Donnie Yen Quotes

I act according to the requirements of the character, and if I try to play the role, then I play it truthfully. In my daily life, I’m a laid-back, peaceful guy. I’m just doing my job to act.

I think every actor wants to try out different things.

I think action movies bring more excitement than tears, but I always want to take it to another level. I mean, I think if one appreciates anything in life to a certain degree, it could possibly bring tears to your eyes.

I try to update my arsenal constantly. Learning different martial arts since childhood. To understand what’s out there. To really be in tune.

I’ve always been in a rebel.

I’m a very emotional guy.

Look at every action movie in Hollywood. Every leading man from Spider-Man to Batman to James Bond, ‘Bourne Identity‘, every one of them possesses martial arts skills.

I gained a lot of confidence after ‘IP Man’ as being a true actor. I went on to tackle what it is an actor is supposed to do before a film. Do a lot of research, get into the character. That’s what I did with ‘Dragon.’

I like to stay within the context of the character’s background. If he’s a cop, I have to make sure the audience is convinced that this person, a cop, can do only so much without a gun.

My mum lives in Boston; she‘s famous for teaching wushu and t’ai chi. So from when I was young, my mum and aunt were like: ‘You’re training; you‘re not playing baseball or football.’ Training every day was normal. Later, when I was almost a teenager, Bruce Lee became my idol.

As an action director, I always try to bring something fresh and new.

Like any other actor, I draw on life experience.

In Hong Kong, particularly, we craft this art for decades. The action choreographer actually is the action director. He takes over and he choreographs with – by himself or with his team, and place the camera where he feels cinematic effect to bring out that choreography.

Better to be called something positive and inspirational than something negative.

I just like to choose projects that will allow me as an artist to make my art.

A lot of Chinese martial arts films were based on Chinese martial arts novels. And these novels created a world of putting history, calligraphy, and martial arts into one.

When audiences look at an action actor like myself, sometimes we are very easily stereotyped or characterized as one type. They forget that we are actors, too.

Action choreographer is like talking. When you talk, you have a rhythm. When you act, you have a rhythm. When you’re moving your body, you have a rhythm. So as an actor, as a choreographer, the objective is trying to blend everything in – into – ultimately back into that character.

A lot of people don’t realize, when you are acting in a martial arts film, you’re not just performing martial arts. You’re not just performing martial arts. You’re actually acting as much as any other actor.

An action choreographer is kind of like a dance choreographer. You choreograph the moves and you let the director, cinematographer take into positioning their cameras.

For me, shooting, editing, and scoring rely on rhythm.

It takes years of building that experience as a filmmaker, as well as physically. You have to have a high level understanding of martial arts.

I did a couple comedies to balance myself as an actor and balance how audiences see Donnie Yen as an actor, and I would even say as a celebrity or icon, to some fans. I want to show that I’m not Terminator.

When you watch my films, you’re feeling my heart.

I got nominated for my second film as best young director in the Aikido Film Festival in Japan.