course talking about his earlier years as a stuntman for films and dramas, before hitting the big screen with his first major role, "Drunken Tai Chi" in 1984. In those days, the action star had to invest in his own films, and had to live off of a few hundred dollars for several months.

Donnie also credited his wife, Cecilia Wang for his financial success.

"She's the one who helped me manage my investments and budgets. If you are scared of your wife, you become rich. I believe this," the actor joked.

"A moment of triumph does not represent a life of success; a moment of setback does not represent a life of failure. This is what I have learned from my past experiences," the actor expressed.

In related news, Donnie's upcoming films in 2013 include "The Monkey King 3D", "Special Identity", "The Iceman Cometh 3D", and "Ip man 3D".

[GeneChing]

There are some vids too if you follow the hyperlink.

Yen steps into his next big starring role (http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1301581/yen-steps-his-next-big-starring-role)

Donnie Yen Ji-dan, who will star in the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel, is taking on just as big a role with The Spirit of Hong Kong Awards
Monday, 02 September, 2013, 9:29am

John Carney john.carney@scmp.com

For a man who hit the big five-0 in July, Donnie Yen Ji-dan is not about to put his feet up and take life any easier.

On the contrary, the action star is preparing for his biggest role yet when he plays the lead in the sequel to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with Michelle Yeoh. The film's producer is the legendary Harvey Weinstein, the man behind the likes of Pulp Fiction, The English Patient and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Unlike the original film, the sequel will all be in English which will be new, but Yen was more than eager to give it a go and has faith in Weinstein. He had been looking to collaborate with the famous producer on a film for the past 12 years, but they couldn't find the right project.

"I'd be over at the old Miramax offices in New York and he'd go over all these projects he'd planned for me but they never got made. Periodically he'd call me after that but we still didn't make any films," Yen explained.

"Finally a year ago he called me up and said: 'Donnie. This is it! This is the project I want you to do - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, part II.' Well he and his people got in contact with me every week after that and we eventually came to a gentleman's agreement.

https://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486w/public/2013/09/02/nlksfdjgjsdflksdfgsfdg0a4.jpg?itok=--ySzGOh
(Clockwise from left) Yen, in Ip Man 2 with Sammo Hung Kam-bo, in Wu Xia with Takeshi Kaneshiro and with Ip Man's son Ip Chun. Photos: SCMP, Clara Mak

"Then in Cannes earlier this year we announced we were going to do it. It took us 12 years to get the project going but I'm thrilled about it. We won't have Ang Lee [as director] but Harvey is a brilliant producer so I can't wait to see the result. It's going to be fun."

He may be one of Asia's highest-paid actors but it's this sort of can-do attitude that typifies him and the city he loves. It was for this reason that he also accepted just as big a starring role - to be the ambassador for South China Morning Post's The Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.

Hong Kong has many unsung heroes. From the social worker who puts in a 12-hour day to provide support to the underprivileged to the firefighters who put their lives at risk, and these awards are aimed at reflecting that. As part of its Celebrating Hong Kong initiative, last month the Post launched The Spirit of Hong Kong Awards to celebrate those who happily do such sterling work for very little reward.

Readers can nominate who they think deserves to receive an award. There will be 11 awards in all, the first 10 all judged on the same criteria by a panel of judges, chaired by the former chief secretary of Hong Kong David Akers-Jones.

The awards can be given to an individual or a group. The 11th award recipient will be voted for by the public and called the Sino Spirit Award.

Along with Akers-Jones the other judges are: the Post's Editor-in-Chief Wang Xiangwei; Dr David Pang Ding-jung, chairman of the SCMP Group; chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Ronald Arculli; the former permanent secretary for home affairs Shelley Lee Lai-kuen; Daryl Ng Win-kong, executive director, Sino Land; author and explorer Rebecca Lee; Nelson Chow Wing-sun, honorary professor at the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong; and former secretary for works Ronald James Blake.

Who better to be the ambassador for such an admirable enterprise than Ip Man? OK, Yen only played the character on the big screen but he's taking this role every bit as seriously.

"I'm well known for being an actor but what you contribute to society can be in many ways. Many people here care more for others than themselves - this happens in Hong Kong on a daily basis," he said. "They are the true heroes and we should always recognise these individuals. To celebrate their spirit and let everyone know that they matter as well."

When Yen starred as Ip Man it brought him worldwide success and increased the public's fascination for Chinese martial arts. Yen is credited by many for contributing to the popularisation of the traditional martial arts style known as Wing Chun which the original Ip Man taught.

This has led to an increase in the number of people taking up Wing Chun, leading to hundreds of new Wing Chun schools to be opened in mainland China and other parts of Asia.

Born in the southern city of Foshan, Ip Man settled in Hong Kong in 1949 and devoted his life to the practice and popularisation of the Wing Chun fighting style, known for its explosive, close-range strikes.

Released in 2008, Wilson Yip's film Ip Man is a biopic set in the 1930s, before and during the Japanese occupation, with Yen in the title role. Yen and Yip then reteamed - along with the illustrious fight choreographer Sammo Hung - for Ip Man 2, which covers its hero's years in 1950s Hong Kong, as he contends with rival instructors and thuggish British colonialists.

Yen believed that of all the characters he played it was Ip Man that best captured some of the qualities that The Spirit of Hong Kong Awards are trying to convey.

"As an actor I try to bring my own life experience to each character I play in a film. So even when it's someone as legendary as Ip Man I try to bring my own characteristics to that role. I'm a family man and so was he," Yen said.

"Chinese culture is very family-orientated, and the character of Ip Man had all the best virtues of a family man. Family values matter and I think it was one of the main reasons why the film was so successful. It's the same in life. It's very, very important."

Family has always been paramount in Yen's life. His mother, Mark Bow-sim, is a Fu Style Wudangquan [internal martial arts] grandmaster. At a young age, under his mother's guidance, Yen developed an interest in martial arts and began experimenting with various styles of traditional Chinese martial arts.

Yen also comes from a family of musicians. In addition to being a martial arts teacher in Boston, his mother is a soprano, while his former newspaper-editor father, Klyster Yen, is a violinist. From a young age, they taught him to play musical instruments, including the piano. The influence they had on him is obvious.

"One was very active while the other one was into literature," he said. "I was very blessed and fortunate that on one side my mother was a martial arts teacher and on the other my father was a journalist. I was lucky to be touched by two people who had very different careers but ones that taught me so much."

Yen was born in Taishan, Guangdong and came to Hong Kong with his family when he was 18 months old. When he was almost 11 he moved with his family to Boston in the US where he spent his teenage years.

He returned to Hong Kong and worked as a stuntman on his first film Shaolin Drunkard in 1983. The rest, as they say, is history. He describes himself as a "world citizen", but Hong Kong is his town and there's no place he'd rather be.

"When I'm away I miss the energy of the place. It's unique," Yen said. "There is no other city in the world like Hong Kong, not even New York. The energy generated here is amazing. That is the real spirit of Hong Kong coming through."

Action Hero

NAME: Donnie Yen Ji-dan
AGE: 50
BORN: Taishan, Guangdong
MARTIAL ARTS: Yen is widely credited with bringing mixed martial arts into the mainstream of Chinese culture. He has choreographed this style of fighting in his recent films and the sequences have won numerous awards. He has trained in boxing, kickboxing, taekwondo, Muay Thai, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Wing Chun and Wushu.
MAJOR AWARDS: 2003 Golden Horse Award for Best Action Choreography in The Twins Effect; 2004 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography in The Twins Effect; 2006 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography in Kill Zone; 2006 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography in Kill Zone; 2007 Golden Bauhinia Award for Best Action Choreography in Dragon Tiger Gate; 2007 Golden Horse Award for Best Action Choreography in Flash Point; 2008 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography in Flash Point; 2009 Beijing College Film Festival Award for Best Actor in Ip Man; 2009 Huabiao Award for Best Actor in Ip Man.

[Rover]

Im just saying go watch donnie's Wu Xia....
I have never seen fighting scenes like that before, also excellent story.
Watch it, you cant dont love it.

[GeneChing]

Demotivated? I think the word they were looking for was 'discouraged'. Sorry, it's the editor in me...;)

Donnie Yen is not demotivated by Golden Broom nomination (http://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/donnie-yen-not-demotivated-golden-broom-nomination-061400579.html)
From Cinema Online Exclusively for Yahoo Newsroom
By Heidi Hsia | From Cinema Online Exclusively for Yahoo Newsroom – 10 hours ago

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/ghQJoNuRldWI1FycftCK4Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Y2g9MzAwO2NyPTE7Y3c9NDAwO2R4PTA7ZH k9MDtmaT11bGNyb3A7aD0xNDM7cT04NTt3PTE5MA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_MY/News/YBrandCinemaOnline/7cn_donnieyennot00.jpg
Donnie Yen is not demotivated by Golden Broom nomination

27 Jan – Despite his nomination for the 2014 Golden Broom Awards' Most Disappointing Actor, Donnie Yen stated that he is not at all demotivated by it.

As reported on Mingpao, while speaking to the media at the launch of a Cultural Communication mobile phone game, "Dragon Tiger Gate Mahjong" with Eric Tsang, Donnie admitted that he read about his nominations at the award, which is China's equivalent to the Hollywood's Razzie Awards.

However, the actor stated that he will take the nomination with a positive stride.

"People have been paying more attention to me these past few years," said Donnie, who was nominated for his roles in "Special Identity" and "Together". "I will accept it with good intentions, since an actor has the responsibility to accept them."

Speaking about the two movies which he was nominated for, Donnie said, "I was only a guest star in "Together", but I still got nominated for it! And for "Special Identity", filming it was difficult (due to the conflict with Vincent Zhao)."

However, Donnie said the nominations have taught him to be more careful in picking movies and to improve his performance.

"I will turn all the negativity and criticisms into motivations and make better movies in the future," said Donnie.

[MightyB]

I liked Special Identity. It wasn't groundbreaking or anything - but it was cool, and his MA choreography was top-notch as always. What made it really cool for me was that I just finished beating the video game sleeping dogs. It was like I played and then watched the movie! :D

[GeneChing]

Hong Kong Stars Donnie Yen, Carina Lau to Receive Special Honors From Asian Film Academy (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hong-kong-stars-donnie-yen-689555)
12:15 AM PDT 3/19/2014 by Karen Chu

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2013/03/yen.jpg
Donnie Yen
During the Filmart industry event in Hong Kong, a new prize for rising Asian talent also will be handed out to Japanese actress Chiaki Kuriyama ("Kill Bill") and Korean actor Kim Nam Gil.

HONG KONG – The Asian Film Awards Academy will present Hong Kong stars Donnie Yen and Carina Lau with the inaugural Outstanding Asian Actor and Actress Awards at a ceremony held during the Hong Kong Filmart industry confab next week.

Co-organized by the Asian Film Awards Academy and Moet & Chandon, the Moet-AFA Special Awards will hold its debut ceremony on March 23.

STORY: Asian Film Awards Announces Ambitious Relaunch With Support From Top Festivals

Known for his onscreen martial arts prowess, Yen (Ip Man) will be the first Moet-AFA Outstanding Asian Actor recipient, while the multiple award-winning Lau (Bends, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame) will be the first Moet-AFA Outstanding Asian Actress.

The newly-established Asian Film Awards Academy was formed by a partnership between the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, the Busan International Film Festival, and the Tokyo International Film Festival. The Academy will vote to select the winners of the 8th Asian Film Awards, held at the City of Dreams casino in Macau on March 27.

To encourage new talent, Rising Star of Asia Awards will also be handed out to Japanese actress Chiaki Kuriyama (Kill Bill: Volume 1) and Korean actor Kim Nam Gil (Lovers Vanished) at the Moet-AFA Special Awards.
I haven't heard of this award before but it must be significant if it made THR.

[GeneChing]

I should start a Donnie Yen scandals thread. You know an martial actor has really made it when they earn a 'scandals' thread here. :rolleyes:


Action star Donnie Yen's film company sues car firm over soured Porsche deal (http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1530234/action-star-donnie-yens-film-company-sues-car-firm-over-soured)
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 12 June, 2014, 4:31am
UPDATED : Thursday, 12 June, 2014, 4:31am

Julie Chu julie.chu@scmp.com

http://www.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/486x302/public/2014/06/11/7ae418a510abeecffafd722f49146926.jpg?itok=qCpTdzQr

Action star Donnie Yen's film company sues car firm over soured Porsche deal

Action star Donnie Yen Chi-tan's film company is suing a car firm for allegedly deceiving it in a Porsche deal.

Bullet Films Productions, of which Yen (pictured) is the main shareholder and director, is seeking a refund of HK$1.37 million and damages from NBT Motors.

The writ names NBT, its director Lau Suk-hing and two staff, Tung Yok-yeu and Gary Luk Chi-kong. It claims NBT failed to deliver a new Porsche Cayenne S in 2011 after Bullet had paid for it, and that subsequent refund cheques were dishonoured.

"On a date unknown to [Bullet], the defendants … wrongfully and with intent to injure [Bullet] by unlawful means conspired and combined together to defraud [Bullet] and to conceal such fraud and the proceeds of such fraud," the writ stated.

It says Yen's wife Cecilia Wang represented Bullet to sign an agreement to buy the car for HK$1.53 million on or about March 11, 2011.

Bullet paid a HK$777,000 deposit and was to have received the car in May that year.

But Tung later advised that because of a manufacturing delay, the car could not be delivered on schedule. It agreed to cut the price by HK$80,000 and said the car would be ready in August 2011. In early September, Tung told Wang the car had arrived and drove a white Porsche to her home for a test drive.

Wang agreed to complete the deal at a price of HK$1.37 million on September 5.

According to the writ, Tung said NBT would deliver the car to Wang after documentation and asked her for the final payment of HK$600,000.

After NBT failed to deliver the car, it gave Yen's company three post-dated cheques in November, but all the cheques were dishonoured.

Yen played the title role in blockbuster movie Ip Man about the martial-arts teacher of kung fu legend Bruce Lee.

[GeneChing]

More pix if you follow the link.

Mr. and Mrs. Yen and Donnie Yen Honored by Gov. Patrick, Mayors Walsh, Christenson and Boston City Council (http://bostonese.com/2014/07/mr-and-mrs-klysler-yen-honored-by-officials/)

By David Li, bostonese.com

Newton, Mass., July 20, 2014, — At the Yen Family banquet last night at Boston Newton Marriott Hotel to celebrate the 52nd Wedding anniversary of Mr. Klysler Yen and Mrs. Bow Sim Mark Yen, representatives from Governor Patrick and Mayor Walsh, Malden Mayor Gary Christenson and Boston Councilor Tito Jackson honored the couple with citations and proclamation for their dedicated service to the community in the past 39 years since they immigrated to Boston in 1975 from Hong Kong.

http://bostonese.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/2014_Yen_Goon4.jpg
Mr. Hung Goon presents a citation by Gov. Patrick to Mr. and Mrs. Yen (photo by David Li).

Donnie Yen, a well-known Hong Kong movie star and son of Mr. and Mr. Yen, and his sister Chris Chi-Ching hosted the banquet. They thanked their parents for teaching them values and traditions in front of 300 guests. Donnie Yen said his father would always put 200% effort in everything he does, and he was fortunate to be the son a Kung Fu master Mrs. Bow Sim Mark Yen.

As immigrants to Boston, Mr. and Mrs. Yen have made remarkable contribution to the community. Mr. Klysler Yen founded the Singtao Daily Boston edition 34 years ago and make it the top selling Chinese daily newspaper in Boston. In recent years, Mr. Klysler Yen has volunteered countless hours as executive board member of Asian American Association of Boston. The Boston Chinese Wushu Institute was created by Mrs. Bow Sim Mark Yen, and has graduated hundreds of students who learned Tai Chi, Kung Fu and many other forms of Chinese Wushu, also know as martial arts.

Hung Goon, president of the CCBA, presented a citation from Gov. Patrick and wished Mr. and Mrs. Yen a happy and joyful 52nd wedding anniversary. Mr. Goon has served in the state government for many years.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh issued a citation for Donnie Yen’s achievements after he learned that Donnie Yen grew up in Boston and went to become an international film star. Ms. Bik-Fung Ng, senior Business Manager at Boston Main Street, presented the citation to Donnie Yen on behalf of Mayor Walsh.

http://bostonese.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/2014_Yen_Goon5-1024x792.jpg

Malden Mayor Gary Christenson presented a citation that detailed the contributions made by Mr. and Mrs. Yen. “Malden has a fast growing Asian population. We appreciate what Mr. and Mrs. Yen have done over the years for the community,” said Mayor Christenson.

Councilor Jackson presented Mr. and Mrs. Yen a proclamation by Boston City Council that July 17, 2014 was declared as Mr. and Mrs. Yen Day in Boston. Donnie Yen joked that he is also a Mr. Yen.

Donnie Yen thanked Councilor Jackson for the proclamation, and said that he would fly to New Zealand the next day for shooting movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2. Councilor Jackson mentioned to Donnie Yen about the Massachusetts Film Tax Credit, and invited Donnie Yen to make movies in this state.

[GeneChing]

But they only list three. :confused:



Donnie Yen hopes to film four movies in 2015 (https://sg.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/donnie-yen-hopes-film-four-movies-2015-040000863.html)
From Cinema Online Exclusively for Yahoo Newsroom By Heidi Hsia | From Cinema Online Exclusively for Yahoo Newsroom – Thu, Jan 8, 2015 12:00 PM SGT

https://s1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/CB_3G3QYLbdCOwLE0_ukng--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD0zMDA7aWw9cGxhbmU7cT 03NTt3PTQwMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_MY/News/YBrandCinemaOnline/7cn_donnieyenhopes00.jpg

8 Jan – Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen expressed his hopes to be able to work on four new movies in 2015.

As reported on Wenweipo News, the actor recently attended Pegasus Entertainment Holdings' anniversary banquet, where producer and boss, Raymond Wong, revealed that he will be working together with Donnie's Super Hero Films in several movies, including, "Ip Man 3", "Seven Weapons", and "Wesley".

Donnie later revealed to the media that he plans to film four movies this year, including the third instalment of the "Ip Man" franchise.

Asked if he will get a raise, Donnie laughed and replied, "Should I get no salary at all then? I hope that everybody won't focus on this. An actor's salary depends on his contribution to the film as well as the demands of the market."

In regard to "Ip Man 3", Donnie said that the production will commence in Shanghai after the Lunar New Year, and that Yuen Woo Ping will be the action director.

(Photo source: zimbio.com)
We don't have threads for Seven Weapons or Wesley yet. Here is Ip Man 3 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57165-Ip-Man-3). The fourth might be Noodle Man (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68146-Noodle-Man) or CTHDII (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65170-Crouching-Tiger-Hidden-Dragon-II-The-Green-Destiny) or maybe something else entirely.

[GeneChing]

Ok, not really, although Donnie does rock wifebeater shirts well. ;)


Donnie Yen accidentally hits wife in his sleep (http://xin.msn.com/en-sg/entertainment/story/donnie-yen-accidentally-hits-wife-in-his-sleep/ar-AA9CDmH)
xinmsn
11/3/2015

http://img.s-msn.com/tenant/amp/entityid/AA9CDmE.img?h=351&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=326&y=123
© Provided by xinmsn Donnie Yen accidentally hits wife in his sleep
Hong Kong martial arts star Donnie Yen and his model wife Cecilia Wang recently endorsed a bed product. In the commercial, Donnie dressed up as a “super fatty” for the first time in his acting career. The Ip Man star apparently looked so different that his wife could not recognise him.

“I was very surprised, but I like [the image]. It’s very cute!” Cecilia said while Donnie jokingly warned her that this is how he would look like many years down the road.

As Donnie revealed that he suffers from insomnia, Cecilia shared about an incident where the actor unconsciously hit her while sleeping. “He pushed my face really hard. I was very mad but he didn’t know about it as he was deep in slumberland. From then now, I sleep with my back facing him,” she exclaimed.

After hearing Cecilia’s rant, Donnie claimed that “the ignorant is innocent” and called his action an “occupational hazard” because he often has to choreograph action scenes during filming.

“No matter how big the bed is, I take up only one-quarter of it. I’m scared of cold while my wife dislikes being warm, so we sleep with air-con switched on all year round. I have to hide under the blanket throughout the four seasons,” added the actor.

http://img.s-msn.com/tenant/amp/entityid/AA9CSXI.img?h=351&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f&x=456&y=134
© Provided by xinmsn Donnie Yen accidentally hits wife in his sleep

[boxerbilly]

All I have to say about him is he deserves every penny he earned. GREAT !

[GeneChing]

Things are looking very good for Donnie to break Hollywood next. We'll see how IP MAN 3 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57165-Ip-Man-3) does here this weekend.


Donnie Yen is the 'Man' in Hong Kong action scene (http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/01/18/donnie-yen-ip-man-crouching-tiger-star-wars/78860818/)
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY 7:54 p.m. EST January 18, 2016

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(Photo: Handout)

Like much of Asia, Robert Downey Jr. and Mike Tyson really love watching Hong Kong action movie star Donnie Yen.

“I love them, too,” Yen says with a laugh. But he also knows that, even though he has appeared in a few big American movies — Blade II (2002) and Shanghai Knights (2003) among them — most of us don’t know the 52-year-old actor.

"Some of the films we do in this part of the world are not maximized to their potential" in the USA, he says. "Hopefully, things will change more.”

Maybe even this year: Yen stars as Silent Wolf, one of four martial arts heroes keeping a mystical weapon out of the hands of a villain, in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, a sequel to the 2000 fantasy hit that premieres on Netflix Feb. 26. And the Chinese-born actor goes galactic with Felicity Jones as part of a crew out to steal plans for the Death Star in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in theaters Dec. 16.

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Master Ip (Donnie Yen) prepares to take on a gang of thugs in 'Ip Man 3.' (Photo: Well Go USA)

Before those, audiences can get acquainted with Yen in his new action film, Ip Man 3 (in theaters Friday). The latest in the Hong Kong franchise pits Wing Chun kung fu grandmaster Master Ip against a greedy property developer played by Tyson. (For those who want to have an Ip fest, 2008’s Ip Man and 2010’s Ip Man 2 are both streaming on Netflix.)

His goal was to never break big in Hollywood, though, or star in movies with mind-blowing kung fu moves. “I choose films that inspire others,” Yen says. “I choose films that carry a positive message that I feel the world needs."

Based on Bruce Lee’s real-life teacher, Yen’s Master Ip character really doesn’t want to have students or fight gangs of thugs 10 at a time — he just yearns to live a normal life. In Ip Man 3, however, when a situation arises where his family and his boys’ school are threatened, “he steps up and it just so happens he can kick butt,” Yen says.

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/b27147577e02a1026e4cab435cf3c9f6b98a9a7f/c=317-0-2977-2000&r=x408&c=540x405/local/-/media/2016/01/15/USATODAY/USATODAY/635884705259313348-crouc-pds-003-h.jpg
Donnie Yen stars as Silent Wolf in the martial-arts fantasy sequel 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.' (Photo: Netflix)

With his films, Yen is pretty choosy. He turned down a role in Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables 2, and it took producer Harvey Weinstein a good year to persuade him to do Crouching Tiger. “I don’t want to do films that are like something I’ve done for so many years, (with) swords and hair-blowing," Yen says. "But he came up with this idea of shooting it in English that was very refreshing.”

Doing a Star Wars movie wasn’t as hard a sell. Yen recalls watching the original 1977 movie in Boston’s Chinatown, where he lived as a teenager.

Yen already is ensconced in the Star Wars cone of secrecy. All he’ll spill is that his character “is definitely an important guy," he had fun doing it and “I will get some action."

Rogue One may be many moviegoers' introduction to Yen, though he has made 70 movies since 1984. “Time flies,” he says. “You get a couple pieces of white hair and you realize, oh, my goodness, you made another film.”

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/65a98096b0e148105d31bfb2c78e73adfa5d10b7/c=44-0-592-412&r=x408&c=540x405/local/-/media/2015/08/15/USATODAY/USATODAY/635752615255943075-Rogue-One.png
Donnie Yen (far right) stars with Diego Luna and Felicity Jones in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.' (Photo: Lucasfilm)

[-N-]

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/42703h/i_am_kung_fu_action_star_donnie_yen_ama/

[GeneChing]

Inspired Man: Donnie Yen (http://www.jetsetmag.com/exclusive/interviews/inspired-man-donnie-yen/)

Ty Fahlman November 2, 2016 Featured, Interviews

http://www.jetsetmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AN1-025078RI_3.jpg

After Samuel L. Jackson met his co-star Donnie Yen on the set of the new xXx movie, he quickly took to Instagram. “Hanging with @donnieyenofficial, I can finally say I worked with Da Man!!!” Jackson wrote, beaming. “I’m officially Geeking Out!” “Geeking out” is what happens when fervent martial arts fans encounter the legendary actor, producer, director, and choreographer — whether they’re an average joe, or the highest-grossing actor of all time. When I told people I was interviewing Yen, they gave either one of two responses: “Who?” or something quite similar to Jackson’s unbridled superlative. There is no middle ground. Either you know who he is and adore him, or you’ve never heard of him.

http://www.jetsetmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/MG_0576_2-265x300.jpg

But with two major American films on the horizon — the aforementioned Vin Diesel sequel, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, early next year, and what could quite possibly be the biggest movie of this year, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, on December 16th — it seems like the category of people who don’t know Yen’s name could soon been rapidly diminishing. In China, it’s already a much different story. Arguably the country’s biggest action star, Yen made over $28 million there in 2013 and is a borderline cultural icon. The consensus is that now is his time to follow in the footsteps of his forbearers like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li and crossover and become a superstar in the States.

I first meet him in the lobby of his Beverly Hills hotel. He is over an hour late. It isn’t his fault — his photo shoot ran late — but he apologizes profusely nevertheless. From the moment I shake his hand, he is humble, articulate, and introspective; I find him immediately captivating. He’s 5′ 8″, but like most true movie stars, feels larger, and with his stunner shades and form-fitting designer graphic tee, he looks every bit the part. We quickly make our way to a quiet booth in the back of the hotel restaurant and Yen requests a drink menu. “You want champagne?” he asks me in a polite but assertive way. “Sure.” How can I say no to Donnie Yen?

http://www.jetsetmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/X3-01555R_2-768x512.jpg

It turns out not too many people do. Yen — whose mother was a Tai Chi grandmaster — is credited for both popularizing the martial arts style known as Wing Chun and bringing MMA to the Chinese mainstream. There are many (almost mythical) tales from when he was a young, self-described “rebel,” the most famous of which involves Yen allegedly sending eight gang members to the hospital (“that was blown out of proportion,” he says nonchalantly). But when Mike Tyson was cast alongside Yen in the third film in his beloved Ip Man series (about the man who trained Bruce Lee), people were publicly concerned that the former heavyweight champ might injure the comparatively diminutive Yen. Yet it was Tyson who landed in the hospital with a broken finger. “I felt bad about that,” Yen says earnestly, “it was just an accident.”

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http://www.jetsetmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ip_man_3_still-768x433.jpg

Soon we are joined by Yen’s beautiful wife, Cissy Wang, a former model whom he married in 2003. Wang now heads the production company the couple founded and manages Yen’s breathless schedule. To use a tired cliché, she seems like the perfect left-brain yin to Yen’s right-brain yang: she is capable of not only wrangling his restless artistic spirit, but also promoting his brand (she’s the one who showed me Sam Jackson’s Instagram post and tells me about Robert Downey Jr.’s fanboy-like obsession with her husband). She is personable, savvy, and doesn’t mind enthusiastically touting her very humble husband’s accomplishments. “Look at this,” she says, showing me a Youtube video of his virtuoso piano playing: “Here he is playing Chopin. I mean, people don’t even know he is a musician!”

http://www.jetsetmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IP_02-768x510.jpg

I soon get the sense that Yen and Wang have very strong and symbiotic personal and professional relationships, and perhaps she was the driving force behind his ostensible upcoming American crossover attempt. But when I broach the latter subject, he just bushes it off. “The truth is I’ve worked on American films [Yen had small roles in Early Aughts action movies like Blade II and Shanghai Knights], but 10 years ago, they really didn’t understand how to direct martial arts, nor did they get how I work, Yen says. “When you hire me, you’re not just getting an actor; you are getting a choreographer, a director.” He likens it to watching Michael Jackson rehearse in the documentary This Is It: “He was singing, and at the same time he would stop and say, ‘no, the beat comes in here,’ or ‘you need to be faster,’ or ‘you are one step off.’ Because if you want Michael Jackson, you’re not just getting a performer, you’re getting the whole package.”

http://www.jetsetmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/AN1-FF-006_2-768x321.jpg

The truth is, he initially turned down Star Wars (something 99% of actors not named Harrison Ford couldn’t fathom). “Truthfully, I didn’t want to spend five months apart from my family, filming in London,” he tells me. But then, he mentioned the prospect to his three children. “I asked them ‘how do you feel about daddy doing Star Wars?’ and they flipped out,” he tells me laughing. The film’s young director, Gareth Edwards definitely knew what he was getting when he brought on Yen, and allowed him to flesh out his Force-sensitive character how he saw fit (“it was my idea to make him blind,” Yen says proudly). Today, Yen is pleased with his contribution to the film and even embraces the fact that he will forever be immortalized as a Lego (“I think I might give them out as gifts,” he jokes).

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And if the film leads to more offers from American studios, then great. But Yen really just wants to be inspired. “I just take it one movie at a time,” he says. “I just look for the types of films that I am passionate about and challenge me and are refreshing…I think mainly about the character.” As we are finishing lunch, he takes out his phone and shows me pictures of a makeup test from an upcoming passion project he has been developing about the life of notorious gangster Limpy Ho, whom Yen describes as “Hong Kong’s Pablo Escobar.” In heavy prosthetics and glasses, Yen looks utterly unrecognizable, and he wells up with enthusiasm when discussing the film. “This is what I want to do,” he tells me, “I just want to be inspired.”

http://www.jetsetmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/AN1-019274R_ILM-768x512.jpg


Star Wars: Rogue One (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68803-Star-Wars-Rogue-One)
xXx: The Return of Xander Cage (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69211-xXx-The-Return-of-Xander-Cage)

[GeneChing]

Congrats Donnie! First Jackie gets an Oscar (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69700-An-Oscar-for-Jackie-Chan), now this. There is hope.


‘Rogue One’ Star Donnie Yen Flies Past His Martial Arts Roots (http://variety.com/2016/film/features/donnie-yen-rogue-one-star-wars-flies-past-his-martial-arts-roots-1201928039/)
Marshall Fine

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/donnie-yen-rogue-one.jpg?
COURTESY OF DISNEY

NOVEMBER 30, 2016 | 10:00AM PT

On film, actor Donnie Yen’s hands and feet move too fast for the human eye to follow. They can smash through walls, not to mention human opponents.

Yen will slow them down and apply them considerably more gently when he makes hands-and-feet imprints in cement Nov. 30 at TCL Chinese Theatre.

“It’s only recently that Asian actors have been recognized for their artistic contributions,” Yen says. Jackie Chan was the first Asian actor so honored, in 1997. “So this is a great honor. It’s been a long time coming for Asian actors.”

For Yen, 53, it is particularly sweet: Though he’s been working in films — as performer, action choreographer and director — since his early 20s, it’s only recently that he has been noticed as much for his acting as his martial-arts skills.

“Thirty years ago, when I was starting, martial-arts movies were just about martial arts,” Yen says. “Now these films are thought of as just good movies that have martial arts as a commercial element. It’s no different than other movies; it has to be a good film, first.”

Outside the United States, Yen “is the biggest action star in the world,” says critic Grady Hendrix, a founder of the New York Asian Film Festival. His profile is on the rise Stateside, thanks to the popular Hong Kong “Ip Man” movies, and a couple big Hollywood franchise plays about to hit multiplexes.

The first “Ip Man,” about the grandmaster of the Wing Chun martial-arts style and Bruce Lee’s mentor, wasn’t released theatrically in the U.S., but built a wide audience thanks to Netflix and other streaming platforms, paving the way for the U.S. theatrical release of the second and third installments.

Next up: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “xXx: Return of Xander Cage.” In “Star Wars,” he plays part of a heroic squad that steals plans for the Death Star; in the latter, he plays the chief villain opposite Vin Diesel’s daredevil operative.

Yen, who lives in Hong Kong, admits he initially balked at the “Star Wars” role because it would take him away from his children for five months of filming in England: “My kids said, ‘Are you crazy? It’s ‘Star Wars’,” Yen says. “They said, ‘You’ve got to go.’”

Still, Yen knows what his presence means to any film’s international box office prospects — particularly with the burgeoning movie audience in China. He didn’t want to be mere martial-arts eye-candy, as it were. “There are films where the only reason they want you is to reach the Chinese market,” he says.

“When I asked [director Gareth Edwards] why he wanted me for the role, he told me he’d studied my films and I had the persona he wanted, that he had the perfect role for me,” Yen says. “The focus isn’t on my martial-arts ability but my ability as an actor. But there are still scenes to satisfy the martial-arts fans.”

Yen is tight-lipped about his “Star Wars” character, Chirrut Imwe: “I play one of the characters who is connected with the Force,” he says. “He’s not a Jedi. His line is, ‘I AM the Force.’ Obviously, it’s a big deal, being the first Chinese actor asked to play a prominent role in a ‘Star Wars’ film. That means a lot.”

Yen, who spent his adolescence in Boston after a Hong Kong childhood, considered becoming a professional musician, but chose martial arts instead, finding a mentor in legendary film-action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, who saw Yen as someone with the potential to be another Chan. Yuen eventually paired Yen in a memorable battle with Jet Li in “Once Upon a Time in China II.”

“In the past six or seven years, I’ve been fortunate to be able to choose things that inspire and challenge me,” Yen says. “I’ve played all kinds of roles: comedy, drama, romantic. There have been a lot of obstacles, because martial-arts films have always been perceived as less sophisticated about acting and I don’t think that’s the case. I’m known as an actor and a martial artist. Now, as an actor, I want to grow as an artist.”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueUP2QX5FyE

[GeneChing]

Donnie Yen Talks Star Wars And Martial Arts At MCM Comic Con (https://culturedvultures.com/donnie-yen-talks-star-wars-martial-arts-mcm-comic-con/)
"Just because I'm Chinese, I don't only eat rice."
By Cassie Parkes On Jun 6, 2017

https://cvcdn-zpld0wgit4phl1lqbbuos0bpw.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/donnieyenmcmpanel-750x430.jpg

On Friday 26th May, Donnie Yen was in conversation with Robert Milazzo (founder of The Modern School of Film) at MCM London Comic Con 2017. Titled as “The State of Martial Arts”, the conversation spanned Star Wars, Donnie Yen’s early life and more, and you can find some of the questions and answers below, transcribed for those who could not attend the panel. (We also took the time to write up the answers to his Q & A with fans, if you’re looking for those!)

RM: I was thinking a lot about the Chinese word “sifu”. How do you define that word?

DY: I think anybody who’s accomplished a lot with their knowledge and skills, to where they can pass on their knowledge and skills to others–that individual can be called a sifu, a teacher.

RM: Do you consider yourself a sifu?

DY: (long pause) Uhhhh…you know, I think I’m both, I’m a teacher and a student. I don’t have many students, because I dedicated the last twenty-something years of my life to the film industry…I would rather call myself a full-time filmmaker and an amateur at martial arts! Everybody on the set, I consider them students I guess, because I like to share my experiences in the decades I’ve spent making action movies. But at the same time I consider myself a student because each time I finish a movie, I look back and I say to myself: “There are so many areas where I can be even better.” And I’ve tried to keep that way of thinking. In each movie, I strive for a breakthrough…there’s so much more to learn. The more I learn, the more I feel like a student!

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RM: I think there’s a great humility to your work. I think your performances are very passionate, yet humble. I don’t just think it’s the characters–I don’t think you can fake humility…there was a real Master in your family though. Your Mom’s kind of a badass…

DY: I was born in China, and when I was two years old, my father took me to Hong Kong because that was before China really opened up [as a country]. I was separated from my Mom…she stayed in China and dedicated her time to martial arts. She’s always been a great martial artist, as well as a great soprano. That’s a very strange combination! (laughs) Finally, we reunited when I was about ten, eleven years old…I started studying martial arts with her, and then after two years we moved to Boston, where she opened up her Martial Arts Institute.

RM: Around 1976, if memory serves…?

DY: Around that time was when we moved to Boston, yes. I was about eleven. But you know, as a kid, an immigrant, your parents have no time for you. So what they do is work all day, and I was always a rebel and always curious about other forms of arts besides martial arts. I used to run around and explore different styles of martial arts…I was a little skinny kid in the bad parts of Boston, but that was the kind of person I was, I grew up with this curiosity and went out to explore.

RM: Can you talk about when you first started doing martial arts films? Did you grow up watching them?

DY: I grew up watching kung fu movies all the time, like most of you guys. I grew up in Chinatown and one of my hobbies was watch[ing] the double features at the movies–I used to watch every single one of them! Every one! Three, four movies a week…and I would imitate all the Jackie Chan movies, back in my Mom’s school.

RM: Ip Man is now a household name…the fourth one is coming soon. Did you consider these movies a turning point in your career?

DY: I try to take things one movie at a time. Even back in the days where my career was at the bottom…not even just [the] early stages, I’ve had some curves in my career. Back in ’97 when I directed my first film, I had a lot of financial problems. When I look back I think “wow, I had so many obstacles”, but I also had a couple of breaks…it’s really a long battle with my own career path. I just enjoy what I do, you know? Quite blessed the last twelve, fifteen years. Now I’m very fortunate I can choose my films, and choose the films I like.

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RM: I think it’s important to hear that, especially for people in this room, for fans of your career. No career goes [straight up]. Bruce Lee was the same, before he wrote his book…I know he’s been such a great inspiration to you, you’ve paid homage to him in different films. What did he mean to you when you first watched his films?

DY: Like everybody else, I was a big fan. As a young teenager, I needed a role model, and being Chinese, I didn’t find anybody except for Bruce Lee. I guess as a martial artist, I tried to relate to him…you know, you gotta remember, during my era, we didn’t have a lot of luxuries. No iPhones, my family was working very hard. All my time was dedicated to martial arts. Also piano! (laughs) I come from a strange combination of music and martial arts…I did spend a lot of years studying piano, so I started to explore music too. I found a beat-up old piano at this Boys’ Club so I started learning the piano as a kid. When I was fifteen, I said to myself: “Should I play piano, or be a Kung Fu man?” But I never thought I could be the best musician, but I had this feeling inside that I could be the best martial artist. I still play piano–my kids do too, my wife. I still love music.

RM: So, talking a little more about Bruce Lee, what was your first introduction to those films like?

DY: My father used to take me to cinemas, and Bruce Lee was one of the [movie stars] we always watched. When I was older and started to practice martial arts, I really started to see the beauty in his films.

RM: You’ve worked with Sammo Hung, who’s worked with Lee. Did you ever talk to him about Bruce Lee? Or Jackie Chan?

DY: I’m sure I have, we’ve had lots of conversations. (laughs) The culture in Hong Kong film industry involves taking up different positions–he does different things, like directing, or fight choreography. I learnt lots from them, and through talking to them, about their knowledge and experience in the industry.

RM: I want to go through some of the great martial arts figures and just ask you where you put them in the history of martial artistry. But first, I was thinking a lot about Rogue One, and the Zatoichi influences…

DY: Zatoichi is a classic samurai…blind bladesman. I was inspired by him, yes. The director called me and asked me my thoughts on Chirrut. Chirrut wasn’t exactly like [he is in the film] in the script. He wasn’t supposed to be blind, but the director asked me, and I said “You know what? I think it’d be a lot cooler if he was blind.” (laughs) I also suggested Chirrut should have a sense of humour…the original role was slightly more cliche. “Oh, I’m getting Donnie Yen, be Chinese”, you know? I kind of felt like the world was ready…just because I’m Chinese, I don’t only eat rice! So we collaborated and it shaped the character to Chirrut. Some of the lines I even improvised on set–for example, the part when they cover my face, and I say “Are you kidding me? I’m blind!” I’m so used to improvisation, in my world. It got approved by Disney, and it stayed in the film.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://cvcdn-zpld0wgit4phl1lqbbuos0bpw.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/baze-and-chirrut.jpeg
Source: inverse.com

RM: [Chirrut] is such a beautifully drawn character, especially influenced by Zatoichi and such…

DY: The inspiration was from several things, little bit of Japanese samurai movies, little bit of Ip Man…just years of me in my different roles. I was shaping the character on a daily basis as I was filming. I don’t believe you can totally understand the character until the end of the movie. During shooting, you’re constantly getting feedback from actors…you’re learning about the content of the story.

RM: So your history with martial arts is an interesting one…

DY: I might break people’s hearts, but I only started to study Wing Chun a few months before we began shooting Ip Man. You know, a lot of martial artists say to me: “Oh, thank you for what you’ve done, we greatly appreciate it.” For me, I’m a martial artist, it’s in my blood. The most important thing for me is “How do I use my films to connect with people?” I just got really lucky that some of these films also carry along some martial arts influences.

RM: What do you think about someone like Jet Li?

DY: It’s interesting that before Bruce Lee, there were these black and white kung fu movies. Poorly shot, very slow…not very realistic. Lee really brought along the realism. And then, Jackie Chan with the comedy and the acrobatics. Jet Li brought the Northern style of martial arts. You see a lot of the “1,2” choppy style, and there’s a reason for this. Kung fu movies started in Hong Kong, and in Hong Kong you have the different language and culture, and it’s very choppy. Cantonese is a very choppy language compared to Mandarin. Mandarin is like “ahhhh…”, like singing, but Cantonese is like “chop-chop-chop-chop!” So the style that we’ve been practising, like Wing Chun, the “1,2” style, that influenced the majority of the fighting styles in the movies. But Jet Li did the Northern style: all the flow, very fluid motions. From Jet Li, he basically changed the rhythm of Hong Kong action movies.

RM: What do you think about Chuck Norris?

DY: Every single [action star] has their own moments, and their own contributions to the genre during their own periods. I think modern technology’s taught us so much…we have iPhones, we can shoot movies by ourselves, we’re more sophisticated. You can’t necessarily look back at some of these seniors…they changed the whole history of martial arts films.

RM: Sammo Hung recently said he wanted to start a school for martial arts movie making. He’s concerned about the future of martial arts filmmaking. What do you think about the future of martial arts movies?

DY: I’m still changing and evolving and progressing. Every one of my films has something different about it because I’m evolving. It goes back to my statement at the beginning of our conversation, that I feel like I’m a student all over again. Every movie, I feel like there are more things to learn. I think only with this type of openness that you can bring these kind of films to that next level. You cannot sit back and say “Oh, in the past, we used to do that.” A lot of people still compliment [my old movies], but I don’t take it too seriously. I want to progress to another level. I’m always learning.

Thank you to Donnie Yen, the MCM London team and The Modern School of Film for allowing us to sit in on the talk.

Panel interviews can be choppy because you have a lot of random questions but this one has decent flow.

[GeneChing]

You can see the ad if you follow the link.

Chollywood rising (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57225-Chollywood-rising) enlists Jackie (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?41790-Jackie-Chan) & Donnie (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!), et.al.


China requires all cinemas to show a three-minute-long propaganda video before every movie as Beijing tightens censorship (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4671142/China-requires-cinemas-propaganda-video.html)

The video was introduced into Chinese cinemas on July 1
It features celebrities such as Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen speaking
The video focuses on the 'Chinese dream' and not dissapointing your country

By Sophie Williams For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 08:00 EDT, 6 July 2017 | UPDATED: 08:09 EDT, 6 July 2017

Cinema goers in China are now subject to watching a three-and-a-half minute long propaganda video before watching the film they were intending to see.

From now up until the 19th National People's Congress later this autumn, people will sit through the video aiming to promote national unity and 'the Chinese dream'.

The video has had a mixed response with claims that some movie-goers have been avoiding going into the screening before the advert comes on.

Screen idols star in Chinese Dream cinema campaign propaganda

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/07/06/11/4214B6D100000578-0-image-m-3_1499337735571.jpg
The video features many well-known Chinese figures sharing their views on China's dream

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/07/06/11/4214B6D900000578-0-image-a-5_1499337773740.jpg
Chan tells the audience: 'Country is good, people are good, everything will be good'

The three-minute video was produced by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT).

It will be shown from now up until the 19th People's Congress this coming autumn. During the People's Congress, President Xi will start his second five-year term as President.

According to state-media, the video aims to help people better understand party policies.

It includes famous Chinese actors such as Jackie Chan, Angelababy and recent Rogue One and IP man actor Donnie Yen.

Jackie Chan tells the audience: 'The country is good, the people are good, everyone will be good. Everyone fight for the Chinese dream, only then can you get the dream to come true. The power of the Chinese dream.'

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/07/06/11/4214B6C900000578-0-image-m-7_1499337788545.jpg
Donnie Yen reads a quote from Mao Zedong in the video shown before a feature film

The video starts out with patriotic music before saying: 'The Chinese dream is an international dream, people's dream, everyone's dream.'

Chinese actress Li Bingbing can be heard saying: 'No matter what you do, as long as you respect the country, our society, our nation and our family, you are helping us to realise the Chinese dream.'

A cinema employee in Beijing told the Global Times: 'Many came late for the movie just to avoid the short video and others complained about the video after watching the movie.'

Many people have commented on the video on Chinese site Weibo.

One user said: 'We must work hard together to create the Chinese dream!'

While another wrote: 'The Chinese dream is the dream of every Chinese person and we should encourage it.'

China makes further crackdown on its internet to curb anything that doesn't fall in line with socialist values

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/07/06/12/420BB1C800000578-4671142-image-a-9_1499342356567.jpg
All content posted on the internet is to be checked that it is in line with socialist values

The advert comes as China announces further measures to crack down on the country's internet.

Over the past month, Chinese regulators have closed gossip websites and restricted what videos people can post on the grounds of inappropriate content.

Last week, an industry association circulated new regulations that require all audiovisual content posted online to be checked.

Documentaries, micro movies, sports and educational material will all have to adhere to core 'socialist values.'

Topics deemed not in line with these values include drug addiction and ****sexuality.

[GeneChing]

More pix behind the link.



Donnie Yen leaves hand and foot prints in Hollywood
(http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2016-12/01/content_39828464.htm)
By Zhang Rui
China.org.cn, December 1, 2016

http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20161201/d02788e9b6d419aa14ba0c.jpg
Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen places his hands in cement during a ceremony in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California, U.S., Nov. 30, 2016. [Photo / China.org.cn]

Chinese Kung fu star Donnie Yen left his hand and footprints in cement at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre Wednesday, making him the third Chinese martial artist to receive the honor.

"Sometimes being an Asian actor is not easy. Unfortunately, for many years, Asian actors didn't have the same, equal opportunities," the 53-year-old Hong Kong star said at the ceremony, attended by his wife Cissy Wang, family members, and guests, as well as President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios Alan Horn and Walt Disney Studios President Alan Bergman. "But I think that things have been changing. And I certainly would like to be one actor that sets a good example."

Born in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, Yen came to Hong Kong -- where he lives now -- at the age of two and later moved to the United States, growing up in Boston's Chinatown.

When he became involved in gang violence in Boston aged 16, his anxious parents sent him to Beijing, where he spent two years training with the famed Beijing wushu team, studying with the same masters as Jet Li. Yen's turning point came when the veteran film director and action choreographer Yuen Wo-ping discovered him and helped him break into movies as a new kung fu hero.

Overshadowed over the years by Jackie Chan and action stars, Yen has been gradually breaking into Hollywood since appearing in Guillermo del Toro's "Blade II" in 2002.

In China, Yen is credited by many for contributing to the popularization of the traditional martial arts style Wing Chun. He played Wing Chun grandmaster Yip Man, Bruce Lee's teacher, in his most famous works -- "Ip Man" trilogy, which was a big box office success receiving critical acclaim.

Yen was the third Chinese kung fu star to leave his hand and footprints at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre, following iconic Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The TCL Chinese Theatre has over 200 handprints, footprints and autographs since 1920.

"I hope this ceremony, this achievement, will inspire many Chinese actors -- not just Chinese actors, but many young actors -- that they, too, can achieve the same dream if they put enough hard work into it," he said.

"The force is with me and the force is with everybody."

Yen stars in the much-anticipated "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," which will show on Dec. 16. He plays a blind warrior monk who is part of a heroic squad of rebels that steals plans for the Death Star. The other heavyweight Chinese star in the film is actor-and-director Jiang Wen.

He also stars opposite Vin Diesel in "xXx: Return of Xander Cage," which hits theaters on Jan. 20, 2017.

[GeneChing]

Nice interview.


https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/simgad/9483285928492989669

DONNIE YEN TALKS RACE IN HOLLYWOOD (http://prestigeonline.com/hk/people/celebrities/donnie-yen-talks-race-hollywood/)
All while reshaping the traditional action star and daring to talk about the tough stuff.

BY ZANETA CHENG ON JANUARY 1, 2018 , CELEBRITIES

Donnie Yen is a fighter. You don’t say, is what you’re probably thinking, but hear me out.

Since the success of the first Ip Man in 2008, Yen has been catapulted to international stardom. Hollywood came knocking. He’s now known in Chinese-speaking circles as “the strongest man in the universe”, thanks to his role as the blind monk Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One, part of the inescapable and unrelenting Star Wars franchise. He starred opposite Vin Diesel in xXx: Return of Xander Cage, tearing down wide American boulevards on a motorcycle and throwing punches at the bad guys. In November 2016, Yen made his hands-and-feet imprint at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. It would seem as though he’s embraced Hollywood with a fervour, but as it turns out he went to Tinseltown to do battle.

“I made them wait almost 10 years,” Yen says, when I ask what made him decide to participate in the second instalment of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, one of his first major international roles. It interests me that Yen turned down a Hollywood role even before Marvel and DC began grudgingly to insert one lone, rogue Chinese actor into their otherwise whitewashed blockbusters, to appeal to the mighty mainland market. Why, I ask, hoping to understand his reticence at a time when Chinese actors still aspired to follow in the footsteps of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee?

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Shirt: Lanvin, Jacket: Berluti, Trousers: Fendi, Shoes: Tom Ford, Sunglasses: Alexander McQueen

“I was not intrigued, not inspired. I wasn’t convinced by the roles they offered me, no matter how sweet the talk was,” he says. “We were at a big event held by Dalian Wanda a year before I agreed to do Crouching Tiger. Everybody under the sun came. I remember hanging out with Leonardo DiCaprio eating pizza, just chilling. It felt great because, I mean, these are people who wouldn’t normally sit at a table in China, hanging out with Chinese actors, eating pizza. I remember thinking – this is how it should’ve been for a long time. The producer was there saying, ‘Donnie just do this movie blah, blah, blah.’”

“But I had no interest in Crouching Tiger. I’d done it all. I’ve done martial-arts movies all my life. There’s no challenge in playing that role. The reason I was finally convinced was because my mentor, Yuen Woo-ping – the man who brought me into the industry – was going to direct it, so I said yes because it was a matter of respect and face, but that’s it. I said it to the producer’s face, too. I wasn’t that interested.”

But then came Star Wars and Yen signed up. The prevailing reason is because of his children’s enthusiasm for the franchise, but there’s more than that, Yen saw an opportunity. “When I took on the role in Rogue One, I felt it was important for me to take a step forward, to develop it so that it would be less clichéd,” he says. “I know they wanted Donnie Yen because he’s Ip Man. They wanted Ip Man in Rogue One. I get it. But I don’t want to portray another stereotypical Chinese martial-arts man. I worked with the producer and director to develop his blindness, to change the lines, the way he looks and the way he speaks so that the character had an added layer.

http://d2eohwa6gpdg50.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/2017/12/21093406/web-G___0011-1024x683.jpg
Shirt and jacket: Tom Ford

“Even after all of that, Îmwe still came out a cliché. But if you think he’s a cliché on screen, you should’ve seen the original script they offered me. It was why I was initially hesitant to take on the role. But I understand why. They can’t have an overhaul overnight. There’s a large audience that has never watched Asians in films before, so it takes time for them to process an Asian actor. To realise that he’s no different from a Caucasian actor or a black actor.”

While studios are still taking their sweet time introducing Asian faces to Western cinema, the very same ones are casting Chinese mega stars for films that want to make bank in the booming market of the Middle Kingdom. Big names – the likes of Fan Bingbing and Angelababy – have been slotted into feature-length blockbusters and given one line to mumble, to cater to the Chinese market. Unsurprisingly, this tactic has failed.

When I mention this to Yen and suggest that Hollywood might be wise to adjust, he’s quick to jump in. “They’d better adjust,” he says. “They need to learn from their mistakes. Look at all these actors and actresses that now say no. It proves it doesn’t work. You can’t just put an Asian actor in there and expect that, because they show up for a second, you’ve covered the Asian market. That is a joke.

http://d2eohwa6gpdg50.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/2017/12/21093314/web-B___0038-1024x683.jpg
Jacket and Trousers: Dsquared2, Jumper: Sandro

“I’m glad Asian actors are stepping up and saying no. If you’re gonna spend months away from home and devote time in your life to work on a film it had better be worth it.”

So what does Yen find worth his time? Constant revolution, it seems.

Back home and away from paving the way for Asian actors to have more depth in American movies, he’s working on reshaping the perception of action stars – and it’s to his credit that he’s beginning to be lauded as much for his acting as his martial-arts mastery.

This year, Yen produced Chasing the Dragon, a film directed by Wong Jing and set in 1960s and ’70s Hong Kong, in which he also portrays Crippled Ho, based on the notorious Hong Kong gangster Ng Sek-ho (or Limpy Ho, as he was known at the time). To prepare for the character, Yen asked for the opinion of stage actors to bring an added dimension to his years of screen acting. He reworked his standard Hong Kong Cantonese into a bawdy Chiu Chow accent. The usually nimble Wing Chun master becomes a feisty cripple with a bad leg. Yen even made the trip to Ng Sek-ho’s hometown in China to give himself the space to enter the mind of the man.

But what Yen really loves is to breathe new life into tried-and-true stories. “From day one of filming Chasing the Dragon I knew I wanted to incorporate soul train, disco and funk,” he says. “I lived through the ’60s and the ’70s so I said, ‘You know what, you put these elements into a Hong Kong gangster movie, you’ll give it a new flavour.’ Most traditional gangster movies use saxophone scores, sad stuff. Other directors use more pop stuff, John Lennon, straight-laced white stuff. It occurred to me that Hong Kong movies rarely use strong black music.”

“If you look at films like Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, everyone is a gangster, but you don’t get that sense of melancholy and depression. They’re all happy and really cool. That’s what I wanted Chasing the Dragon to be. The film might be telling a sad story at the end of the day, but throughout the journey, for the characters, I wanted there to be a sense that it was a big long party.”

http://d2eohwa6gpdg50.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/2017/12/21093345/web-E___0056-683x1024.jpg
Shirt: Dunhill, Waistcoat Philip Plein, Bow tie: Brooks Brothers, Bracelet: Diana Zhang, Watch: Donnie’s own, Glasses: Lobmeyr HK

Chasing the Dragon is as dark as it’s sad. Yen is more than happy to delve into and grapple with the relationship between British colonial rulers and Hong Kong subjects. “These are all facts,” he says without compunction. “Hong Kong was a British colony and for decades places like The Hong Kong Club were inaccessible to the local Hong Kong Chinese. It’s all very true. We Chinese were suppressed for the longest time, and during that era this was just a fact of life.”

There’s a difference between knowing that there’s an elephant in the room and blowing it out into the open, I posit. “But why wouldn’t I tell it?” he says. “I think it’s not told enough. I mean, it was only a two-hour film, so we could only touch on the political circumstances and the racial discrimination. But it’s been going on for hundreds of years. Not only in Hong Kong. This is a social ill. White supremacy has been a social reality for hundreds of years. If you’re telling a story about the 1970s there’s no way to avoid this.”

Is this, then, what Yen wants audiences to take away? For all the tough stories he loves to tell, that’s emphatically not the message. “At the end of the day,” he says, “a successful film delivers a story about humanity. No matter the subject matter. No matter the political message. The most important thing is humanity.

“It’s about the human propensity to face any hurdle regardless of caste or creed. Crippled Ho’s hurdle was to live under British rule because he was born into that era. So he faced a lot – but I wanted to use this character to say that in life, for anybody, what matters at the end of the day are family, friends, principles, and above all, integrity.”

——————————-

Photography Simon C

Art direction and Styling Harrylam

Styling Assistant Sam Fung

Make-Up Little White

Hair Jacky Leung

Rogue One (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68803-Star-Wars-Rogue-One)
CTHD2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65170-Crouching-Tiger-Hidden-Dragon-2-Sword-of-Destiny)
Chasing the Dragon (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69767-Chasing-the-Dragon)

[Jimbo]

Donnie is spot on. Good for him. If you don't value and respect your own integrity and self-worth, nobody else will, either.

I remember back when I was into acting, one of my acting coaches asked me if I could do a Japanese accent when speaking English. He was white, and had mentioned more than once that he was originally from Texas, and that how he speaks when he's acting and teaching classes is not his real accent. He said he never used his real Texas, good ol' boy accent, because he said that casting directors would typecast him into a stereotyped Texan/southerner. So he developed his 'generic' American way of speaking.

I told this particular acting coach that no, I could not do a Japanese accent and never would. He said it would help with more casting opportunities. How ironic that he himself didn't want to be typecast, yet felt it was perfectly okay for me to be. I said ____ that.

[GeneChing]

Donnie Yen Stars as Napoleon and Du Juan Stars as Resplendant Empress in City of Dreams’ Triumphant New Campaign (http://www.asiaone.com/corporate-news-media-outreach/donnie-yen-stars-as-napoleon-and-du-juan-stars-as-resplendant-empress)

http://www.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/700x500/public/original_images/Jun2018/102dab93aebe132221b74f01951e8ae8_0.jpg?itok=Vtc67f Dp

CORPORATE NEWS MEDIA-OUTREACH Jun 15, 2018

The iconic duo team up with pioneering photographer Nick Knight to create images that boldly encapsulate the spirit of victory

MACAU, CHINA - Media OutReach - J une 15, 2018 - Martial arts superstar Donnie Yen and actress / international supermodel Du Juan have teamed up with one of the world's most influential photographers, Nick Knight , for City of Dreams' stunning new brand campaign. Known for consistently challenging conventional notions of beauty in his ground-breaking creative collaborations with fashion icons and labels such as Kate Moss, Alexander McQueen and Comme des Garçons, Knight is a world renowned visionary as well as director of SHOWstudio.com. He was also the official portrait photographer for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles for the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations. This is the first time Knight has collaborated with a hospitality brand.

https://release.media-outreach.com/release.php/Images/Thumb/400x0/13214/Donnie%20Yen%20%E7%94%84%E5%AD%90%E4%B8%B9.jpg#ima ge-13214

The image of Donnie Yen is inspired by classical paintings of Napoleon Bonaparte, the 19th -century Emperor of France, with the famed 'Napoleon at the Saint-Bernard Pass' by artist Jacques-Louis David depicting the Emperor in all his glory atop a white Arab stallion.

https://release.media-outreach.com/release.php/Images/Thumb/400x0/13213/Du%20Juan%20%E6%9D%9C%E9%B5%91.jpg#image-13213

Du Juan plays an Empress dressed in a sophisticated China rouge gown sitting on a throne, radiating the spirit of power and victory. The key visual of Du Juan is inspired by the 15th century painting 'A Muse (Calliope?)' by Italian Renaissance artist Cosimo Tura.

The trailblazing campaign shot in the UK encapsulates the sensation of personal triumph that is synonymous with City of Dreams, through a creative concept featuring iconic portraits of key figures in history interpreted by Donnie Yen and Du Juan . The striking visuals combine elements of East and West, blending tradition with a modern twist to boldly personify power and heroism.

"It is always such a pleasure to work with talented and driven people, and to do so on the campaign for City of Dreams, home of the one of a kind Morpheus hotel, which is reshaping the concept of hospitality for the modern world, was doubly exciting," said Nick Knight . "The bold and revolutionary design by the revered Zaha Hadid served as a constant source of inspiration, while Donnie Yen and Du Juan are great actors, who worked really hard to bring the images to life."

Donnie Yen added: "I am an experienced horse rider, however shooting this particular photo portraying Napoleon on a white horse was extra memorable. Donning the outfit and being on the dramatic set built by Nick's team, I was instantly transported to a world of grandeur."

Du Juan said: "I am honored to be part of the 'dream' team behind this sensational shoot . I felt very confident sitting on the throne as the Empress, and am delighted with the results: the images are truly spectacular!"

The cornerstone of City of Dreams' Phase III development and the world's first free-form exoskeleton-bound high-rise architectural composition, Morpheus hotel will be unveiled tomorrow, June 15. Known as 'The Icon of the New Macau', the architecturally unique masterpiece was designed by the late Dame Zaha Hadid DBE -- the first woman ever to be awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize.

The 'making-of' video of the brand campaign can be downloaded at: www.cityofdreamsmedia.com/BehindTheScene-CityofDreamsBrandCampaign.mp4



Cool pix. I'm sold. ;)

[GeneChing]

I've been meaning to post about this martial arts trend, maybe start a thread, but I think Donnie just won it.

It's an embedded vid in his instagram channel so you have to click through to see it.


donnieyenofficial's profile picture
donnieyenofficial (https://www.instagram.com/p/BzcxeOOhRaU/)
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Chirrut feeling the force + Ip man’s steady aim + no plastic bottle = the universe strongest ��
#bottlecapchallenge @sweetcil #donnieyen #甄子丹 #宇宙最強 #ipman #action #宇宙最強甄子丹 #chirrutimwe #starwars #rogueone #noplasticbottle #torontoraptors #nbachampions #raptors #bulletfilms #superbulletpictures @bulletfilmsofficial @superbulletpictures


THREADS
Donnie Yen: Uber Awesome !! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)
#bottlecapchallenge (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71375-bottlecapchallenge)

[GeneChing]

‘China will win the coronavirus battle’: Ip Man star Donnie Yen donates HK$1 million to frontline medical workers in Wuhan (https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/article/3051414/china-will-win-coronavirus-battle-ip-man-star-donnie-yen-donates?utm_content=article&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3UmWZm3uW09eRP0a67X61I9W_Ko2FnPm2Bg-v_xjr6I-K8ViN3XN9H1dI#Echobox=1582106918)
The 56-year-old star and film producer posts a 28-second video clip on Weibo thanking frontline medical staff
The Hong Kong actor’s donation comes at the back of two successful movie releases lately
Unus Alladin
Published: 5:50pm, 19 Feb, 2020

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/methode/2020/02/19/2965cdc2-52f7-11ea-8948-c9a8d8f9b667_image_hires_233842.jpeg?itok=cYRz-X_o&v=1582126732
A sombre Donnie Yen thanks medical workers in his 28-second video clip on Weibo. Photo: Weibo

Ip Man star Donnie Yen Ji-dan will donate HK$1 million to medical staff working on the frontline in the fight to eliminate the coronavirus. And he believes China will win the battle.
Yen has been in the news lately with his finale of the Ip Man franchise bringing the curtain down on a highly successful series. His latest movie release, Enter the Fat Dragon, has also received positive reviews, giving him a solid foothold in the martial arts movie industry this year.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2020/02/19/cec4fedc-52f7-11ea-8948-c9a8d8f9b667_1320x770_233842.JPG
Donnie Yen gets serious in Ip Man 4: The Finale. Photo: Mandarin Motion Pictures

The 56-year-old Hong Kong martial arts star and film producer turned to a more serious note when he told thousands of his followers on Chinese website, Weibo, that he wanted to thank all medical workers in China in their fight against the coronavirus.
The Guangzhou-born star said paintings drawn by his two children, Jasmine and James, would also be donated to Wuhan to help “spread cheer” to frontline workers.
Wuhan is the epicentre of the coronavirus that has ravaged much of Hubei province and other parts of China. The deadly virus has spread to more than 25 countries.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2020/02/19/e46f9044-52f7-11ea-8948-c9a8d8f9b667_972x_233842.JPG
Ip Man 4 is a fitting end to the franchise. Photo: Mandarin Motion Pictures

Speaking in Mandarin, Yen made a 28-second video which he posted on Weibo. A sombre-looking Yen said: “Hello everyone, I am Yen Ji-dan. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the medical frontline workers [in China]. In this critical moment, everyone please protect yourself well by wearing a mask and washing your hands more often. Distance yourself from the virus but don’t distance love. I believe our country [China] will win the battle against the virus and have the situation under control. Wuhan add oil [come on], China add oil.”
Ip Man 4 star Donnie Yen ‘very disappointed’ by Quentin Tarantino’s Bruce Lee depiction
12 Dec 2019

Having wowed movie audiences with the fourth and final instalment of the highly popular Ip Man series in Ip Man 4: The Finale, Yen has enjoyed a new lease of life with his latest movie, an action-packed buddy-cop comedy, Enter the Fat Dragon, which was released during the Lunar New Year holidays.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2020/02/19/ad2b9b00-52f7-11ea-8948-c9a8d8f9b667_1320x770_233842.JPG
Donnie Yen in a still from Enter the Fat Dragon. Photo: Mega-Vision Pictures

Ip Man 4: The Finale broke box office records in several Asian markets such as Taiwan and Malaysia, ending the series on a bright note as one the most popular martial arts franchises in movie history.
His HK$1 million donation, which has been reported by the mainland media, triggered some positive love from his fans on Weibo. “Donnie is awesome and what he says is so warm and full of love!” said one Weibo user.
Yen is a well-known philanthropist, donating millions of dollars to charity over the years.
In 2012, Yen and his wife Sissy Wang, co-founded Go.Asia, an online charity platform that encourages individuals to participate in charity work while serving local communities. Yen also served as an ambassador for the international charity Save the Children in 2015 and has supported other noble causes.
Yen is not the first Hong Kong martial arts star to help the Wuhan cause.
Fellow kung fu superstar Jackie Chan reportedly offered to pay one million yuan as a reward to whoever develops a vaccine for the coronavirus.


Unus Alladin
Unus Alladin is an award-winning sports journalist. He has covered the Hong Kong and international sports scene for more than 35 years, ranging from Formula One to the Olympic Games.


I'm going to see Enter the Fat Dragon (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70631-Enter-the-Fat-Dragon-redux-with-Donnie-Yen) tonight.

THREADS
Donnie Yen: Uber Awesome !! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)
Enter the Fat Dragon (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70631-Enter-the-Fat-Dragon-redux-with-Donnie-Yen)
Ip Man 4 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69747-Ip-Man-4-The-Finale)
COVID-19 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia)

[GeneChing]

Donnie Yen's martial arts skills made my jaw drop, says Mulan director (https://www.asiaone.com/entertainment/donnie-yens-martial-arts-skills-made-my-jaw-drop-says-mulan-director?fbclid=IwAR1pHBVe62rrkBrfBD5y2J9JSyJZkAHT yRQBlT63bF42oBYhcmgADRsfldY)
MARCH 03, 2020
By BRYAN LIMASIAONE

https://www.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_main_image/public/original_images/Mar2020/niki-donnie_YT-disney.jpg?itok=yJ0tFWF6
Donnie Yen (left) as Commander Tung and director Niki Caro.
Disney, Screengrab from YouTube/Walt Disney Studios

Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen may have left his iconic Ip Man role behind, but he's still kicking ass and taking names.

In his new role as Commander Tung in Disney's live-action movie Mulan, his prowess with a sword left director Niki Caro gobsmacked. She told AsiaOne via email that her jaw "hit the floor" after she witnessed his brilliant display with the weapon.

https://www.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/donnieyen-mulan_YT_0.jpg
Donnie Yen as Commander Tung in Mulan. PHOTO: Screengrab from YouTube/Walt Disney Studios

Caro, 53, recounted: "One of my favourite moments on set was the first time I experienced Donnie Yen's martial arts skills in real life. As Commander Tung, he does a sword display in front of all the recruits and my jaw hit the floor.

"The way that man moves, and the way he moves his sword — (it was) so fast I literally couldn't see it move in real time. I had to shoot the sequence again in slow motion, just so I could see what he was doing. It was astonishing!"

For the adaptation of the beloved 1998 Disney animated hit, the filmmaker has assembled some of the biggest Asian names in showbiz. Aside from Donnie, heavy hitters such as Jet Li, Gong Li, and Cheng Pei-pei are also part of the production, and Caro found the experience of working with an extraordinary cast of "almost entirely ethnically Chinese representing the breadth of Chinese experience" to be a dream.

https://www.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/jetli-gongli-mulan_disney.jpg
Jet Li as the Emperor and Gong Li as a powerful witch. PHOTO: Disney

She added: "Jet Li brought gravitas and heart to the role of the Emperor. Working with Gong Li on a character that's a counterpoint to Mulan was a creative highlight of working on this film. Cheng Pei-pei's brilliant comedic timing provides a fun wink and a nod for the fans of the animated classic."

As for the titular heroine, Caro asserted that no one else could have inhabited the role apart from Chinese actress Liu Yifei. Not only did Yifei embody the physicality and tenacity of Mulan, she also "raised the bar and inspired all of us".

Caro explained: "During the first round of casting, we did an extensive tour of China and found some young women that were amazing, but I never felt that we'd truly found our warrior. A year later, Yifei came to Los Angeles to meet with me, and ended up in the audition room with absolutely no sleep.

"She was required to do five dialogue scenes, one of which was five pages long, but she never faltered. I saw immediately how strong of an actor she is. Then we sent her to a gruelling physical assessment. Again, she never complained. She never quit. I knew I had found my warrior."

'CULTURAL AUTHENTICITY WAS DISCUSSED AT EVERY STEP'

Stepping in as director for a film that's culturally significant to those of Chinese descent meant Caro had to convince naysayers before her work even started, as she is of Western descent and hails from New Zealand. However, she is confident in her ability to surpass the cultural barrier based on her previous works.

With previous projects like McFarland USA (a film adaptation of the true story of a Mexican-American cross country team) and Whale Rider (a film about a Maori girl who proves to the men in her tribe and her grandfather that she can be a leader), Caro maintained that she's dedicated to "authenticity" and "collaborating across communities" to deliver "epic films with deep cultural roots".

https://www.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/mulan-location1_disney.jpg
One of the locations featured in Mulan. PHOTO: Disney

And it was the same approach she took with Mulan.

"Cultural authenticity was discussed at every step of the process. My approach was to steep myself in research and surround myself with a diverse creative team representing different perspectives on Chinese identity, culture, and people. This influenced every aspect of production, leading to authentic cultural celebration and perspective," she explained.

To honour the ballad and the Chinese culture, the research process started during the writing of the script and continued through to pre-production, production and post-production. The script was also workshopped with "a diverse group of Chinese diasporic writers" whose notes and perspectives were incorporated.

https://www.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/niki-tzima_disney.jpg
Caro (left) and Hong Kong-American actor Tzi Ma on set. PHOTO: Disney

Caro revealed that each department conducted deep research into Chinese culture, painting, history, and accounts of war, so that every detail was as authentic as possible. She said: "We researched matchmaking services, trading along the Silk Road, and the incredible beauty and diversity of China. We took the responsibility of telling this story authentically so seriously."

WHY NO MUSHU?

When details of the live-action film were announced, fans of the animated classic were dismayed to hear that the adaptation had several major differences - such as the removal of songs and characters like Captain Li Shang (Mulan's love interest) and her dragon companion Mushu.

In a recent interview with Collider, producer Jason Reed explained that Li Shang was removed in light of the #MeToo movement because they felt it was uncomfortable and inappropriate to have a commanding officer who is also a sexual love interest. Instead, the character has been split into Mulan's mentor Commander Tung and Honghui, her "equal in the squad".

https://www.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/liuyifei-yoson_disney.jpg
Liu Yifei (left) as Mulan and Yoson An as Honghui. PHOTO: Disney

As for the songs, Caro previously said that the music from the 1998 film will be honoured in a "very significant" way. It was also recently reported that Reflection singer Christina Aguilera has recorded new material for the movie, including a new take on the iconic ballad.

But when it came to Mushu, Caro explained to us that his removal was to make certain elements of the animated classic "more relevant for audiences today".

Caro added: "But we still love the humour and companionship for Mulan that he brought to the animated classic, so we found those traits in some new characters. We hope the fans will enjoy this new take!"

Mulan opens in Singapore on March 26.

THREADS
Mulan (2020) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68640-Mulan-(2020))
Donnie Yen: Uber Awesome !! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)

[GeneChing]

News
Martial Arts / Kung Fu
Donnie Yen celebrates Hong Kong’s ‘return’ to the motherland – ‘I am fighting for the Chinese people (https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3091681/donnie-yen-celebrates-hong-kongs-return-motherland-i-am)’
The Hong Kong actor and Ip Man star posts Facebook video playing the piano with Lang Lang for Xi Jinping
The 56-year-old Guangzhou-born film producer posted the comment in response to a user calling his post ‘tragic’
Patrick Blennerhassett
Published: 1:49pm, 3 Jul, 2020

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1200x800/public/d8/images/methode/2020/07/03/85b83304-bcf0-11ea-b64b-070a892763db_image_hires_155201.jpeg?itok=BVbhWauf&v=1593762730
Donnie Yen in a still from Ip Man 4: The Finale. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong martial arts actor Donnie Yen Ji-dan made a congratulatory post on his official Facebook page on July 1 in relation to Hong Kong’s Establishment Day.
The 56-year-old Ip Man star posted a video montage of himself playing piano, with an accompanying caption.
“Today is the celebration day for Hong Kong returned to motherland China 23 years,” he wrote.
“Recalling such memorable night in 2017 where I had the privilege to performed with piano Maestro Lang Lang for Chairman Xi [Jinping] and wife along with several hundred guests who came to watch the show and celebrated the night!”

Yen replied to a Facebook user’s comment that said: “He probably has a 100 million reasons. But indeed tragic seeing a such talented person like Donnie fighting for the people on set but unable to do the same in real life.”

He wrote: “I am fighting for the Chinese people which indeed for the longest time, been undermined and disrespected, but worst abused.”

In February, Yen donated HK$1 million to frontline medical workers in Wuhan during the initial Covid-19 outbreak which ravaged the mainland Chinese city.
Yen, who last starred in Enter the Fat Dragon (2020), said at the end of last year that Ip Man 4 would be his final kung fu film.


Patrick Blennerhassett
Patrick Blennerhassett is an award-winning Canadian journalist and four-time published author. He is a Jack Webster Fellowship winner and a British Columbia bestselling novelist. He has covered sport for the South China Morning Post since 2018

Threads
Hong-Kong-protests (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?23536-Hong-Kong-protests)
Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)

[GeneChing]

#BoycottMulan Trends Again After Donnie Yen Celebrates Hong Kong’s Return to ‘Motherland’
Donnie Yen (https://nextshark.com/donnie-yen-boycottmulan-hong-kong/)
Martial arts star Donnie Yen recently celebrated Hong Kong’s handover to China, sparking heavy criticism from fans and renewed calls to #BoycottMulan.

https://cdn.statically.io/img/nextshark.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/feat.jpg?quality=100

Pro-Beijing post: Yen, who plays Commander Tung in Disney’s upcoming live-action Mulan remake, becomes the film’s second cast member along with lead Liu Yifei to spark backlash from fans.

On July 1, Yen took to Facebook to mark Hong Kong’s handover day, which commemorates the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China in 1997 and the eventual establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
“Today is the celebration day for Hong Kong returned to motherland China 23 years [sic],” the Chinese-born actor wrote.
He also fondly remembered performing for Chinese President and Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping back in 2017, calling it a “memorable night.”
In Hong Kong, the anniversary of the July 1 handover is celebrated as the Establishment Day and marked with “fireworks displays, live music, and dragon dances,” according to Public Holidays HK.
It has also become the platform for political movements demanding universal suffrage.
Yen is now being criticized in Hong Kong for his opinion of Xi Jinping amid Beijing’s recent imposition of the controversial national security law.
The new law, which many views as a threat to civil liberties, has since sparked a new round of pro-democracy protests in the city.

This article has a bunch of tweets after the it. Follow the link if you're interested.

Threads
Hong-Kong-protests (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?23536-Hong-Kong-protests)
Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)
Mulan (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68640-Mulan-(2020))

[Jimbo]

I’d hate to be a China/Hong Kong celebrity. It seems they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. They’re probably encouraged (or expected) to support the government. Then he or she loses any fans they had who are pro-democracy. If they choose a pro-democracy stance, they risk being blackballed or censored in China (or everywhere, due to China’s financial influence).

I wonder if any of them are even allowed to just keep silent and not discuss politics, or if it’s even a choice.

I have a lot of respect for Chow Yun-Fat and the stance he took.

[GeneChing]

Jul 7, 2020 12:10pm PT
Donnie Yen Lauds Hong Kong’s Return to China as He Starts New Films ‘Sleeping Dogs,’ ‘Golden Empire’ (https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/donnie-yen-mulan-sleeping-dogs-hong-kong-national-security-law-1234699338/)
By Rebecca Davis

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/donnie-yen-rogue-one.jpg?w=600
Courtesy of Disney

Hong Kong “Mulan” star Donnie Yen this week reiterated his political loyalty to mainland China as he teased work on the upcoming theatrical adaptation of popular video game “Sleeping Dogs” and announced “Golden Empire,” a new China-backed crime thriller.

His hometown is currently roiling under the impact of a controversial new national security law imposed by Beijing that strips Hong Kong of many of its former freedoms, which came into effect July 1 — the anniversary of Britain’s handover of the territory to China. Ten people protesting its stipulations were arrested within 24 hours of its enactment, including a 15-year-old girl.

The same day, however, the “Ip Man” star feted by posting a celebratory message complete with champagne bottle emoji to his Chinese and western social media accounts. Under a video montage of himself tickling the ivories and shaking hands with Chinese president Xi Jinping, he reminisced: “Recalling such memorable night [sic] in 2017 where I had the privilege to performed [sic] with piano Mastro [sic] Lang Lang for Chairman Xi and wife along with several hundred guests who came to watch the show and celebrated the night!”

Comments on his Instagram version of the post have been “limited,” and show only positive feedback. But on his official Facebook account, the post was met with more teeth by fans baffled by his “celebration” of what many have deemed a devastating occasion.

“He probably has 100 million reasons. But indeed tragic seeing such [a] talented person like Donnie fighting for the people on set but unable to do the same in real life,” wrote one commenter.

Yen himself responded directly, writing in English: “I am fighting for the Chinese people, which indeed for the longest time, [have] been undermined and disrespected, but worst abused.”

Yen is best known in the west for his turn in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “xXx: Return of Xander Cage,” and plays Mulan’s mentor Commander Tung in Disney’s upcoming live-action version of “Mulan.”

But staying in Beijing’s good books is likely key for Yen, 56, who these days is one of Asia’s most bankable stars thanks to the China market.

Last December’s “Ip Man 4” grossed $165 million in China, but just $3.7 million in Hong Kong (and $4 million stateside), making the mainland far and away Yen’s most lucrative fanbase.

He also recently starred in “Enter the Fat Dragon,” a comedy backed by China’s Bona Film Group that cancelled its planned Feb. 16 theatrical release because of the coronavirus and moved directly to streaming.

His next project appears to be “Sleeping Dog,” an action movie adaptation of the popular 2012 video game of the same name developed by United Front Games and published by Square Enix.

Yen confirmed his participation in the film over the weekend, posting a video of himself busting a few warm-up moves at the gym and writing that he is “aiming to make another breakthrough movie.” He will star as main character Wei Shen, an undercover police officer who infiltrates the Hong Kong triads. “I am excited to start preparing for the next challenge,” he said.

First announced in 2017, the project will be produced by Neal Moritz’s Original Film (“Fast and Furious”) and DJ2 Entertainment and is listed as currently in pre-production, though neither company replied to Variety’s request for comment by press time.

Yen will also star in and co-produce a new crime thriller called “Golden Empire,” about a drug lord wanted by authorities in both the U.S. and Mexico. It will be backed by China’s Starlight Media and SA Inc., with Starlight’s CEO Peter Luo also producing.

Threads
Hong-Kong-protests (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?23536-Hong-Kong-protests)
Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)
Sleeping-Dogs (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65178-Sleeping-Dogs)
Golden Empire (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71823-Golden-Empire)

[GeneChing]

Want to make a Kung Fu movie? READ Mandy Chan and the Thrills of Martial Arts Filmmaking (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1582) by Emilio Alpanseque

http://www.kungfumagazine.com//admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/images/ezine/5433_Mandy-Chan_Lead.jpg

threads
Enter-the-Dragon (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?26150-Enter-the-Dragon)
Sammo-Hung (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?55110-Sammo-Hung)
Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)

[GeneChing]

Shanghai: Donnie Yen Describes Shooting Fight Scenes with Mike Tyson as a Near-Death Experience (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/shanghai-donnie-yen-describes-shooting-fight-scenes-with-mike-tyson-as-a-near-death-experience-1234969504/)
The Hong Kong action star spoke about the full sweep of his career at a Shanghai International Film Festival masterclass, while also discussing his current mission to defy Chinese stereotypes on screen.


BY KAREN CHU

JUNE 16, 2021 8:15PM
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/GettyImages-1323027982.jpeg?w=681&h=383&crop=1
Donnie Yen at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Shanghai Film Festival. YVES DEAN/GETTY IMAGES
Speaking at a Shanghai International Film Festival masterclass this week, Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen recounted how one of Mike Tyson’s hooks almost knocked him out with the force of “a head-on truck” during the shooting of Ip Man 3 (2015). The actor has taken on triple duties at this year’s SIFF. In addition to sharing the highlights of his career in the masterclass, he has also premiered his latest cop thriller Raging Fire and is the ambassador for the festival’s “Belt and Road Film Week” sidebar.

Yen recalled that, as a boxing fan of Tyson’s, he relished the chance to spar with the former world heavyweight champion on-screen. But Yen also had no illusion about Tyson being a real boxer, not an actor, and knew that Tyson’s boxing moves were not only for show. “When I was in a scene with him, I had to remind myself that I have to be very cautious. I daren’t allow myself to think I was shooting a scene for a film,” Yen told the masterclass. “I had to treat it as a real fight in a boxing ring with him and it was a matter of life and death. I couldn’t afford to be distracted in any way, otherwise it wouldn’t have been a K.O., it would have cost me my life.”

In a shot when Tyson threw a hook, Yen was supposed to duck, but for the sake of the cameras, he could only duck at the last possible moment. “That was so dangerous! I literally felt the air move with his punch, which was like a truck coming towards me head-on. I felt that wind — woah, that’s still so clear in my mind, so dangerous! His fist was so huge, and it touched my hair,” Yen reminisced, still shaken. “I had to wait until the last moment to crouch down and at the same time not let myself be hurt. For me, that was the biggest pressure.”

Yen, who is set to appear in the fourth installment of Keanu Reeves’s John Wick franchise, also talked in-depth about his start in the film industry under the tutelage of acclaimed action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, who, incidentally, designed the action sequences and trained Reeves for The Matrix trilogy.

Yen came from a martial arts lineage, having learned since a young age from his mother, a famed tai chi master, and later went to Beijing to train further in martial arts. His mother counted among her pupils the sister of Yuen Woo-ping. In the mid-1980s, when Yuen was prepping Drunken Tai Chi, his follow-up to Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (both 1978), which made Jackie Chan a star, Yuen’s sister recommended the 18-year-old Yen to him, and the film became Yen’s screen debut.

Yen and Yuen went on to make contemporary actioner Tiger Cage in 1988, where Yen first suggested to his film industry mentor “a personal stamp”, inspired by Yen’s hero, Bruce Lee. “Generally, in a fight scene, the last shot would stay on the defeated,” Yen said. “But that shot was always reserved for Bruce Lee in a Bruce Lee film. You get the full blast of his charisma in that shot. The way he pulled a punch, how he retracted his fist – that is completely his personal charm.”

His latest outing, Raging Fire, was also the posthumous work of Hong Kong director Benny Chan, who fell ill and was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer during the film’s production and passed away last August at the age of 58. Yen disclosed that it was the mutual admiration he shared with the helmer of Hong Kong classic A Moment of Romance (1990) and later The White Storm (2013) that led to his signing up for Raging Fire. Chan completed filming but was not able to take charge of the post-production due to declining health.

As one of the Asian stars making a mark in Hollywood films such as Rogue One and the live-action Mulan, Yen considered these jobs an important chance, a mission even, for positive Chinese representation. “I’d always ask the producer whether the role I’m supposed to take and the content of the film as a whole is respectful of Chinese people and Chinese culture,” said Yen, a self-proclaimed patriot. “That’s something I’ve always done. Now that I have more influence, I must speak up for my country and speak out when I think something is not right. I also have a very important mission, which is to use my influence to show the audience that Chinese are not a stereotype. Whatever you can do, we can do it, too.”

threads
Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)
Shanghai-International-Film-Festival (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71333-Shanghai-International-Film-Festival)
Ip-Man-3 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57165-Ip-Man-3)

[GeneChing]

Donnie gave a talk on martial arts and film. The vid is embedded so you must follow the link.
SIFF MasterClass with Donnie Yen (https://www.siff.com/english/content?aid=d98f906d-1f83-4364-af27-5bdd82b6c838&fbclid=IwAR3Tzfebg73GrJp3QcvKeyScC3VcKUeqZBoxGYDfy ziMQIOr77JT9vvr0-M)

threads
Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)
Asian-Film-Festivals-and-Awards (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48392-Asian-Film-Festivals-and-Awards)

[GeneChing]

Petition to remove Donnie Yen as Oscars presenter earns thousands of signatures (https://www.nme.com/news/film/petition-remove-donnie-yen-oscars-presenter-earns-thousands-signatures-3410993)
The actor has faced criticism over his support of the Chinese government
By Adam Starkey
9th March 2023
https://www.nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Donnie-Yen-main-696x442.jpg
Donnie Yen. CREDIT: Laurent Viteur/Getty Images
Thousands have signed an online petition to remove Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen as a presenter at this year’s Oscars due to his support of the Chinese government.

The actor, who stars opposite Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 4, is set to present an award at the 95th Academy Awards which takes place in Los Angeles on Sunday (March 12).

As reported by the BBC, the petition was set up by Hong Kong activist Tong Wai-hung, who claims the decision “shows contempt for the people of Hong Kong” and that Yen’s presence will “damage the image and reputation of the film industry”.

Speaking to GQ last month, Yen doubled down on his opposition to the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

https://www.nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Donnie-Yen-new-2-1392x884.jpg
Donnie Yen. CREDIT: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
“It wasn’t a protest, okay, it was a riot,” Yen said. “I’m not going to be here talking about how to change how people feel about it. But my own experience, like, I was there, I have many friends who were there.

“I don’t want to get political. A lot of people might not be happy for what I’m saying, but I’m speaking from my own experience.”

The petition describes Yen’s recent remarks as “violating the spirit of freedom of speech” and “denying the rights of the people of Hong Kong to fight for their freedom”.

At the time of writing, the petition has over 90,000 signatures.

Yen is best known for starring in the Ip Man film series, which is credited for contributing to the popularisation of Wing Chun, a form of Southern Chinese kung fu, in China.

The actor has gained worldwide recognition for roles in Star Wars spin-off Rogue One, XXX: Return Of Xander Cage and the 2020 live-action remake of Mulan.

Ironically, Donnie was raised in Boston...

[GeneChing]

Read Donnie Yen’s John Wick 4 Mission Was to ‘Be the Coolest Motherf**ker’ in the Movie (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/donnie-yen-john-wick-4-be-the-coolest-motherfker-in-the-movie/) - my latest interview for Den of Geek.

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Donnie-Yen-and-Scott-Adkins-in-John-Wick-Chapter-4.jpg?resize=768%2C432

John-Wick-Chapter-4 (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71307-John-Wick-Chapter-4)
Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!! (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)

[wuxiaman]

Read Donnie Yen’s John Wick 4 Mission Was to ‘Be the Coolest Motherf**ker’ in the Movie (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/donnie-yen-john-wick-4-be-the-coolest-motherfker-in-the-movie/) - my latest interview for Den of Geek.

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Donnie-Yen-and-Scott-Adkins-in-John-Wick-Chapter-4.jpg?resize=768%2C432

John-Wick-Chapter-4 (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71307-John-Wick-Chapter-4)
Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!! (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)

The sunglasses that Donnie Yen wears are from his own brand of eyewear, DonniEye. :cool:

[GeneChing]

Read The Best Donnie Yen Movies to Watch Now (https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/best-donnie-yen-movies-to-watch/) - my latest feature for Den of Geek

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Best-Donnie-Yen-Action-Movies-Ranked.jpg?resize=768%2C432

Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!! (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)
John-Wick-Chapter-4 (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71307-John-Wick-Chapter-4)

[GeneChing]

More of the protest call (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!&p=1324447#post1324447)


Martial arts star Donnie Yen claims Oscars petition was 'cyber-bullying' (https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/donnie-yen-04042023140840.html)
Petition author says Yen is a public figure, and his comments could mislead the global public.
By Jojo Man for RFA Cantonese
2023.04.04

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/donnie-yen-04042023140840.html/@@images/6ace9ec1-737f-43e9-8600-db3c420be461.jpeg
Donnie Yen arrives at the Oscars on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Credit: Associated Press
Hong Kong martial arts superstar Donnie Yen has hit back at more than 100,000 people who signed a petition calling for his removal from last month's Oscars ceremony due to his public support for Beijing, claiming the move was part of "cancel culture."

"I’m allowed to love my own culture, love my own country," Yen said in a recent interview with Variety. "Why cannot I be patriotic?"

"This whole online cyber-bullying/cancel culture has got to stop," he said of the petition calling on the Academy Awards to remove him as an award presenter after he called the 2019 pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong "a riot."

"You can’t own somebody’s thoughts. And you want to silence them? It’s totally hypocritical," Yen said.

Yen presented an award at the March 12 ceremony despite public criticism and street protests from pro-democracy activists and Chinese dissidents, who displayed photos of Yen shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a celebrity line-up.

The protest, which was attended by former 1989 student leader Wang Dan, came as more than 110,000 people signed a petition on Change.org calling for Yen to be dropped from the ceremony.

Yen had earlier told GQ Hype magazine in a recent interview after being asked about the boycott of his movies and his view of the 2019 protest movement: “It wasn’t a protest, OK, it was a riot.”

“A lot of people might not be happy for what I’m saying, but I’m speaking from my own experience,” said Yen, using very similar language to official descriptions of the protests.

‘Form of silencing’

Taiwan-based petition co-author Tong Wai Hong, who was acquitted of “rioting” charges linked to his role in the 2019 protest movement, said creating and signing a petition was just a way for people to express their opinions, and didn't amount to cyber-bullying.

"He has the freedom to say what he likes, and we citizens are also free to use such methods to express our opposition to his remarks and his actions," Tong said.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/donnie-yen-04042023140840.html/eng_chn_donnieyen_04042023-2.jpg/@@images/e07fadf5-da82-42b9-b134-e08351763f07.jpeg
Activists and Chinese dissidents demonstrate outside the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 12, 2023, with banners satirizing actor Donnie Yen’s support for the Chinese Communist Party. Credit: Provided by Wang Dan

"As an artist, he is a public figure, so his comments could mislead a lot of people and distort the truth, and were therefore irresponsible," he said.

Tong said the aim of the petition had never been to silence Yen.

"Instead, I would like to ask people in Hong Kong, people in the movie industry ... why they can't even talk about not being able to make [certain] movies, and why some films the public want to see can't be screened," he said.

"If the voices of the poorest and of all citizens aren't being heard, is that not also a form of silencing?" Tong said. "I think he should consider that instead."

Tong said that while the petition hadn't been successful in getting Yen removed from the Oscars ceremony, it was a rare example of a Hong Kong rights issue making world headlines.

"Usually, it's very rare for a Hong Kong human rights issue to make an international appearance," he said.

‘100% Chinese’

Yen was born in the southern city of Guangzhou, settling in Hong Kong at the age of 2, and emigrating to the United States at 12.

He renounced his American citizenship in 2010, saying publicly that he was "100% Chinese."

He was admitted as a delegate to the Communist Party's Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in January 2023, following in the footsteps of Jackie Chan.

Many Hong Kongers started boycotting Yen's movies over his pro-Beijing stance during the 2019 protest movement against the erosion of Hong Kong's promised freedoms and judicial independence.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/donnie-yen-04042023140840.html/eng_chn_donnieyen_04042023-3.jpg/@@images/419d1559-3ab9-47d9-8f6c-4b315db7005f.jpeg
An online petition at Change.org called for removing Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen from last month's Oscars ceremony due to his public support for Beijing. Credit: RFA screenshot
They grew into pitched street battles between protesters armed with bricks, Molotov cocktails, catapults and other makeshift weapons against riot police who fired tear gas, rubber bullets and occasionally live rounds of ammunition at protesters and journalists.

Rights groups and protesters alike criticized the unsafe and indiscriminate use of tear gas and other forms of police violence during the months-long protest movement, as well as rampant abuses of police power and abuse of detainees.

Police violence against young and unarmed protesters early in the movement brought millions onto the city's streets and prompted the occupation of its international airport.

In other incidents, unarmed train passengers were attacked by both armed riot police at Prince Edward station and by white-clad mobsters at Yuen Long, who laid into passengers and protesters with rods and poles while police took 39 minutes to answer hundreds of distress calls from the scene.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Donnie Yen: Uber Awesome !! (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?58046-Donnie-Yen-Uber-Awesome-!!)
The-Academy-Awards (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?20798-The-Academy-Awards)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWE7wQTQLRg