Growing up, what were some of the most inspirational films for you?
Growing
up in 1970's and 80's, the movies that made the biggest influential
impact on my life and planted the seed for future development were
ENTER THE DRAGON (1973), ROCKY (1976), RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD, PART II
(1985), DRUNKEN MASTER (1978), and later through my teens, KICKBOXER
(1989), PREDATOR (1987), NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER (1986) and
BLOODSPORT (1988).
What
drew you to the Martial Arts?
Being
a 70s child, I was very much inspired by the late Bruce Lee, who
made a huge global impact on the silver screen. There is a distinct
mysticism about Martial Arts. It's the fusion of Mind, Body and
Spirit, Strength in the body, Knowledge in the mind and Honesty in
the heart. The latter two are taught and appreciated as we mature
into adults but Strength can be appreciated even by a small child as
it is coherent with our primal, animal instincts.
What
do you get the most out of practicing Martial Arts and the intensive
training you do?
Our
life is a synergy between us and the environment around us. It is a
relationship between energy exchange. The more we give, the more we
reap back. In life, we don't always get what we seek, we don't always
gain what we strive for. With training discipline there is a direct
correlation between the effort we put in and the results we get, so
it has always been a healthy outlet for me and I can maintain a
healthy body and optimum health. Martial Arts on the other hand
encompass a holistic approach to optimum health, merging mind, body
and spirit creating balance.
Why
do you feel studying different Martial Arts is important?
On
our quest for personal excellence, we seek the TRUTH. Practising
different Martial Arts disciplines gives us a different perspective
of the truth that we seek and thus broadens our conscious
understanding and therefore our performance.
Was
it always your dream to start making movies?
As
far as I can remember, I was a natural showman and showed a
disposition to tell stories.
Was
it a learning experience adapting to performing Martial Arts on film?
Indeed,
it has been a learning experience. Adapting real combat to an
onscreen staged and choreographed action sequence that would capture
the audience. Nevertheless, having Martial Arts discipline and focus
helped immensely in making this transaction swiftly. As Bruce Lee,
said "Flow like water". As a Martial Artist I strive to
adapt to a new situation and environment with minimum resistance and
full acceptance.
How
was your experience working with Jet Li on UNLEASHED?
Having
this tremendous opportunity to work with Jet Li along choreographer
Yuen Woo-Ping (the action director of the MATRIX films and CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) early on in my career, pushed up my bar beyond
ever imaginable. Learning from these masters was a turning point in
my career in that it motivated me to re-invent myself with an evolved
drive, skill and performance as well as creativity.
Jason
Statham was incredible in learning his moves despite spending very
little time at rehearsals. So much so that one of the first questions
I asked him was how long he had been practising Martial Arts and to
my shock he replied that he had not done any martial arts till this
stage. He pulls it off extremely well.
Did you feel Keanu Reeves had a great understanding of martial arts
on MAN OF TAI CHI, which he also directed?
Keanu
Reeves is an incredibly hard working individual, gives a lot of time
to preparation and covers all angles. He picked up a lot of knowledge
on martial arts choreography during his shoot of the MATRIX films,
but he had a strong 15-20 man stunt choreography team from Hong Kong,
led by Yuen Woo-Ping, who were his advisory committee.
Which
actors/ martial artists that you have worked with have been the most
fun or inspirational?
I
always have the most fun working with my friend Scott Adkins. We have
worked on five features along side each other, performed countless
live shows and seminars, and have been close friends for 17 years, so
because we trust one another, we gel quickly and make the action
choreography fun, fast, dynamic and spectacular each and every time.
His
creativity is amazing, although he doesn't leave much of that
creativity to the individual artist. But nevertheless, I love his
fluidity of dynamics on the screen.
How
about Corey Yuen on D.O.A.?
Corey
Yuen is a lot more relaxed to work with, and he likes to bring out
the best qualities from each individual. Therefore, he is very much
open to individual strengths, creativity and freedom of expression.
Which
fight scene from your movies are you the most proudest of?
My
fight scene against Jet Li in UNLEASHED took the longest time to
shoot, and Jet Li said at the time that it was the longest fight
scene he had ever done. It took us 3 1/2 weeks to choreograph,
rehearse and shoot that fight scene and there was so much to learn
from the experience.
What
has been the most dangerous scene you have worked on?
I
worked in Bollywood (India) alongside the big star Sanjay Dutt. We
had a big fight scene on a roof top. It was super scary fighting
right on the edge of an 11 storey building and to top it off, I get
kicked off the building in the movie. I had to do it three times, in
three takes. It was super scary considering that health and safety
did not come across as their priority, despite having an air bubble
cushioning my high fall, as well as being wired on a rig.
What's
the worst injury you have had on a film?
Just
minor scratches and bruises.
I
have travelled the world through my film career and before that
competing. South and North Korea, Argentina, USA, India, Sri Lanka,
all over Europe, Russia several times, Thailand, China many times. I
was most impressed with Thailand and Thai people. A land of smiling
faces, full of beautiful culture, rich history and beautiful food. I
loved everything about it during the three month shoot.
What
was the experience of making your new film KNIGHTS OF THE DAMNED
like?
It
was a lot of fun, yet very challenging as the whole movie was shot in
merely 3 1/2 weeks. I believe this major obstacle created a super
tight and close environment for the cast and crew, having to make
the most of the resources we had.
What
other films do you have coming out?
The
next five months will see the release of three movies I worked on:
TRANSIT 17, OUT FOR VENGEANCE and THE DARK KINGDOM.
Have
you set yourself any particular goals for the next five years? Where
would you like your career to be?
I
juggle my life between my film career - directing, producing and
acting. I run a successful and growing martial arts association.
Lastly and most importantly, I am a father and a husband. I will
always strive to have a fine balance between them, always seeking to
grow, expand and develop in every field but most importantly look
after my loving family and my 3 year old boy. I am in a good place
now and intend to continue along the same path although I can see
myself getting more into directing and producing.
KNIGHTS OF THE DAMNED is available on DVD and VOD.
Samac's website.
Interview by Paul Rowlands. Copyright © Paul Rowlands, 2018. All rights reserved.
KNIGHTS OF THE DAMNED is available on DVD and VOD.
Samac's website.
Interview by Paul Rowlands. Copyright © Paul Rowlands, 2018. All rights reserved.
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