Photo: VCG/VCG via GettyDonnie Yenhad a few notes regarding his character inJohn Wick 4when he signed on to joinKeanu Reeves' action franchise.While speaking withGQfor an interview published Tuesday, longtime Hong Kong action star Yen, 59, said that his character in the upcoming movie was originally “so generic” before heapproached director Chad Stahelski about making alterations.“The name was Shang or Chang,” Yen told the outlet of his character, another assassin in the world ofJohn Wicknamed Caine. “Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Why can’t he have a normal name? Why do you have to be so generic?““Then the wardrobe again—oh, mandarin collars,” he added. “Why is everythingso generic? This is aJohn Wickmovie. Everybody’s supposed to be cool and fashionable. Why can’t he look cool and fashionable?“Ultimately, Yen toldGQhe “enjoyed making"John Wick 4and that his character’s re-designed look serves as “partly” an homage to his own action movie hero,Bruce Lee.LionsgateElsewhere in the interview, Yen noted that this kind of typecasting is not unique to this role. He recalled that when he joined the cast of 2016’sRogue One: A Star Wars Story, he had to tell Disney and Lucasfilm that his character Chirrut Îmwe “was a stereotype.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“One thing I pointed out is he was a stereotype. Typical master. Doesn’t smile,” the actor recalled, noting that it was his idea to make Chirrut blind and that he improvised the character’s jokes on set.While discussingJohn Wick 4withTotal Filmin a January interview, 58-year-old Reeves himself said that the upcoming sequel is “the hardest physical role I’ve ever had in my career so far.““They really trained me up to be able to have what we call the toolbox,” he said, while revealing that he also upped his stunt-driving skills for some action-packed scenes set in Paris.“We took the car-driving to the next level, which I really enjoy,” theMatrixstar explained. “There’s 180s, forward-into-reverse 180s, reverse-into-forward 270s, drifting. … So it was really fun to get a chance to learn those skills, and to play.“Beyond Yen and Reeves, the movie also starsBill Skarsgard, Ian McShane,Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada (Bullet Train), Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick,pop musician Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Natalie Tena and Aimée Kwan.John Wick: Chapter 4blasts into theaters March 24.
Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty
Donnie Yenhad a few notes regarding his character inJohn Wick 4when he signed on to joinKeanu Reeves' action franchise.While speaking withGQfor an interview published Tuesday, longtime Hong Kong action star Yen, 59, said that his character in the upcoming movie was originally “so generic” before heapproached director Chad Stahelski about making alterations.“The name was Shang or Chang,” Yen told the outlet of his character, another assassin in the world ofJohn Wicknamed Caine. “Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Why can’t he have a normal name? Why do you have to be so generic?““Then the wardrobe again—oh, mandarin collars,” he added. “Why is everythingso generic? This is aJohn Wickmovie. Everybody’s supposed to be cool and fashionable. Why can’t he look cool and fashionable?“Ultimately, Yen toldGQhe “enjoyed making"John Wick 4and that his character’s re-designed look serves as “partly” an homage to his own action movie hero,Bruce Lee.LionsgateElsewhere in the interview, Yen noted that this kind of typecasting is not unique to this role. He recalled that when he joined the cast of 2016’sRogue One: A Star Wars Story, he had to tell Disney and Lucasfilm that his character Chirrut Îmwe “was a stereotype.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“One thing I pointed out is he was a stereotype. Typical master. Doesn’t smile,” the actor recalled, noting that it was his idea to make Chirrut blind and that he improvised the character’s jokes on set.While discussingJohn Wick 4withTotal Filmin a January interview, 58-year-old Reeves himself said that the upcoming sequel is “the hardest physical role I’ve ever had in my career so far.““They really trained me up to be able to have what we call the toolbox,” he said, while revealing that he also upped his stunt-driving skills for some action-packed scenes set in Paris.“We took the car-driving to the next level, which I really enjoy,” theMatrixstar explained. “There’s 180s, forward-into-reverse 180s, reverse-into-forward 270s, drifting. … So it was really fun to get a chance to learn those skills, and to play.“Beyond Yen and Reeves, the movie also starsBill Skarsgard, Ian McShane,Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada (Bullet Train), Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick,pop musician Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Natalie Tena and Aimée Kwan.John Wick: Chapter 4blasts into theaters March 24.
Donnie Yenhad a few notes regarding his character inJohn Wick 4when he signed on to joinKeanu Reeves' action franchise.
While speaking withGQfor an interview published Tuesday, longtime Hong Kong action star Yen, 59, said that his character in the upcoming movie was originally “so generic” before heapproached director Chad Stahelski about making alterations.
“The name was Shang or Chang,” Yen told the outlet of his character, another assassin in the world ofJohn Wicknamed Caine. “Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Why can’t he have a normal name? Why do you have to be so generic?”
“Then the wardrobe again—oh, mandarin collars,” he added. “Why is everythingso generic? This is aJohn Wickmovie. Everybody’s supposed to be cool and fashionable. Why can’t he look cool and fashionable?”
Ultimately, Yen toldGQhe “enjoyed making"John Wick 4and that his character’s re-designed look serves as “partly” an homage to his own action movie hero,Bruce Lee.
Lionsgate
Elsewhere in the interview, Yen noted that this kind of typecasting is not unique to this role. He recalled that when he joined the cast of 2016’sRogue One: A Star Wars Story, he had to tell Disney and Lucasfilm that his character Chirrut Îmwe “was a stereotype.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“One thing I pointed out is he was a stereotype. Typical master. Doesn’t smile,” the actor recalled, noting that it was his idea to make Chirrut blind and that he improvised the character’s jokes on set.
While discussingJohn Wick 4withTotal Filmin a January interview, 58-year-old Reeves himself said that the upcoming sequel is “the hardest physical role I’ve ever had in my career so far.”
“They really trained me up to be able to have what we call the toolbox,” he said, while revealing that he also upped his stunt-driving skills for some action-packed scenes set in Paris.
“We took the car-driving to the next level, which I really enjoy,” theMatrixstar explained. “There’s 180s, forward-into-reverse 180s, reverse-into-forward 270s, drifting. … So it was really fun to get a chance to learn those skills, and to play.”
Beyond Yen and Reeves, the movie also starsBill Skarsgard, Ian McShane,Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada (Bullet Train), Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick,pop musician Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Natalie Tena and Aimée Kwan.
John Wick: Chapter 4blasts into theaters March 24.
source: people.com
