Flexing his acting chops
> Donnie Yen breaks away from his martial arts hero image to tackle the role of a real-life Hong Kong gangster in Chasing the Dragon
HONG KONG superstar Donnie Yen has played many iconic roles over the years in films such as Ip Man, Bodyguards and Assassins, The Last Bladesman, and Iron Monkey.
Recently, he has even been seen in Hollywood productions such as Star Wars: Rogue One, and XXX: The Return of Xander Cage.
In his latest movie Chasing the Dragon, which is based on a true story, Yen plays Crippled Ho, a man who illegally emigrates to Hong Kong from mainland China in the 1960s and eventually became the leader of the city’s biggest drug empire, due in part to his close friendship with corrupt police chief detective Lee Rock (Andy Lau).
In a question-and-answer transcript provided by local cinema chain Lotus Five Star, Yen talked about his role in this film (which is now showing in cinemas nationwide) and how it is different from what he has done in the past.
Tell us more about your character, Ho, who has a very colourful background. “My character in Chasing the Dragon is actually based on the real-life gangster Ng Sek-ho, who was [a key figure] in Hong Kong back then.
“He landed in Hong Kong as an illegal immigrant back in the 1960s and had a fateful encounter with Lui Lok, a corrupt police officer who enrolled him into his services.
“After Ng saves Lui’s life, both of them formed a partnership and controlled the lucrative Hong Kong drug trade.”
We hear that Crippled Ho isn’t a typical ‘Donnie Yen’ role. “The film isn’t a traditional martial arts film that the audience would come to expect from me.
“There will be limited martial arts fighting scenes, but they are more street gang fights. “I will also use my acting skills and versatility to showcase the many different phases of Crippled Ho’s life as he transitions from a fresh immigrant to a ruthless gang leader. “It took me a few months of intense preparation to get into character, and I want the audience to see another side of me as an actor.”
Aren’t you disappointed that you don’t get a chance to show off your famous martial arts moves? “It’s new type of challenge for me, as I’ve never been fully involved in such a genre of film before, and I like to challenge myself to take on new, unexplored roles. “As a plus point, this is the first time in 35 years that I have worked alongside Andy Lau, which I eagerly looked forward to. “Also, I get to show off the Teochew accent which I learnt for the role!”
You had to undergo massive changes in appearance for your role as Crippled Ho. “My character Crippled Ho is from Teochew, and folks from that region tend to have a larger nose and thicker lips.
“In addition, as he is regularly involved in brawls, we added in a crooked nose.
“For this, we brought in a makeup special effects master from the United States to ensure we get great results.
“I have to admit, having to put the prosthetic make-up on every day is no fun!
“Imagine sitting in the chair for three hours every day, where prosthetics are applied bit by bit and blown dry with a hairdryer, and then [take] another hour to remove.
“Not to mention all the additional make-up (fake hair, moustache, detailing) that is involved.
“With the prosthetics on, I can’t really eat due to limited movement of the mouth, have to drink through a straw to avoid messing up the look ... not to mention the skin rashes from all those prosthetics.”
What made you take this challenging role? “My previous role in Ip Man left such a deep impression on the audience that I feel I needed to take additional measures [in this new role] in order to excite the audience, and to break away from my Ip Man role.
“The transformation was no walk in the park, but as a professional, I believe that it was something I needed to do in order to surpass my limits.”