Iconic actor and martial artist Donnie Yen reveals that the upcoming John Wick 4 is the most fun he's had on a Hollywood production. After making a name for himself in popular Hong Kong action films like Ip Man and Iron Monkey, earning a reputation as a talented actor and skilled martial artist and fight choreographer, Yen brought his talents to American audiences with roles in big-budget studio movies like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and XXX: Return of Xander Cage.
News broke in early June of this year that Yen would be joining the already stacked cast of the upcoming John Wick 4. Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Asia Kate Dillon, Halle Berry, Lance Reddick, and Laurence Fishburne are all expected to reprise their roles. At the same time, newcomers to the series include Clancy Brown, Bill Skarsgård, Scott Adkins, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rina Sawayama, and Natalia Tena. After numerous delays, John Wick 4 is now in production and is expected to release next year in the spring.
In a new interview with Collider, Donnie Yen revealed that his experience working on John Wick 4 has been very positive. In addition to praising Director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves for their general attitudes and dedicated approaches to the Wick films, Yen states that John Wick 4 is the most fun he's had so far working on a Hollywood movie. Of his experience working on the film, Yen says:
"I have to take this opportunity to [express] my utmost appreciation for Chad [Stahelski] and Keanu [Reeves]," Yen revealed to Collider. "They’re just lovely men, gentlemen, they’ve got a big heart. Keanu’s got a good soul, a good man. Chad is also a very good man, very knowledgeable. People think of him as a brilliant action guy, he’s not [just that], he understands films. He’s a film librarian, he knows what’s going on. I’m having the best time working with them in this movie, [more] than any of my previous Hollywood movies, so I wanted to express my appreciation."
Considering the intense training and dedication required for members of the John Wick cast, it's no surprise that Donnie Yen fits right in, having trained in martial arts since he was nine. Talking specifically about Keanu, Yen went on to say: "He’s great, it’s more than I expected. He’s the guy, he does everything himself. He put in the hours, he put in the work and he can do it. He’s no joke. I have that respect for him, and he’s just a cool guy to be around and to work with." Yen's sentiment reflects what many other John Wick actors have said about Keanu, namely that he is highly committed to training and performing as many of his own stunts and fight scenes as possible.
It's unclear exactly how Yen will play into the upcoming film, but it has been confirmed that he will be playing an ally of John's who has a similar backstory and shares many of the same enemies. Although John Wick seems perfectly capable of taking out hordes of bad guys on his own, John Wick 3's bazaar fight, where John teamed up with Sofia (Berry) for a daring escape, proves that having John fight alongside an ally can be just as entertaining. While Sofia was skilled with a pistol and the art of "gun-fu," it seems likely that Yen's character, considering Yen's real-life skillset and martial arts experience, will be adept at hand-to-hand combat and other non-firearm-related fighting techniques. Whatever role he ends up playing in the film, it's clear Yen is having a great time and getting along well with Reeves and Stahelski, something that hopefully translates onto the screen when John Wick 4 releases next year.
Source: Collider
