[2014.03.26] DONNIE YEN: 30 MILLION YEN?

Lynn Xiong

courtesy of mingpao.com

Donnie Yen Chi Tan yesterday attended with Raymond Wong Pak Ming the film IP MAN 3's press conference to announce that after 4 years he will again play Ip Man at the end of the year. However reportedly Yen Chi Tan asked to dump Lynn Xiong (Hung Doi Lam) and Sammo Hung Kam Bo during negotiation and arranged the addition of his wife's cousin Jessica Jann Kei Ching to the cast. Yen Chi Tan helplessly pointed out that the report was untrue and stated that the report was only good for a laugh. "The film has always had Hung Doi Lam. The report is absolutely absurd, arranging for my wife's cousin to perform is even more absurd! With so many movies before, if I wanted to make that arrangement I would have done it already. As for me dumping Big Brother Hung Kam Bo that is even more impossible. From the beginning I told the boss without Big Brother I won't make it, but Big Brother didn't have any time on his schedule; later the boss suggested for me to ask my mentor Yuen Wo Ping to be the action director. I thought Master would be good too, as he and Big Brother were elders who could hold their own."

He admitted that he was reluctant to play Ip Man again, because he felt that he has already successfully built an image for the character. As an actor he should make different attempts, but no matter where he went in the world, no one called him Yen Chi Tan. Instead they called him Ip Man. Thus he decided to play the role one more time as everyone asked, it might be the very last time.

Did he charge 30 million RMB as rumored? Yen Chi Tan said, "I have always charged very little, it's probably 30 million yen! Don't talk about the salary, I am all about friendships." Boss Wong Pak Ming stated that this production had no upper limit and will be shot in 3D. Director Wilson Yip Wai Shun will be completely in charge. He even revealed that he signed Yen Chi Tan to two films for 100 million, one would be IP MAN 3 and the other has not been decided yet. He joked that he was afraid Yen Chi Tan would be more expensive if he signed later. Yen Chi Tan said that he was not sure and he had to ask his wife about the rate.