Donnie Yen Says He Hasn’t Seen Shang-Chi: “I Actually Don’t Watch A Lot Of Action Movies”

Just because Donnie Yen makes action movies (and he’s made many) doesn’t mean he watches them.  

Yen, 59, was in town Thursday (Jan 12) to promote his latest offering, Sakra, an adaptation of Louis Cha’s classic wuxia novel, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, out in cinemas on Monday (Jan 16).

Speaking to 8 DAYS and other press at Marina Bay Sands Theatre, the Hong Kong martial arts icon, shared that he has yet to catch Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel’s first Asian-led superhero movie starring Simu Liu and Tony Leung.

“I haven’t, honestly,” said Yen, who previously visited Singapore in 2019 to promote Ip Man 4.

“I have not watched Shang-Chi; I don’t really watch a lot of action movies," he said. "I don’t find action movies that interesting because, maybe perhaps of my expertise, I [tend to be very critical of them]. When I look at action movies, I would say ‘Maybe you should do it in this way, or that way.

“I like films about people. I like character-driven movies, you know? That’s just for my own interest.”

That said, Yen is game to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I’m open for any opportunities for me to use as a platform to represent Chinese culture.”

Yen is no stranger to Marvel. He played Snowman, a member of the Bloodpack, a squad of vampire warriors in 2002’s Blade II, directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Instead of waiting for a phone call from Marvel, Yen is banking on the wuxia genre to be the MCU of Asian cinema. “The Chinese culture is so rich that we have so much content we can explore. We just have to find a way to package it.

“I’ve been in a few Hollywood movies what I’ve learnt is that there are no differences [between Hollywood and Asian productions — it’s all the same film language. The biggest difference is [Hollywood] has more money.”

Elsewhere, 8 DAYS asked Yen if he has plans to make an action flick in Singapore.

Hope you get rich: Donnie Yen's 'Sakra: Singapore Star Tour' on Jan 12, 2023 included a meet-and-greet session at VivoCity, hosted by YES 933 DJs Jeff Goh and HazelleTeo.

“I’d love to,” he said. “I actually explored that possibility. First of all, the story has to take place in Singapore, and I’ve done some [research]. From my understanding, there’s a lot of restrictions here that I can’t do.

“I make action movies. And the action involves violence. There’s a lot of restrictions if I wanna play cops. These are the restrictions that I have to look into. But, of course, I’m open to future opportunities.”

Did Yen have a location in mind? “It would depend on the story,” he said. The story would then dictate where the action will unfold. “So it could be in this room or it could be the beautiful park [Gardens by the Bay] across the street.”

Or the casino downstairs, we ventured.

“The casino? Could be. Of course, the story is going to dictate that.”

Hey, IMDA, are you reading this?

After Sakra, Yen will star alongside Keanu Reeves and Hiroyuki Sanada in John Wick: Chapter 4, in cinemas on Mar 23.

Sakra (NC16) opens in cinemas on Jan 16, with sneaks on Jan 14 and 15.

Photos: Golden Village