Donnie Yen is making his “John Wick” debut within the upcoming fourth installment as Caine, a blind murderer caught between his ties to the villainous Excessive Desk and his friendship with Keanu Reeves’ eponymous killer. It seems Yen’s character was not initially named Caine. The actor informed GQ magazine that he known as out the “John Wick: Chapter 4” script for together with Asian stereotypes, resulting in adjustments concerning his character’s identify and look within the movie.
“The identify was Shang or Chang,” Yen stated of his “John Wick” character. “Why does he all the time need to be known as Shang or Chang? Why can’t he have a standard identify? Why do you need to be so generic? Then the wardrobe once more—oh, mandarin collars. Why is all the things so generic? This can be a ‘John Wick’ film. Everyone’s alleged to be cool and trendy. Why can’t he look cool and trendy?”
“John Wick: Chapter 4” director Chad Stahelski listened to Yen’s criticism and agreed to switch the character. Yen, who was in a position to redesign the character as an homage to Bruce Lee, maintained that he had “a really respectful expertise engaged on ‘John Wick,’” including, “Total, I loved making the movie.”
It was hardly the primary time Yen performed a job in un-stereotyping a Hollywood tentpole. When Yen was being courted to star because the blind warrior Chirrut Îmwe in Disney’s “Star Wars” prequel film “Rogue One,” the script positioned the character as a stereotypical martial artist.
“One factor I identified is he was a stereotype. Typical grasp. Doesn’t smile,” Yen stated. The actor made his criticisms identified to the “Rogue One” inventive group, who responded by overhauling the script to present Chirrut extra comedic beats. Yen was even afforded alternatives to improvise jokes throughout filming.
“John Wick: Chapter 4” opens in theaters nationwide March 24 from Lionsgate.
