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Martial art is a form of expression, an expression from your inner self to your hands and legs.

Donnie Yen

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Donnie Yen
Age: 61
Born: 1963
Born: July 27
Actor
Choreographer
Film Actor
Film Director
Film Producer
Judoka
Karateka
Martial Artist
Producer
Taekwondo Athlete
Television Actor
Canton
Donnie Yen Ji-dan
Inner
Motivational
Expression
Art
Hands
Form
Self
Martial
Legs

More quotes by Donnie Yen

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For me, I like to have explosive moments, whether it is a particular movement itself in the whole sequence. I like to have shocking moments for audiences to feel, like, 'Whoa!' It's always been my forte.
Donnie Yen
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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.'
Donnie Yen
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My action follows my characters. If a character is a cop, you cannot be posing all the time, you cannot fly off the roof because it doesn't make any sense - it's not practical.
Donnie Yen
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For me, the challenge of a period film is that, unlike a contemporary film where the character can be very free-form when it comes to the acting, there's a burden to acting in a period film because you have to stay within the character's historical background and the gestures of certain periods.
Donnie Yen
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When you direct a movie, you're basically looking at a story, the way you want to look at it. You bring that director's vision, and I'm totally open for that.
Donnie Yen
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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.
Donnie Yen
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Like any other actor, I draw on life experience.
Donnie Yen
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Better to be called something positive and inspirational than something negative.
Donnie Yen
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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.
Donnie Yen
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I spent a couple of years doing American films. I did a few.
Donnie Yen
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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.
Donnie Yen
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I think a lot of people don't realize that martial arts are just an expression like anything else. It's just that most people are not trained to punch or kick, but you can walk or run or dance, which is also part of expression.
Donnie Yen
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I certainly hope 'Dragon' can leave some legacy behind.
Donnie Yen
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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.
Donnie Yen
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In Hollywood, I'm lucky, I only do big movies like 'Blade.' It's much more comfortable: you have a trailer.
Donnie Yen
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The main reason I like UFC is not just the martial arts aspect, but it's about one person against the other person. It's about being able to test yourself with the truth.
Donnie Yen
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I think every actor wants to try out different things.
Donnie Yen
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I love working with older actors because number one, I can learn so much from them because they have so much experience. And it's fun to hear their stories from their era, some of the jokes.
Donnie Yen
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For me, shooting, editing, and scoring rely on rhythm.
Donnie Yen
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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.
Donnie Yen