Donnie Yen Nearly Suffers Heat Exhaustion on Set “Iceman 3D”

Donnie Yen (甄子丹) is currently hard at work on his latest fantasy action film Iceman 3D <冰封侠 3D>. Recently, Donnie was seen filming an important outdoor sequence in Hong Kong under scorching heat. After a few hours under the sun, Donnie became unwell and had to take a break from filming. Fortunately, Donnie quickly recovered after a brief rest and was able to complete the scene without further incidents.

Iceman 3D is a martial arts film co-directed by Law Wing Cheong (羅永昌) and Donnie, who also serves as the film’s action choreographer. The movie follows protagonist, Ming Dynasty palace guard He Ying. After an imperial official was assassinated, He Ying suddenly finds himself a wanted man when all evidence at the crime scene pointed to his involvement. To make things worse, He Ying’s three sworn brothers joined in on the manhunt. During the heated battle in the snowy mountains, an avalanche buried the four and kept them frozen in time. Fast forward to modern times, He Ying is defrosted from his icy prison. He meets city girl Xiao Mei (Eva Huang 黃聖依) who helps He Ying adjust to the modern life. He Ying later discovers that his sworn brothers are also revived. The four then continue the battle left unfinished from 400 years ago.

This week, Donnie and crew were seen in Tuen Mun filming a crucial outdoor scene. Donnie was very busy directing over 100 extras on the set while acting at the same time. Veteran actor Lo Hoi Pang (盧海鵬) was also on set, and joked that he is lucky to have no fighting scenes opposite Donnie, saying that he is afraid of being hurt by the action star.

In the midst of summer, Donnie and crew were sweating profusely while filming under 30-something degree Celsius heat. In addition to acting, Donnie also walked around frequently to find the best filming angles. After a few hours, Donnie became pale and suffered from discomfort. Worried about heat exhaustion, Donnie took a small break and drank iced water to cool down. He quickly recovered and continued the shoot. At the end of filming, Donnie gathered all the extras for a group photo to keep as a souvenir.

Donnie later spoke of the filming conditions that day. “It was pretty hot. I just sat down to rest for a bit. I work very hard for all of my films. I’ve been in worse situations before, so this is nothing special! Once, I had a high fever as soon as I returned home from a day of filming. I had to take medicine and rest, but I was well enough to continue work the very next day.” Donnie then joked, “I am destined to have a tough life!”

Reporters asked if filming Iceman 3D is tough for him. Donnie replied, “Not at all. However, I try to think of something new for the audience every time I participate in a new film project. The pressure I put on myself is tougher than anything else. For this film, I’ve added some black humor to give the audience a sense of novelty.”

This year marks Donnie and wife Cecilia Wang’s (汪詩詩) 10-year anniversary. When asked about celebration plans, Donnie shared, “I will be attending the Venice Film Festival at the end of August. I will bring my wife along and use that as an opportunity to celebrate.”

Source: Oriental Daily 

This article is written by Katrine for JayneStars.com.