In the world of stunts and action, be a member of a stunt team Jackie Chan - a real honor, and Andy Cheng can proudly count this among his list of achievements. A native of Hong Kong, Andy began a career in competitive martial arts, which eventually led him to stunt work and action filmmaking. What could be more suitable for this trajectory of life than to eventually join a stunt team? Jackie Chan?
During his career in action films Andy Cheng worked not only with such legends as Jackie Chan и Sammo Hungg, but also with other big names in the world of action, such as Dwayne Johnson, Daniel Wu, Isaac Florentine and many, many others. Along the way, Andy founded his own stunt team and became involved in screenwriting and filmmaking himself. Naturally, his long career as a stuntman in Hollywood and Hong Kong has served him well in this career leap!
Today KFK sits next to Andy Cheng, to discuss his career with Chan's stunt team, his extensive career in the martial arts and film business, and the incredible depth of knowledge and wisdom he has acquired from all angles. He's also one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet, so without further ado, please say hello Andy Cheng!
Hello Andy! Welcome to Kung Fu Kingdom! Nice talking to you and hope you are doing well..
Yes, I'm doing great, Brad, thanks!
Cool, Andy! So, before we begin, let us quickly get your thoughts on our mission to inspire 100 million people around the world to take up martial arts for all the positive benefits it brings to people, physically, mentally and socially - what do you think about it? goals?
This is good, keep it up! Martial arts must never die! You guys are doing a great job!
Background and influence
Thank you, we definitely believe in the benefits of martial arts! So let's start with how you started doing martial arts. How old were you when you started studying martial arts and what disciplines did you study?
Well, I started very early, but I didn't go to a specific school. My brother studied Hungg Kuen, so I started when I was 10 or 11 years old and began to study the same style or differently the Tiger-Crane style, but I studied with my older brother, not a teacher.
Then, when I was 13 years old, I started training in Taekwondo and began competing in the WTF Olympic style. So I competed for Hong Kong and then I got the opportunity to work with Jackie Chan, that's why I'm here now!
I was just about to ask if that's why you became interested in stunt work?
Yeah, and then about 10 years later I worked with Jackie.
Who would you say has influenced you the most in martial arts and filmmaking?
Definitely Jackie Chan. When I decided to work in film, I was inspired "Police Story". That's what made me say, "Oh, I want to make movies," and I basically grew up where he did the stunt where he went down the hill on the bus.
I rolled down that hill every day after school and said, “I can do what he does!” That’s why I wanted to work in film.
Life with Jackie Chan's stunt team
Wow, incredible! So what kind of mentorship or guidance did you receive from Jackie when you worked with him on his team?
Well, we really are like family. He let us create the combinations the way we wanted and then he either tweaked them or brought his own spin, but the whole process is about everyone working together, like a team or a family. So that was really cool for me because of the opportunity to be involved in the creative side, and then later on when you gain his trust, you do more, so that's really cool.
Jackie has a very unique fighting style and approach to action, how has that helped shape yours?
Well, I still kind of follow his style. I remember when I first saw "Mr. Cool" and his choreography, because this is my first film with Jackie, and I actually saw how he planned everything. He never does one move, it's a whole scene, so it's very different from just doing one or two punches and then the next move. It's more like a complete package and he knows where he wants everything.
So basically we have a main idea of structure and you build on that and we know where we're going. In one fight it could be, "We're on the table and it goes from there, or we're on the stage."
So it's not really a style based on any martial art, it's based on what we want to do with the main object or idea and then based on that we put material into it.For example, in "John Wick" Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and wrestling are used, and even with weapons they used it much like Jiu-Jitsu, so you can see "Oh, it's Judo or Jiu-Jitsu." With Jackie you don't look at it and say, "Oh, that's Wing Chun," we're really wide open in putting different things into the structure or the core idea. It's not exactly specific, like "Oh, that's Taekwondo or that's Karate" when you see Jackie Chan, you don't say, "Oh, he's using Taekwondo or Wing Chun now," so that's his style. It's about using any location, situation or prop, such as a ladder fight in "First Strike"...
Speaking of which, what are some of your favorite films that you've worked on as part of Jackie Chan's stunt team?
Well, every movie has something really funny. "Peak hour" was great "Rush Hour 2" was amazing, really good memories of all of them. If I had to choose something, I think "Who am I?" и "Rush Hour 2" would be one of my favorites. One of Jackie's films that I didn't work on but would have loved to have was "Drunken Master 2". I was still working in TV at the time, but I would have liked to have worked on this film. He would be one of my favorites.
Life of a Hong Kong stuntman
Drunken Master 2 is definitely a classic! So what's the worst injury you've suffered in your stunt career and how did you overcome it?
Probably my worst injury was when I dislocated my elbow while working on TV series. For a whole year after that, I could not bend my arm. And the incident that almost killed me was in "Rush Hour 2"when I almost drowned. We had a big fight scene on a boat and I had to kick Jackie and he hit someone and they pushed two of us stunt guys into the water. I asked for a dub of the guy being kicked into the water, I thought it would be a fun stunt. But I got caught in the current, it was past midnight, and we didn't have any lifeguards or anything. I'm spinning under the current and saying to myself in English "Andy, this trick isn't funny anymore!", but I'm lucky to be saved by Jackie.
ABOUT! Glad to hear you got out of it! So what are your favorite fight scenes or stunts you've helped choreograph in your career?
Hmmm. I think the fight is on the roof "Who am I?" pretty cool, and also a fight in a massage parlor in "Rush Hour 2".
A little personal note from me - “Who am I?” - the first DVD I had as a child!
Oh really?
Yep, great DVD for your first purchase! So, as a Hong Kong industry insider, what are your favorite Hong Kong action films, other than those from your own filmography?
One of my favorites - filmed Sammo Hoon film "Dragon Heart". I really like it, it has a good story and crazy stunts, so it's one of my favorites. The bathroom scene makes me cry and there are some great fights too. I also really like one of Donnie Yen's films - "Tiger and Dragon Gate"and "SPL" good too.
Yes, Donnie has really made a breakthrough in the last few years, and outside of Hong Kong too.
Yes, I had a chance to watch it too "John Wick 4" earlier because I know the director Chad Stahelski. It was very, very good, mind blowing! You definitely won't be disappointed. If you like martial arts movies, this movie will give you everything!
An amazing assessment of the film "John Wick: Chapter 4". What are your impressions of some of the martial artists in the cast, like Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror?
Yes, Scott is great in it, as is Marko Zaror... All in "John Wick 4" For me it's rated A+, and it will be very difficult to beat that!
Of course, this is to be expected from the John Wick movie! So, what do you think is the biggest difference between stunt work in Hollywood and Hong Kong?
Well, 20 or so years ago, working in Hong Kong, we didn't have that much time to rehearse. We did a lot of the choreography on set and filming, so it all happened right there. When I started working in Hollywood, I remember "Peak hour" we had much more time to prepare than in Hong Kong. Overall, Hong Kong is much more fast-paced and has more surprises - and by that I mean there's a lot more to come after the choreography is done.
In Hollywood you basically follow a script, choreography or rehearsal, and you will have a previs where you see the scene before you shoot it in Hollywood, but not in Hong Kong. Now, with laptops and editing on set, you can see on set what the scene is like and decide, “Oh, we need to do another take.”
I haven't been to China for a while, but I know they've made a lot of progress and I was in a movie there "Tai Chi Zero" with Stephen Fung about ten years ago, where we had rehearsals and previs for about three months.Now the style of working in Hong Kong and Hollywood is much more similar, they do rehearsals, pre-production and previs before filming, so now both styles are almost mixed, which is a big change.
Working with the Rock
You've also worked on films with The Rock, starting with The Scorpion King. What was it like working with The Rock on his first film as a leading man?
"The Scorpion King" was interesting. It was The Rock's first film, and I was there when they were doing reshoots and helping with the fight scenes. The opening scene wasn't originally in the film, so we created it, the fight in the middle of the film with the gong, and we remade the ending, and we spent about two or three weeks on it, and also added the fight of the Rock and Michael Clarke Duncan.
This was my first studio film as a stunt coordinator, and immediately after that "The Scorpion King" became quite successful, meeting all expectations, and the producer took me to the next film of the Rock - "Treasure of the Amazon".
On the film, I was the stunt coordinator, fight coordinator, and second unit director, so that helped me get into the Directors Guild of America (DGA). It was a really good career climb for me.
Amazon Treasure is one of my favorite Rock films, and you brought a lot of Hong Kong influence into it with your fight scenes, especially The Rock's fight with Ernie Race Jr. What can you tell us about the experience of creating all the amazing fight scenes?
This is the fight I talked to the director about Peter Bergand I said, "B "The Scorpion King" he had a lot of fight scenes with big soldiers, so how about now he fights little guys?” We cast a lot of young stuntmen and many of them were dancers or capoeiristas. I also wanted there to be a main guy leading them, and I knew Ernie from "Rush Hour 2", so I pitched him to the director, and he liked Ernie - he made him the leader.
Working with Garrett Warren
Yes, it's a great fight scene, and the whip fight at the end with Garrett Warren leading the baddies was fantastic too!
It was actually Garrett's first film as a stuntman after he lost his eye, and I pitched it to the director. We had three guys with two whips each, and the whip fight in the movie is actually about ten percent of what we shot, but they decided to chop it up and add a few things, like when The Rock takes down a building and a water tower . Originally, the three guys with whips were almost like Spiderman with a lot of rope work, almost like the staircase fight in "Once Upon a Time in China".
Wow, I love this fight and it turned out great, but it sounds like a lot was cut, unfortunately! OK, overall, what was it like working with The Rock when he was just starting out in movies?
First of all, Dwayne is a great guy, a great person with a good heart, and he's really good at choreography because of his background in professional wrestling. He remembers the choreography very well, he's one of the best guys I've ever worked with as a fight choreographer. One or two rehearsals and by then he'd have it all memorized, and it's worth noting that you might say in the middle, "How about we change this or that?" and he could work on it for a month, but if you change it, he will still be able to remember everything easily.
He is also a very humble guy. When we were filming "The Scorpion King", was his first film as a star, but he was already a star in the wrestling world. He's very humble, so we had a really good time filming his debut. And then on the set "Treasure of the Amazon" it was even more fun because we had more time to rehearse.
Did you try to give his fighting style in the film a kung fu or Hong Kong influence?
Well, as in the case of working with Jackie Chan, we fit the choreo into what we need for the episode. In a big fight with the little guys in "Treasure of the Amazon" they throw tomahawks, pick him up and throw him into a tree, and then he does a kickup and double kick kick to kick two guys before he lands. It was very different from what he had done before in wrestling with the rope work, so it was kind of a Hong Kong action influence that we brought in.
Was The Rock a fan of Hong Kong action films?
Well, he knew my background working with Jackie, so we talked a lot about him, and the film itself "Treasure of the Amazon" - action comedy.
Andy Cheng on working with Isaac Florentine
And about great things! You also worked with Isaac Florentine on his film SEAL Team 2. What can you tell us about the experience and working with this famous martial arts film director?
Isaac is amazing and he's a really, really crazy, die-hard martial arts fan and I'm really lucky to work with him. And I even got to play a character in a film, which was new for me because I had never been an on-camera actor. He also let me be the second unit director and I shot all the action for him. He gave me a lot of freedom and really trusted me and I also got the opportunity to work in Bulgaria on the film.
Michael Worth - a guy who's great to work with, and Isaac, because he's such a die-hard martial arts fan, whenever I suggested, "Let's do this or that," he loved it. He had never worked with a guy from Hong Kong before, and I remember after that he also invited me to "American Special Forces" with Scott Adkins, but at the time I was working on, like, "The Scorpion King", so, unfortunately, I had to refuse. We haven't had the opportunity to work together since then, but I would love to work with him again. It's fun because it's really hard to find a director who will let you make a proper martial arts movie, and he's the one!
Work on the series “In the Desert of Death”
Yes, Isaac is a real martial arts expert! You were also an action director on the series Into the Desert of Death. What can you tell us about working on the series and creating amazing wire-fu fight scenes?
This takes us to the time when I returned to China to work on "Tai Chi Zero", which was directed by Stephen Fung. Stephen was also one of the producers "In the Desert of Death", and they filmed the first season in New Orleans. When they were hired for the second season, Steven called me and asked if I would like to join the series, and I said, “Yes!” In the series, we had a drama crew and an action crew, and I was in the second one, and I continued into the third season, which had even more episodes.
I was lucky because I was there for seasons two and three, because we were originally supposed to run for four seasons, but unfortunately something happened with the broadcast behind the scenes, so it was canceled at the last minute. Season four was going to be even crazier because we were going to have guns. In the last shot of season three, the boy picks up a gun, and this was a setup for season four, which was supposed to be wuxia with guns, so it would be like "Shanghai Noon" with cables and using chi energy. The plan for the fourth season was supposed to be even bigger, but, unfortunately, we were not able to do it.
It is sad. HBO Max picked up Warrior, so hopefully another streaming service can do the same for Into the Wilderness.
Yes, you never know! I think they would love to do it. We got canceled I think in October and we were supposed to come back in February but we didn't make it.
It's clear. So, what are your fondest memories of working with so many amazing martial artists like Daniel Wu, Cung Le, Lewis Tan, Sherman Augustus and many more?
I liked the breakthrough Daniela Wu to the States, as well as the appearance Kunga Le in the series and then again in the second season. The ending is very cool when Badjie pulls Pilgrim into the sky and Daniel defeats him. Daniel has a background in Wushu and is good at sword fighting and choreography. His fight on the stairs and in the snow with Cung Le really cool and Kung is amazing. I also really liked the fight with the Widow in the red cloak and the other one in the black cloak, so there's a lot of storytelling because the actress is fighting herself [being a dancer]. Daniel fighting with Moon in the church in season 2, I also thought that was really cool.
Into the Desert of Death is definitely some incredible kung fu action! Looking back at your work with Jackie now, one of his Hollywood films you worked on was Shanghai Noon? What can you tell us about this experience?
I didn't work on "Shanghai Knights", because by that time he had taken up directing himself.
"Shanghai Noon" was really funny because I'd worked with Jackie before on films set in modern times, so this film was the only one that was in a different genre. So we had more opportunities to fight with swords and guns, and Jackie also fights the Indians in the film. So I liked the opportunity to do something different from what we've done before. And after Jackie took off "Drunken Master 2", I knew he was really good with weapons, spears, poles, and kunai on a rope. We actually learned how to use a horseshoe on a rope for the first time on the spot and he picked it up so quickly.
Andy Cheng on working on Shang-Chi with the late Brad Allan
Jackie is a fast learner! Looking a little into the world of superheroes, you were also one of the fight choreographers for the Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. What can you tell us about working on Marvel's big kung fu movie? What was it like working with one of the most incredible performers from Fight Club and your fellow member of Jackie Chan's stunt team, Brad Allan, who we all miss dearly after his sad passing?
Brad Allan was my little brother on the stunt team Jackie Chan. When he got the job, he called me and asked if I wanted to join, and I said, “Of course, yes!” because it had a lot of Chinese content and Chinese culture. He had a lot of ideas and wanted me to come in to help him and he also asked me what I thought about the film as the first Asian superhero? And I said, "Well, first of all, Shang-Chi is based on Bruce Lee, and besides, none of the Marvel superheroes use a lot of kicks." They all use hammers and shields, so I said we should use more kicks. Sim Liu studied Taekwondo and had some experience in kicking, so we all agreed that it could be really good and we have one of the best superhero kickers.
Brad Allan's massive breakthrough
So I joined the project and then Brad also told me, “This is the first martial arts movie of this scale, with a big studio and a huge budget,” so we knew it was a big opportunity for Chinese culture and martial arts. You know you're part of a franchise, but with this movie you're like, "Okay, we want to make this the best we can with martial arts and Chinese elements."
After I came to the States, we all [on our team] started working independently, so it was really the first time we were really collaborating as a team in 20 years. It really meant a lot to me to work with again Brad Allan, because his style is very different from mine, but I learned by collaborating with him. Unfortunately, he didn't see it and he's up there now, but I think we did a good job with the first Asian superhero.
We were all shocked to hear of Brad Allan's untimely death.
Yes, he was a wonderful man, a wonderful father, a wonderful filmmaker, and he didn't have bad habits like drinking or gambling, he was very focused.
Did you happen to get a call about Shang-Chi 2?
Let's see. Right now I think they are still waiting for the script. The first one was a lot about where the father comes from, and the second one I think should be more part of the Marvel universe.
Andy Cheng's Combat Inspiration
So, do you think there are any martial arts films that you look to as a basis or inspiration for fight choreography?
It must be Jackie Chan! There are many, many different great people: Sammo Hunga really good style Yuen Woo-ping good style Chin Xiu Tuna good style, Donnie has good style, so does John Wick. I mean every different style has something special to it and to me it's a lot like Jeet Kune Do Bruce Lee — what's right for the scene, what's right for the character, and the philosophy of Jeet Kune Do really stuck in my head.
Remember that Jackie's style doesn't have to be anything special, it's what's in it that matters. Donny also has his own style, he uses a lot of MMA and grappling, so his style is more realistic, modern street fighting style. When you see Jackie he can do what you see in "Police Story" in his early films, but he also makes comedies. So sometimes it depends on the story or the character, it has to be flexible and no shape is a shape.
Achievements
This is a great approach to action design. So Andy, what would you say is your biggest achievement so far?
Well, as for me, I was the first winner of the award Bruce Lee last year which I received from Shannon Lee and fund. So, personally I think that in addition to working with Jackie Chan in such numbers, this is one of the greatest achievements for me personally. My son has also won several major golf tournaments, so as a father I am very proud that he has achieved this.
Entertainment and recreation
Worthy of respect. Looking at entertainment and leisure now, what's something interesting or cool that people don't know about you?
I love golf and so do my kids. Especially my son. So, besides doing action films, I love golf, it's a very mental game and sport.
Cute! So if you could be a superhero, who would you be and what superpower would you most like to have?
I think Flash is pretty cool and I like his speed and ability to go back in time. I remember in the new Superman movie he turned back time and Flash can do it with his super speed. So I think that would be pretty cool because nothing can kill you.
It's funny you asked that because I just watched a comparison video of both versions this morning "Justice League". It's very interesting with the lighting, color and everything and I like the style better Zack Snyder. So Flash's speed and time travel is a really cool superpower.
Yes, Zack Snyder's Justice League is definitely the version of the film to stick with!
Yes, I really like the style Zack Snyder. He's visually very interesting and his camera work is very intriguing, and he's also a great action director.
Zack Snyder, call Andy Cheng and bring some Hong Kong action to your next film!
Yes, I would be happy to work with him, I think he is an amazing filmmaker!
Future projects
Agree! So, what other projects does Andy Cheng have coming up, what other dreams, goals and ambitions are you looking to achieve?
I'm glad you asked about this. The thing is, I started out as a stuntman and then became a filmmaker, and the biggest stage in cinema is the Oscars, and I hope to make something that at least gets nominated. This is one of the highest goals I can achieve. I received an award Bruce Lee and many stunt awards, so it is a great achievement and medals in Taekwondo. And in this business, besides Oscar, I don’t know what would be higher than this.
As for other future projects, I have directed a film called "Knights of the Zodiac", is the first one I've ever directed based on an anime and it's currently in post-production and I can't wait for it to come out.
I'm also working on a couple of scripts as a director, and that's what I'm trying to focus on the most. A couple of the scripts I've written aren't really action films, but more dramatic ones, so I'm really excited about that.
Warrior Wisdom by Andy Cheng
We definitely want to watch them! So what warrior wisdom or philosophical quote helped you become who you are today?
I always really liked the saying in Nike advertising: “Just do it!” I always tell people, no matter what philosophy you follow or believe in, all you need are these three words: Just do it! Whatever you want in life, you will never have it if you don't chase it, and I even tell energetic people, "Set your goals as high as you can and follow them," that's why I really like the saying, "Just do it." This!"
Andy Cheng has a message for KFK fans and followers
Well said! As we wrap up, what special message would Andy Cheng like to share with Kung Fu Kingdom followers, as well as your fans and followers?
around the world right now?
You just need to find your passion and what you love and just do it! Ask yourself, if you only had one day, what would be the last thing you would do? You will find that it will always be your passion and what you love to do. If you're crazy about martial arts, you get up and just do it. Finding your passion is the most important thing and when you do, just do it!
Well said. Thanks Andy, it's been a real pleasure and we look forward to hearing about your next action projects in 2023, stay tuned! Xie xie!
Thank you Brad and your team for inviting me to Kung Fu Kingdom.
The text was translated by Aidos Nurgazinov
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Tags: Bradley James Allan, Jackie Chan, Dwayne Johnson, Andy Cheng
Tags: Bradley James Allan, Jackie Chan, Dwayne Johnson, Andy Cheng
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