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| courtesy of singtao.com |
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| Turning 60 this year, Donnie Yen jokes that since he can still fight a little he would continue to make fight scenes to thank viewers who like him |
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The Donnie Yen directed and starred SAKRA faces the Dayo Wong starred A GUILTY CONSCIENCE and Hins Cheung's EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL. He stresses that he does not mind a box office defeat, the most important is for the film industry to be at a full bloom.
courtesy of mingpao.com |
The Donnie Yen Chi Tan produced, directed and starred
wuxia epic SAKRA (TIN LUNG BAK BO ji KIU FUNG JUEN) opened in
Malaysia on January 16th on top of the box office. Chi Tan two weeks
ago promoted the film with a whirlwind tour of Malaysia. After 8
days in release, it successfully defeated other film releases of the
same period and firmly sat atop of Malaysia Lunar New Year box office.
Its box office headed straight for 3.2 million RM (over HK$ 5.84
million). In addition, SAKRA also was the Singapore Hong Kong Lunar
New Year film box office champion and the most searched for film on
the Mainland video channels like iQiYi, Tencent Video and Youku.
Yen Chi Tan said that in July this year he would turn 60, so he would
openly face any box office victory or defeat. After over 40 years of
making action films, he has tried to transition to drama and no longer
be the "Strongest in the Universe". Unfortunately the audience did
not accept it, a fact that Yen Chi Tan gladly accepted. He would
continue to be an action actor until the audience no longer liked to
watch him, then he would retire.
Yen Chi Tan admitted that now he would face gains and losses
as openly as Kiu Fung in the movie. He would not mind box office
loses or wins. With A GUILTY CONSCIENCE (DUK SIT DAI JONG)'s Dayo
Wong Tze Wa carrying his previous film TABLE FOR SIX (FAN HEI GUNG
SUM)'s HK$ 77 million box office momentum, would he be worried that
he would pale in comparison, losing out at the box office and being
criticized? Yen Chi Tan felt that he would not get to be afraid,
and he did not mind losing or winning. "Everyone's genres are
different. Tze Wa of course has his substance, with the accumulated
TABLE FOR SIX box office success everyone would want to see A GUILTY
CONSCIENCE. Those who don't like watching Yen Chi Tan action films
would never watch them. Those who like them would come to see what
would Yen Chi Tan be doing this time? I hope everyone would watch
all the movie in the Lunar New Year, as the Hong Kong film full
bloom of the past would return."
Really minding defeats in the past, Yen Chi Tan admitted that
at the time he was not yet mature. "My movies have won before, so
what's the big deal about losing a little. SAKRA is a product of
three major online platforms. My intention is hoping for the entire
world to be able to enjoy Yen Chi Tan's new action film. (It doesn't
matter even if it would lose?) It doesn't matter, it would either
lose or win."
Yen Chi Tan admired this character of Kiu Fung for his
ability to withstand any condemnation and tolerate pressure. He
could not be bothered with what others say. "Actually history has
always been like this, people might not be able to see it so
transparently. They may hear some information and believe it is
real, just going along with it like sheep." In real life, Yen Chi
Tan admitted that when he was younger he minded facing criticism and
pressure very much. In particular when something was made out of
nothing, ultimately people have emotions and desires. They would
get mad and they would laugh, but as he grew older and turning 60
this year he now would face things with a much more opened mind.
"I can say I am completely open minded, but it has unknowingly
gradually accumulated. I am pretty glad that I turn 60 this year,
but very luckily I still have movies to make. The audience hasn't
abandoned me yet." He felt that gratitude was very important, when
he learned to be grateful and cherish things he have, live in the
moment, he has already let go.
As for various previous setbacks like the last film he
produced and starred in, COME BACK HOME (SAU GAU) bombed at the box
office, and SAKRA being forced from the big screen to the internet,
Yen Chi Tan was not angry at all. "I laugh them off, how can I
explain them? This film from the beginning has been a internet
investment. I don't feel an online release is shameful, the goal of
making a movie is hoping for even more people to be able to watch
my work. The internet has a great ability of broadcasting. I try
to look at it from a positive angle, then I would be a little
happier."
Yen Chi Tan has made action films for over 40 years,
accumulating exhaustion and injuries. When asked about retirement
from action films, he admitted that he has thought about it but
regretted that the market would not permit him to do so. "I am not
taking a negative approach to talk about COME BACK HOME, but the
audience doesn't like my dramatic performance. They like to watch
action films that I fight very strongly in. I can completely accept
that, I don't have any reason to deliberately keep that from the
audience." How old would he think he would be able to keep going
to? He said, "Earlier I have told my wife many times, that at age
55 I would retire. Several years ago when I made BIG BROTHER (DAI
SI HING) I already had that in mind. I would perform a little less
and bring up some newcomers, but the fact proved that the market still
wanted to watch Yen Chi Tan fight. Thus I don't necessarily have to
stop fighting. Now I can still fight a little. When I feel the
audience no longer like to watch me, then I wouldn't keep the world
from spinning."
Yen Chi Tan has never thought about playing the Louis Cha
(Jin Yong) wuxia novel DEMI-GODS AND SEMI-DEVILS (TIN LUNG BAK BO)'s
Kiu Fung. Completely by chance, without any mental preparation and
desire Wong Jing suddenly mentioned to him to play the character.
Yen Chi Tan said, "Several years ago Wong Jing asked me to be in
CHASING THE DRAGON (JUI LUNG) and play Crippled Ho. At the time I
was working on a foreign film in Toronto. Because I couldn't think of
a new angle to interpret but I had the desire inside, I considered it
for 3 full months before agreeing to perform."
Was it because the Ray Lui Leung Wai played Crippled Ho was
too classic? He said, "Yes, also because it was too classic I wanted
to play this character even more. Thankfully the response was
decent." He felt that as an actor or a director he still had to dare
to try and explore. While success was not guaranteed, shrinking and
curling into a ball would keep him from moving forward. Thus after
he decided to make SAKRA, he kept thinking about how to make the
movie and how to play the role.
Yen Chi Tan was not worried that releasing a costume wuxia
film now would be criticized being outdated. He felt that the most
important was to be fresh. He said that SAKRA completely was not the
past classic wuxia films. "Past wuxia films, everyone have seen
them. Even with the Tsui Hark directed ones I have been in several.
This time with the all new production, I put myself into the
audience's state of mind and think why young people now like to
watch Marvel movies. It is because it is direct, so in my action
scene designs it was enough for me to feel whether the fight was
powerful enough, entertaining to watch, making hairs stand on
their ends, and have new visual enjoyment. I never thought about
making a world rocking epic. It's too complicated. The message
would be so dep that no one would understand the movie."
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