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Back To US
While they were all studying various styles, when they got together, they would exchange what they had learnt. So he had this very big varied pool of martial arts to dip into, which has been very useful to him. It's the American way, to be open to everything useful, not like traditional Chinese martial arts culture where you learn one style and that's it. So he had this great mixed-up kung fu background anyway, and then of course the whole Wushu phenomenon came along in the early 1980's.
With the strong success of his other films like "Iron Monkey," Donnie Yen has strong followings elsewhere - like in Europe. There is also a strong following among the urbanites on the East Coast when it comes to martial arts films. His moving to the US now seemed more natural. He didn't do this a couple of years before because maybe he just didn't have the experience.
What's interesting is how destiny plays itself out. There have been several occasions where the opportunity to crossover has been there. He was cast for the title role in "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story." The casting director wanted to see him so he flew to L.A. but unfortunately, he didn't get the part. Jason Scott Lee did a pretty poor job. We think that Donnie could probably have done a better job (after all he is a true martial artist, unlike Jason Scott Lee). Soon after, he went back to do "Fists of Fury." He enjoyed working in this TV series because he is a big fan of Bruce Lee. The second approach was just after he finished filming "Legend of the Wolf," and before it was distributed worldwide. According to Donnie, Francis Ford Coppola and the film company he formed with Wayne Wang called ‘Clone Dragon’ approached him. The objective of the company was to recruit Asian talent and use this talent to produce low budget films. He was asked if he wanted to meet with Coppola's people. He did and they gave him a script which he didn't like at all. The script perpetuated stereotypes and was very cliche about portraying Asian people.
The Beijing Wushu Team came over to America to do a National Tour and when they visited Boston, Donnie was given the opportunity to perform for the team’s two head coaches. They seemed to like what they saw and told him that he had the potential to go on and become a champion in China. Donnie thought it was a nice compliment but with there being so many people in China, even though he thought he was pretty good, he didn't actually think he could be one of the best.
So he didn't really think much more about it until several months later. He was having some problems with his family, he and his father weren't talking, he'd moved out on his own and he was starting to get into all kinds of trouble. There are two types of Chinese growing up in America. One is the kind that does really well in school, with thick, thick glasses. And the other is involved with the gangs. Donnie was semi-involved with a gang and confused like any other kid. Most kids go through the same thing but he got himself together and chose the right path. When his mother called him up and asked him if he wanted to go to China to study Wushu he pretty much knew that it would be the best thing for him to do at the time.
He also knew that if he carried on the way he was carrying on in America at the time, he would either end up as a gangster or wind up dead. Neither of those two options really appealed to him, so he jumped at the chance to train in China. When he finally went to China, he found out that although the two coaches had indeed invited him to go to Beijing and study, it was more out of courtesy than being a genuine invitation. At that time China was still very much closed to the west and when he got there everybody was wearing Mao suits and needed food stamps to eat.
So when he arrived, the two coaches froze up. They didn't want to get into any trouble because of him being there but there he was a 16year-old kid who'd just flown halfway around the world to train with them. He was suffering from culture shock and also having a major communication problem. Although he spent his childhood in Hong Kong and could speak Cantonese, and had visited China before, now he was in the middle of China where everybody only spoke Mandarin and nobody really seemed too happy that he was there. But somehow some strings got pulled, and the fact that he'd come all the way over put everybody on the spot and eventually forced them to let him stay and train there. He was the first foreigner to be officially accepted and spent the next two years training and living in Beijing. He had great success in learning Wushu. While training in Beijing, Donnie actually studied with the same master as Jet Li.
Martial Artist Of The Year
In 1982, the martial arts magazine, 'Inside Kung-Fu' named Donnie Yen, 'Martial Artist of the Year'. Donnie is not the only member of the Yen family to practice martial arts. His sister, Yen Chi Ching, has won numerous medals in international martial arts competitions. His mother, Bow Sim Mark, is a very famous martial arts master of Tai Chi Chuan and Pa Kua Chang and she was named “Instructor of the Year” by 'Black Belt’ magazine and 'Woman of the Year' by 'Inside Kung Fu' magazine.
Yuen Woo Ping : At 19, en route back to the US, he made a side trip to Hong Kong and was introduced to film director Yuen Woo-ping, the action choreographer for 1999's “The Matrix.” Woo Ping, who had launched the career of Jackie Chan in “Snake in Eagle's Shadow” and “Drunken Master”, was looking for a new kung fu movie hero. In Yen, he found his man and so began a new journey. Woo Ping recognized Yen's extraordinary physical abilities so their series of films together led to a new direction in Hong Kong action cinema. Donnie would later star in a lot of Hong Kong action movies , and with each, his progression as a martial artist and actor is there for all to see. Donnie Yen is a famed martial artist, director, fight choreographer and Hong Kong movie hero and is no stranger to on-screen fighting. This Boston native has wielded his fists of fury in such Asian action films as “Tiger Cage 2,” “Dragon Gate Inn” and “The Butterfly Sword.” A long-time cult icon waiting to be cultivated, Yen looks set to win a whole new audience with his Hollywood debut roles in “Highlander: Endgame” and “Blade 2”. Donnie Yen has been labelled as the “Last Dragon” to come out of the old school of famous Hong Kong martial artists. You have actors like Keanu Reeves or Cameron Diaz trying to throw a couple of kicks.
But actors like Donnie Yen are the real deal, the ultimate martial artist bringing it on screen. It seems that along with Jackie Chan and Jet Li, they are the last of their kind. Known for his good looks and probably the fastest legs in the business, Yen’s unique style of fighting is quite unpredictable as he effortlessly shifts gears of motion. One moment the audience is magnetized by his liquid motion, as his movements and form are hypnotically fluid and dance-like. And within moments, Donnie's fighting style has been transformed to a state of unparalleled speed and raw power without sacrificing proper technique.
Donnie Yen has the education and experience to transcend boundaries between Hollywood, East and West. Fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin; born on the Mainland but grew up in Hong Kong and later in Boston; spent his recent years in Hong Kong, and is now based between L.A. and New York, he gives new meaning to the phrase “man of the world.” His movies reflect his personal intensity and drive as well as the life of the world he observes around him.
Filmmaking for Yen is pace and flow, the flow of images, the flow of music, and the flow of communication between the art and the audience.' We strongly believe that today he is the best martial arts actor, equal if not better than Jackie Chan and Jet Li in their prime. We were very disappointed to see that Wesley Snipes did not take advantage of such a talent in Blade 2.
Donnie’s role was far too short. If they fought together, it could have just been one of the best fights ever filmed. A rebel at heart, Donnie has made his own way. The road ahead hasn't always run smooth. Direct and honest in his opinions, he's probably made it harder on himself. The journey has shaped not only who he is today but the vision of the films he has directed.