Friday Beyond Spotlights – Donnie Yen: Punch Above Your Weight

Friday Beyond Spotlights is an informative yet light-hearted talk show airing every Friday at 8:30pm on Hong Kong International Business Channel (#76). The English language program features the most influential guests who share their insights into current affairs, business, innovation and culture, as well as their ingenuity, passion and grit which forge their Lion Rock Spirit. The show is hosted by businessman and philanthropist Patrick Tsang On-yip, lawyer and lawmaker Nick Chan Hiu-fung, and seasoned business maverick Herman Hu Shao-ming.

Hosted by Patrick Tsang, episode 7 of Season 2 presents Donnie Yen, an international film star renowned for his roles in the Ip Man series, Flash Point and Star Wars Rogue One. In his career that spans 40 years, Yen has appeared in nearly 80 movies. Apart from being an actor, Yen is also a director and producer. His directing debut in 1996-97 went into financial troubles. At one point he only had HK$100 in his bank account and had to eat the lunch box from his producers. Nevertheless, he declined offers to make money as an actor as he wanted to pursue his own directing projects. “At that time, what I had to do was to learn from mistakes and continue going forward,” he recalls.

Yen says filmmakers have to focus on the Mainland China as it’s the biggest market in the world, and as Chinese filmmakers still face some unequal opportunities in Hollywood, such as the stereotyping of Chinese actors. He feels a certain responsibility as a Chinese man to use his platform as a filmmaker to represent and promote the Chinese culture on the global stage.

He wants to continue to make films that bring out positivity and to inspire people. “I’ve been asked many times, have you taken any students and how do you pass the torch? For me, that is not the most effective way to pass on your knowledge, the greatest influence is making an influential movie.”

Yen’s unyielding Lion Rock Spirit rests on his firm belief that “our destiny is in our own hands”, and that if we keep trying we can achieve new heights. “In the Chinese culture, palmistry defines our entire life, but at the same time, I believe if we work hard and continue to strive forward, we can change our destiny, and change the path of our life as well.” He also shares some of the little-known facts of his life beyond the spotlights, including his first job at the age of 14, his hidden talent, and his greatest fear. After an absence of directing in the past decade, Yen has just directed and produced his latest movie − Sakra, which will be released in Hong Kong on January 19.

To find out more, watch Episode 7 of Friday Beyond Spotlights tonight at 8:30pm on the HKIBC channel (#76).

Watch the trailer of Episode 7 on https://youtu.be/anzf6hmdMGI