Donnie Yen spoke about recurrently falling out along with his mentor, Yuen Woo-ping, telling GQ, “As an outspoken individual, I at all times questioned, ‘Why can we do that? Why is it this fashion?'” That questioning nature adopted Yen all through his profession, coming in useful as soon as he seen Hollywood’s proclivity for enjoying up Asian stereotypes.

The actor recalled being requested to seem in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” his first main Hollywood position after being criminally underused in earlier movies like “Blade 2” again within the early 2000s. However earlier than he signed on to the “Star Wars” challenge, Yen was adamant that his Chirrut Îmwe character not grow to be a stereotype. As he defined in his latest profile, “One factor I identified is he was a stereotype. Typical grasp. Does not smile.” As a means so as to add extra dimension to the staff-wielding warrior, Yen prompt he play him as a blind character with a humorousness, permitting the actor to crack jokes whereas filming and, in flip, take a standardly stoic warrior character to new locations.

It was this need to not grow to be a stereotype that pushed Yen to strategy Chad Stahelski earlier than filming “John Wick: Chapter 4.” Moderately than the “Ip Man” star merely eager to put on a “cool go well with,” Yen defined:

“The title was Shang or Chang. Why does he at all times need to be referred to as Shang or Chang? Why cannot he have a standard title? Why do you must be so generic? Then the wardrobe once more — Oh, mandarin collars. Why is all the things so generic? This can be a John Wick film. Everyone’s speculated to be cool and trendy. Why cannot he look cool and trendy?”

That was sufficient to persuade Stahelski, who made Yen’s adjustments with seemingly little to no hesitation.