Donnie Yen talks ‘Star Wars Rogue One’ says he’s a ‘good and benevolent character’
Donnie Yen is synonymous with his role of Ip Man, the Wing Chun grand master who was the martial arts teacher of Bruce Lee.
He is reprising his role in Ip Man 3, which opens in Hong Kong and China on Christmas Eve, but also recently shot Star Wars spinoff Rogue One, says of his role that “I am very proud to be the first Chinese actor cast in Rogue One. It was a good and benevolent character.”
Yen said he was not allowed to say more about his character in the film, telling THR that he was like a kid in a candy store while filming.
“I felt like I was in a theme park everyday when shooting Rogue One in Pinewood Studios in Britain,” he said. “I have learned and experienced a lot.”
Ip Man 3 opened in Hong Kong a week after Star Wars: The Force Awakens bowed at cinemas and Yen wasn’t concerned about the competition: “When Star Wars succeeds at the box office, I succeed, because I’m now part of the family. Other than that, I feel like there should be options for the audience. I will definitely go see Star Wars, but I’m even more determined to go see Ip Man 3.”
Check out the full interview, Yen’s comments on the new film and the marial arts genre – click here
Directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla), the film also stars Felicity Jones as a rebel leader, Riz Ahmed and Diego Luna will also be Rebel characters, with Ben Mendelsohn tapped as a villain. Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen and Alan Tudyk also have roles.
Rogue One is set to arrive in theaters on December 16, 2016.
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