While Donnie Yen shocked the world with his action skills in John Wick: Chapter Four, he has been in the business for a long time. The actor/martial artist has been bringing mixed martial arts into cinema since the early 2000s. Donnie Yen is well-versed in a multitude of skills including, Tai Chi, Taekwondo, Wushu, Kickboxing, and so, so much more.
However, when it came to practicing Wing Chun, Donnie Yen was taken aback. The form was just too complicated for him to master. The actor had to learn the martial art form for his hugely popular film franchise, Ip Man. The film was based on an ancient practitioner of the same name who had mastered Wing Chun.
Also Read: Donnie Yen Net Worth – How Much Money Has Ip Man Star Made from John Wick 4
Donnie Yen Had Trouble Learning Wing Chun
The Ip Man franchise has four films to its name, excluding the spin-off, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy. Donnie Yen brought the titular character to life with his flawless martial art techniques. Ip Man, apart from being the grandmaster of Wing Chun, also trained the renowned martial artist and actor, Bruce Lee.
Since Ip Man was a master of Wing Chun, Yen had to spend a long time trying to get a hold of it. Despite doing four films for the franchise (and a cameo in the spin-off), Yen revealed that he has not been able to completely grasp Wing Chun. Talking to Men’s Journal, Yen stated,
“I was portraying an ancient practitioner—not to mention a revered figure, beyond being the teacher of Bruce Lee—so I worked with Wing Chun experts for about three months. I spent hours breaking down moves and ideas. It’s impossible for anyone to understand everything there is to know about Wing Chun and to be at [his] level.
I would have had to study for decades with no other responsibilities. [All I could] do was try to understand what I could of the philosophies and build on the foundation I’ve built over the years of various martial arts styles. I don’t think this role could really be done by someone without that [existing] knowledge of martial arts.”
Martial art is not everyone’s cup of tea, yet Yen has proven his skills time and again. And even though he couldn’t master the one martial art form, he was skilled enough to have pulled off the role with such grace and perfection.
Apart from learning Wing Chun, Yen also did his best to get into Ip Man’s character. He would meditate on him, listen to music he felt represented the grandmaster, and spend a long time studying his character. Talk about dedication!
Is Donnie Yen Returning for a Fifth Ip Man?
The fourth and supposedly the last film of the franchise ended with the death of Ip Man. The film is literally called Ip Man 4: The Finale which sounds like the ultimate end to the franchise, doesn’t it? As it turns out, there is more to the story.
At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Yen and Mandarin Motion Pictures studio announced three new films that will star the actor. These include Misjudgement, Flashpoint: Resurgence, and surprisingly, Ip Man 5. Yen also shared a photo of the film’s poster which showed a training dummy in the center of the room with unconscious men lying around it. We are already excited to see how it all unfolds and where the story goes given the fact that Ip Man died in the fourth film. Only time will tell!
You can stream Ip Man on Netflix.
Source: Men’s Journal
