Donnie Yen: “Ip Man 4 is My Last Kung Fu Movie”
Today, Donnie Yen (甄子丹), Wu Yue (吳樾), Chris Collins, and producer Raymond Wong (黃百鳴) attended the Beijing press conference for Ip Man 4: The Finale <葉問4：完結篇>. This fourth and final installment comes 10 years after the release of the first Ip Man <葉問> film and Donnie couldn’t be more proud. “A movie series typically don’t have more than two sequels because it tends to go downhill by the third film, but the first three Ip Man movies were loved by everyone. I believe people won’t be disappointed this time either,” he expressed.
His Last Kung Fu Movie
During the press conference, Donnie announced Ip Man 4: The Finale would be his last kung fu movie. He said, “As an actor and filmmaker, I have made so many movies, some that people love and some that people don’t love. On this challenging road, I filmed a number of kung fu films that are about the same.”
The actor explained that he hopes to film more movies with a fashion theme because he’s always enjoyed them. In fact, when he first found out he was going to make Ip Man, people wondered how he would be able to do it. However, the tide has turned. Nowadays, people ask him how he can star in other films after playing Ip Man.
“As an actor, you must keep going forward,” Donnie expressed. “This is something that I must do in life; I must keep exploring to grow. This is the meaning of life, so I am very grateful Ip Man 4: The Finale is my final kung fu movie. I hope it can be written on a valuable page in Chinese film history, and I will continue my journey as an actor.”
Wu Yue is Happy to Work with His Idol
Wu Yue, who plays a martial arts master in the film, said the Ip Man series is a timeless classic. He said, “For me, the most memorable quote in Ip Man is ‘I wish to fight 10 men.’ At the time, many people in the theater stood up and applauded, so I thought, ‘Is it really that good?’ So I went to watch Ip Man, and after watching it once, I went to watch it again twice.”
He continued, “Since then, I hoped to work with my childhood idol, Donnie. It was a great honor to work with him because he is very caring and considerate.”
Chris, who plays the karate coach of the US Marines in the movie, echoed similar sentiments. He expressed working with Donnie was exciting and unforgettable.
Danny Chan (陳國坤), who portrays Bruce Lee and the apprentice of Ip Man in this sequel, shared, “As soon as Donnie arrives on set, everyone will quiet down to show their respect as an apprentice would.”
Source: Oncc
This article is written by MelodyC for JayneStars.com.
Well, he said the same thing about Ip Man 3. And look what happened.
However, I do know that he’s getting tired of making kung fu movies and would preferably make more contemporary movies but perhaps different set of ideas made him do Ip Man 4? In any case, I wouldn’t mind Donnie continuing making kung fu movies while doing other movies as well.
@dook Because the money in his bank accounts enough for him to retire adi thats why he can say like that. Human is like that. Same like stephen chow. No way he still wants to acting in a kung fu film like a monkey to make people laugh.
@xrc56 He’s not retiring from action movies in general, just from making movies about real-life kung fu masters.
@dook Please read the clearly. He said his last kung fu film. Action movies are different. Kung fu film you fight with your bare hands and legs. Example drunken master.
@xrc56 No need to because I fully understand, I think you need though lol. Jet Li stated something similar when he announced his last kung fu movie with Fearless. Look it up.
Empty-handed combat scenes isn’t only restricted to kung fu movies, it’s also present in contemporary movies such as SPL and Flash Point.
@dook Donnie Yen is 56 this year…I think it’s the right time for him to step away from kung fu movies as he is getting older and probably wants to avoid injuries. As a martial arts movie fan, I would love to see more of Donnie in kung fu movies, but inevitably he would either need to use more stunt doubles and do less risky action sequences in his movies due to aging.
His name is already a big brand, and it would be great if he can start producing more kung fu movies to develop new talent. We need a new younger generation of kung fu stars for the genre to continue to shine. Max Zhang is a good fighter too, but at 45, I think he is already a bit past his prime.
@jayne Nah, I still think he has 4-5 more years before he eventually slows down. Besides, he’s continuing with general action movies. He’s got The Fat Dragon and Raging Fire coming up next year.
@dook He said that a few Ip Man movies before this as well. Maybe PR told him to lie to create a buzz to see his last Ip Man movie ever.
@mike Link us proof instead of speculating.
@dook proof about what? that he has said many years ago he wouldn’t do another Ip Man movie again and here he is doing another one and saying the same thing again? Just Google it.
@mike Here’s what you said: “Maybe PR told him to lie to create a buzz to see his last Ip Man movie ever.”
Now link me proof about that one.
It’s not up to him what he can film rather what his investors are willing to invest
@anon He has star power, influence, and wealth. Of course he can film anything
@dook
Jackie Chan has more star power than Donnie Yen and for years since Rush Hour sequels that he wanted to transition from kung fu films to dramatic films. If JC can’t, you think Donnie can? Lol
@anon jet li did. And he happen to win Best Actor for that film. You never know.
@abcd
The Warlords was an action film. Thanks for proving my point.
I was speaking of a dramatic film (or a fashion film as he likes to call it).
If Donnie Yen can cast as a first-lead in a non-action movie then I’ll give props to him, but I don’t ever see that happening.
This guy can barely act, to begin with. His acting is just passable. Not to mention, the Chinese entertainment industry is filled with conservative investors. That’s why you see the same faces typecasted in the same roles over and over again in movies and tv series, but that’s beside the point.
Donnie Yen rose to fame because of his kung fu.
No successful investor would put Donnie Yen in a leading role short of an action film unless Donnie is the majority investor. Lol
@anon Donnie tried out drama with Big Brother. If given another opportunities in midst of making action movies, he would do well. Look at Jackie, he tried out drama with Shinjuku Incident (crime drama). Donnie and Jackie may be action performers but they have shown improvements over the years with their acting so course they want to try it more. How you feel about it is all subjective, we all have our own opinions.
With that being said, Donnie will continue making martial arts-action movies. He’s just transitioning from kung fu movies to contemporary action movies, which is where he made himself known for at the start of his career anyway.
@dook the difference between JC and DY though is JC’s face isn’t full of Botox lol! He can emote better than DY >_> so I don’t think DY can do anything other than kungfu movie, sorry!
@anon it was a drama action. So I did not prove your point. Read above others comments, it’s clearly a different category. Action doesn’t necessarily have kung fu in the movie. Smh. Before you go into offensive mode do your research.
@abcd
LOL
@littlefish You don’t have to be sorry, speak up all you want since you’re entitled to your opinion. It’s subjective anyway.