You cant do that anymoreIll hang it up., Oliver Franklin-Wallis is the features editor atBritish GQ, A version of this story originally appeared in the March 2023 issue of GQ with the title Hong Kongs Ageless Action Hero, PRODUCTION CREDITS:Photographs by Puzzleman LeungStyled by Jacky TamHair by Little WhiteSkin by Kenji NgTailoring by Mrs. LamProduced by Jolene Lin, Apply Bed Bath and Beyond Coupon and save 25% Off your entire purchase, Target Circle: up to 50% Off with Target promo code, Save 25% on your purchase of Spring Styles with Asos Coupon, Michael Kors Promo Code: sign up for KORSVIP + Get 10% Off on First Order, 2023 Cond Nast. Necklace, $20,300, by Cartier. In a recent interview with GQ, the actor shared that he's very selective about signing on roles. Im Kara Swisher, and youre listening to Sway. My guest today is Michelle Yeoh, the actor whose nearly four-decade career has included roles in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Crazy Rich Asians. But only now has Yeoh gotten her first Hollywood top billing in Everything Everywhere All At Once, a new movie by a pair of filmmakers known as the Daniels. And, while hes still known for his fight scenesno actor better understands or displays the balletic beauty of raw, human combathe no longer has to take shots in the face. The companys first two movies,Legend of the Wolf andBallistic Kisswhich Yen cowrote, produced, directed, and starred intanked at the box office. If you like this interview and want to hear others, follow us on your favorite podcast app. She was very forceful, old school, like what you see in the movies. We were completely, completely, as a family, committed. You are getting fat. Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Much like other beloved Chinese actors before him, like Jackie Chan, Jet Li and the late Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen has found Hollywood fame after becoming a big star in Hong Kong action movies. Her latest role is no exception she took on a part that was originally written for the actor Jackie Chan. I dont even know how that would work in this story because . He said, hes wondering if, you know, you have time to have a quick cup of tea with him. I was the outsider. Beginning in the early 80s, Li made a name for himself as one of the top martial artist action stars in Hong Kong cinema with films including Born to Defence and Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin.Li solidified himself as an icon in the genre with his . When Yen was 16, his parents arranged to send him to train with the famed Beijing Wushu Team, in China. But hes never forgotten it. . I know seven, eight is going to be the close-up. Yen demonstrates, throwing little blocks and jabs as if training at the wooden dummy. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. Really one of the worst times in my career, Yen says. Why cant he look cool and fashionable? With Yens influence, the director Chad Stahelski agreed to change the name and the wardrobe. They are meant to be respectful. I saw stars. Growing up, Brad developed an innate love of movies and storytelling, and was instantly enamored with the world of adventure while following the exploits of Indiana Jones, Japanese kaiju, and superheroes. All of them are under attack by an evil force in the form of a giant spinning everything bagel you heard that right and Evelyn is being recruited to save the world. And thats what we all do. At the same time, Donnie Yen, still years away from his Western fame followingRogue One: A Star Wars Storyand the spy moviexXx: Return of Xander Cage, hadonly done two other American movies at the time in Highlander: Endgame and Blade II. Shes one hell of a determined woman, even though she fails at so many things. Im trying to think. This is my schedule, Yen says, showing me the calendar app on his phone, a grid of colored squares so stuffed that it looks like a Tetris endgame. Because of the years of having to carry heavy loads of things, her body is not always upright. Its basically The Matrix meets LSD trip. From her high-flying kicks in the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to her unconventional take on a Bond girl in Tomorrow Never Dies, Michelle Yeoh has had a multidecade career defying stereotypes. Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Last take, the guy overshot and cracked Yen in the face, slicing open his brow a quarter-inch from his eye, nearly blinding him. Yen's duel with Jet Li brought his skills to the emerging Mainland Chinese theatrical audience, and paved the way for Donnie to become the country's biggest action star. Its about you going out there and making your own life. And shes not trying to be funny. What a charming little film, I enjoyed watching this film , it had a good story line , the actors played out the parts very well. From the parents, the grandparents the hierarchy, right? Jacket, $2,800, vest, $590, shirt (vintage), and pants, $690, by Double RL. The senior editor of Sway is Nayeema Raza, and the executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Irene Noguchi. Look at theJohn Wick franchise itself, which would not exist without the influences of John Woo and Yuen. Nihilism is especially resonant with the pandemic and the war and everything else. And you should see, Jamie and I, we look at each other and, wahaa! Im not going to be here talking about how to change how people feel about it. At first, youre looking at the fingers. And I just went, when? And this idea of nothing matters, you can go two ways. Follow Brad on Twitter @BradCurran. The film's two action highlights saw Donnie's character duel the legendary martial arts master Wong Fei-hung, played by his old friend Jet Li. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. And then, to just let loose and to be able to go, bleh, and then all of us just went we were so committed to making this because, when you read it, it is wacky. But I am by myself and with a white-haired martial arts expert that you know, tells you exactly what to do. Its true. No, but I want the gift of a voice that I can because I find it so moving. One of Hong Kong's top action stars, Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by choreographing MMA in many of his films since the early 2000s. Yen is the latest Asian action star to find Hollywood fame, following the likes of Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee. The biggest stars - Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen - kung fu and wuxia, the leading martial arts film directors, and the best films to watch. Sliced open. Right now Ive gotta take three cups of double espresso, do a couple of warm-ups. Yen laughs again. They never mention the true side of it. Im going to go [out] naked. Think about it. The only way I could find power was through martial arts., His mother opened a martial arts school in the citys Chinatown, and Yen quickly became one of her most promising studentseven as he bristled at her imposing methods. So, I wanted to talk to Yeoh about how she tapped into the emotional core of the story, and how this film might signal a shift in the Hollywood zeitgeist. Im doing Tigers Apprentice. Im in the next Minions.. Beginning in the early 80s, Li made a name for himself as one of the top martial artist action stars in Hong Kong cinema with films including Born to Defence and Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Sword of Destiny' also played at selected Imax theatres in North America, and enjoyed a wide theatrical release in China, where it was screened in its 3D version.Yen reteamed with his former mentor Yuen Woo-ping for the hugely popular 'Ip Man 3'. They thats actually very, very interesting, very clever question, because I do work on both. What Id do is Id use a cotton ball and put it between my back teeth, so they [didnt] knock my teeth out., Today, Yen is one of Chinas biggest actors, the last in a dynasty of martial arts stars that runs from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan to Jet Li. Additional details also revealed that Caine will be joining the ranks of antagonists such as Cassian (hip-hop rapper Common) from Chapter 2 and Zero (Wu Assassins star Mark Dacascos) from Chapter 3., More from NextShark: Ralph Macchio defends Karate Kid from very white criticism, Yen noted during his GQ interview that his actions were not a form of criticism toward Chapter 4.. And one of the things that was interesting to me is Ive never seen you in something so silly, which is, I think fantastic. While the more familiar faces of Jackie Chan and Jet Li are household names in America, the 48-year-old Yen still needs one real chance to show his stuff with a significant part in a Hollywood-produced blockbuster to add his name to the list. Then It Changed My Life. Theres a love story. He was signed to co-star in and action direct 'Highlander: Endgame', the latest in a series of fantasy actioners. We release every Monday and Thursday. It didnt change things because its a period piece. The film was shot last year, outside Shanghai, on a relatively slim budget. No, no, no, no. Or you have a family. (A full transcript of the episode will be available midday on the Times website.). Yeah, its a big beating heart, but this woman is in great pain. It will continue to grow. I got knocked back about eight feet. His skills behind the camera began developing from his early days in the industry, and he was very much involved with the action choreography of his films for D&B Films. I think, for me, no. You know what Im saying?, Things are changingeven if progress has been agonizingly slow. Previous adaptations have had mixed receptions. But when Evelyn makes the trip to the I.R.S., her world is shaken up. You know What? I have no idea. In 'Iron Monkey', Yen played the father of Wong Fei-hung, and its success prefigured that which he would later enjoy as another pugilistic patriarch in 'Ip Man'. A few years ago, for example, he turned down a role in theExpendables franchise. And we are very, very much part of you know, the Asians belong. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Now, definitely. The movie went on to sweep the board at the Hong Kong Film Awards winning Best Film, among many other prizes. Yes, yes. RELATED: Why Jackie Chan Never Joined Stallone's Expendables Movies. And What Even Is Web3? The Founding of a Republic is a Chinese historical drama produced in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China and was made to portray the final years of the Chinese Communist Revolution that followed the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). Its not contemporary. Like, running and taking off my things and going, OK, now Im going on a plane, and fly straight back to China in Shanghai to be with him. Yen playsGeneral Lone, a warrior out to free the land of Huadu from the tyrannical rule of a sinister Queen. The first Chinese UFC champion Zhang Weili states that Yen . I dont want to do that again. If the Daniels, if you look at them, you go, OK, anything goes. The schoolwhich, as well as producing national champions, holds Harlem Globetrottersstyle tours across the countryhas cranked out a number of elite martial artists and movie stars; among Yens contemporaries was Jet Li. Because Master Yuen Woo-Ping is like my mentor, my guru. I dont want to get political. As Bitcoin Busts, Whats the Future of Web3? Yen recalls getting approached by Disney to appear in the 2016Star Wars prequelRogue One. I said, "Really? So, I remember when I first said because I dont read Chinese. Right. Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen recently recalled two different occasions when legendary martial arts actor Jet Li nearly blinded him. As a kid from Hong Kong, let alone one whod spent the previous six years in America, he barely fit in. And I remembered when Ang came to me, at that time, I was doing the press . Let me take a look." Its too easy to take that route. A lot of people might not be happy for what Im saying, but Im speaking from my own experience., Where once, Hollywoods attitude toward Chinese filmmakers might have angered him, today Yen is more accepting. Gloves, $140, by Ernest W. Baker. You cannot look like you know what youre doing. It could have been a girl. But not Yen. That hasnt stopped a lot of people. When Yen was 10, the family was reunited and moved to Boston, where his father had landed a posting as an editor for a Chinese newspaper. Our latest episode of Vs.might be our most epic yet as we pit the four biggest martial artists/movie stars of all time against each other in one stats-heavy battle royale: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Donnie Yen. Jackie Chan is a performer who lea. We literally spent the entire day coming up with moves, and then Yuen Woo-ping would say, Not cool enough. The entire day, without coming up with one shot., Those early films with Yuen provided Yen with a crash course in the art of making action movies. The name was Shang or Chang, Yen says. Stephanie Hsu plays this role. You went on to star in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000, which was a mega-hit globally. A half-beat slower. In this movie, and his follow-up features for the company ('In the Line of Duty 4', 'Tiger Cage 2'), Yen showed off his own unique form of contemporary screen combat, a form that included elements of rapid fire kicking, Western boxing and grappling moves.Having established a worldwide fan base, Yen moved on to star in a string of independent Asian action features before director Tsui Hark tapped him to co-star in 'Once Upon A Time In China 2'. Oh, I was a Chinese opera singer. The same is true of Yen as an actor. 'Seven Swords' premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and proved a hit with worldwide audiences. I think if you dont have a big beating heart, its so easy to just say, well, youre already a grown-up. The film brought Yen his first real attention as a thespian and he was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category at that year's Hong Kong Film Awards.Tsui Hark went on to produce a remake of King Hu's classic 'New Dragon Inn', which provided another showcase role for Donnie as the film's apparently invincible villain.Donnie was reunited with director Yuen Woo-ping for 'Iron Monkey', a film which brought Yen's acting and action skills both into focus. Why do we do this? A dildo? Who is the ultimate fighter? Why would you want me to do that? Whats the cost? After a period where he was based in Los Angeles, Donnie returned East by way of the West when Jackie Chan requested that Yen play his nemesis in the hit 'Shanghai Knights', a shoot that took the star from Prague to London.Yen returned to China to co-star in director Zhang Yimou's epic wu xia master work 'Hero'. Yen, broke, would hang around film sets just so he could eat for free. Jacket, $4,700, pants, $1,650, and belt, $830, by Gucci. And it was like its very much like dancing, if you look at it. Shes looking for the mother that she can connect with. John Wick: Chapter 4 is hitting theatres on March 24. And its all about rhythm, precision and timing, all that things put together. Donnie, can you come in and shoot a close-up? I never say no to him. Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. More: John Wick 4 - Why Donnie Yen Is More Important Than You Think. Why is everythingso generic? The conclusion of their duel also sidesteps there being an actual victor and places more emphasis on the two finding a mutual respect as General Lone reaches the pinnacle of his mission. And walk away. He started to dress like Lee, showing off his moves at school, stuffing nunchucks in his socks. Exclusive: Donnie Yen on 'Raging Fire,' 'John Wick 4,' How Yuen Woo-ping Discovered Him, and More By Steve Weintraub Published Aug 29, 2021 Plus, Yen shares what it was like making director. Global fans will recognize him from the likes of. After starring in blockbusters like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the live-action Mulan in recent years, the next franchise the actor is putting his . Why can't he look cool and fashionable?" Is it a lonely existence? Jet Li Nearly Blinded Donnie Yen While Filming On Two Different Movies, Donnie Yen's Ip Man 2 Has A Secret Jet Li Connection (& It's Genius), John Wick 4 - Why Donnie Yen Is More Important Than You Think. Donnie Yen has also been in the business since the mid-'80s, but didn't truly break until the mid-2000s when he infusedMMA into Hong Kong action movies through Sha Po Lang and Flash Point. I went to my friends karate school, or a boxing gym, Yen says. And Im like, are you kidding me? And shes unrecognizable as Deirdre. Thrown from horses. In your dreams, buddy. Theres drama. More News. I was wondering, when you were doing that, were you held to a different standard than the men? Take it and run with it, or sink. Have you been in animation? And Ive been in that world forever. When he's not writing, Brad enjoys going on a ride with the latest action hit or Netflix original, though he's also known to just pop in "The Room" from time to time. But you might never have. But interestingly and maybe this is wrong because its been reported different places.
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