Manny Camacho from www.flickeringmyth.com interviewed Gary Daniels, who was at that time in Vietnam filming his new action movie.
Manny: How are you, Gary? I would like to congratulate you on achieving eternal youth! You don't look old, what's the secret?
GD (laughs): Dude, you just haven't seen me up close!
M: So, tell me, where are you filming now? I take it you're currently on the set of your next film?
GD: Yes, I'm in Vietnam, we are now in the Da Lat highlands. I like the local hills. You need to see this, there are no roads up here and when I go for a morning run, I run back and forth. up and down this crazy hill. It's like a training montage. A real outback.
Manny: We then talked about his past works and as soon as I reminded him of his "transformation" in City Hungter, he immediately laughed.
M: When our editor Gary Collinson gave me the opportunity to post an interview with you, I jumped at the chance and take this opportunity to ask you to talk about your interpretation of Ken from “Street Fighter” and Jackie Chan, who “performed” Chun Li from the same place.
GD: Ah, City Hungter (laughs)! Wow, you just took me back to the past, so many memories have surfaced! It is a great honor for me to be put on a par with Jackie Chan. It was a pretty quirky film and I also got to work with Richard Norton. But turning into Ken was fun, I'm a fan of the video game myself.
Manny: We talked to Gary a little about the Game"Street Fighter" and about his (Gary's) influence on the world of martial arts, working with Jackie Chan was a big deal for him, but he is an even bigger fan of Bruce Lee, his philosophy and films. The roles of villains and their surrogates were just the beginning of his path to bigger roles and more action.
M: You were invited to work in “The Expendables” in the classic role of “henchman” (assistant to the villain). What was it like doing this movie without much of the thrill of not having a lot of your martial arts prowess?
DG: Stallone is a cool guy. My role is not some kind of extra. We were filming in Brazil for the fifth week and at first my character was generally passable - a minimum of fights and presence. But I remember how after the next scene Sly came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said: "Gary, I want to expand your role.", that scene in the tunnel was not in the script at all initially. I was allowed to develop my character and his abilities. This film with big stars (laughs), I knew where I was going and loved every minute of my work there.
I think, instead of "stars", he brought together old school tough guys, and among them you looked good as a badass villain at the end of the film, such that the heroes trampled him well, because... you were a real BAD GUY. Very cool performance of the bad guy!
Yeah, that's true, and I enjoyed being the bad guy in The Expendables, it was fun.
Manny: We laughed some more and I again praised him for looking young at his age, and then I asked him to talk about another role - the legendary Kenshiro.
M: I grew up on Anime and the very first thing I loved was Fist of the North Star. Are you also a fan of this Anime and its characters?
DG: Yes, I was also a big anime fan, and “Fist” was one of my favorites. When I was auditioning for the role, I spoke to the Japanese producers and they liked me. But this is Kenshiro! The role is iconic and I hoped to get the role, but I was not sure of success. But, again, they liked me and approved me. The task of making this film was quite daunting. And to be honest, I didn’t like how the director staged the fights in this film. He didn't know anything about martial arts. He focused more on the story itself and the love story. And he tells me that he's seen Enter the Dragon and thinks he's ready to do a hand-to-hand action movie. I tell him: "No, that doesn't mean you can do it!"Then Tony (Randall, director) wanted me to direct the action. He gave me more control over the choreography and stunts. Finally, the holiday was on my street and I was happy to choreograph the fights. Really glad! However, Tony was still the man of the rules." My monastery - my conditions" and I was pushed aside with what I had managed to deliver and he himself was tired of the fights.
For example, we had 15-20 guys in one scene and he very rudely stopped the shooting and said: "Leave only 2! there are too many people!"He didn't want to tell a martial arts/superhero story for Kenshiro. He wanted it to be 'elevated'. He wanted serious drama, a love triangle. I think he thought doing hand-to-hand fights was beneath him, so he didn't focus on the fight scenes.
Manny: Gary told me a little more about what he was unhappy with about the process of making a movie about his favorite superhero, and understanding how much movies depend on the directors and the “vision” they have in their heads.
M: Well, now I completely understand! I also wish Kenshiro would kick more ass or show him at his maximum strength in a live action setting, like bringing a building down on him, you know!
DG: Yes (laughs), I often repeated to Tony - THIS IS “THE FIST OF THE NORTH STAR”! People want to see Kenshiro hit hard left and right! He's kind of a superhero. He is larger than life. he is almost immortal. The film finally came out and I didn’t like the fights, the camera, the sounds... I was still young and I agreed to the role and did everything I could. The film went well and provided for me.
Was it scary for you to see how it all turned out in the end?
A little. Kenshiro, you know he's a badass! He's a mixture of Bruce Lee and Mad Max. and I'm a big Bruce Lee fan. I wanted Kenshiro to be right. I tried my best, but then my career was just beginning and I want to remake the film and the characters. However, it worked out well for me and for that I am grateful to myself.
Manny: I told him my opinion about the film, what I had when I was still a teenager. and compared it with the opinion that I had after reviewing it now. We laughed a lot during the discussion, but then the telephone connection was cut off and when we called again, I immediately moved on to talking about his other works.
M: Now that we are connected again, if the mountains of Vietnam allow me, we will talk about your other projects. Tell us a little about Misfire.
DG: We shot Misfire in Mexico last year with director R. Ellis Fraser, and we also finished Rumble together, and that movie is awesome. He also filmed “The Line” there, where I took part along with Ray Liotta and Andy Garcia. We are great friends, he is a talented screenwriter and a very smart person. When he sent me the script, I really liked it: it had a lot of action and intelligence. I immediately agreed to play.
Manny: We talked a little about his experience working with such giants as Garcia and Liotta, how interesting they were to work with, they had no egos and they liked to work and invest their knowledge. He also talked about the problems of creating action films with a small budget.
DG: Unfortunately, if you have a low budget (we're talking about Misfire), it's harder to turn the script into a finished film, but it was a good experience. Roger Fraser is amazing - he spends a lot of time with the actors, he's very communicative and loves to collaborate. "Misfire" is not that much of an action movie - there isn't much action or fighting in it. This is a slow burn action thriller. I like it when the action comes from the script, not when the action drives the script. That's what "Misfire" is. I heard some people wanted more action and me fighting more, but this was a little different and I liked it.
M: Now tell me more about the film you are currently filming - unless, of course, you are forbidden to talk about it.
This is a bit of a step aside... There is no action in this film... In general. Set in the 80s in Germany, it tells the story of a woman from Russia who travels to Germany to look for her husband. Along the way, she was raped, causing her to become pregnant. Her rapist falls in love with her, but drives her away when he finds out she's pregnant. He takes her to her husband, where she attempts to commit suicide. My character's name is Hans, he is German and works as a translator.
Manny: Gary went on to tell me about this movie: his character. Hans finds Kien after she tried to kill herself and saves her. He falls in love with her, but does not show his feelings - she is Vietnamese and her husband is somewhere nearby, it is difficult. And the bandits who raped her are still there.
M: Is the film in Vietnamese?
GD: It was very "dramatic" when I spoke a lot of Vietnamese. Man, this is hard. I filmed the scene, then went to the tutor. I was worried that I wouldn't do well.[...] It's one of the hardest languages I've worked on in my acting career, especially because there's no action in the film.
So Hans won't get the girl?
Well... Yes and no. He falls in love, but she cannot reciprocate. But he will try!
Well, it's bad that you can't screw someone over and get yourself a girl.
(laughs) I know it would be much easier.
Manny: He talked a little more about his difficulties with the language and was afraid that it would turn out badly, but the director, writers and actors approved of his performance. [...]
M: Okay, back to the fights. I know you've kicked over 200 people in the face, we want you to kick 300. I know you have a few more projects coming out soon, like "Leather Trade", tell me about him.
DG: We filmed in London, Scotland, Holland, Canada, and the USA. The cast was excellent: Mickey Rourke, Michael Madsen, Jeff Fahey, Eric Roberts, Daryl Hannah and Ron Smoorenburg. Excellent, crazy cast. It will air soon and will be about girls who were involved in sex trade. I play a hitman. who atones for his sins. There will be a lot of action.
What about "Rumble"? Will there be faces kicked off?
(laughs) Man, yes! Necessarily. "Rumble" was produced by the same team as "Misfire". Very cool script, nimali in Mexico. There are a lot of fights, a lot (laughs). It is currently in post-production and is showing at the Berlin Film Festival.
Which actor(s) did you enjoy working with most in films?
Oh yes, there are several. The first one that comes to mind is Lance Henriksen. [...] Jeff Fahey is a very, very, very talented actor. Peter Weller. He is very wonderful, a gentleman, loves to tell stories. All these guys have no sense of self-importance, that's the type of actor I love to work with.
Name your best or favorite fight scene.
Oh, this is already a difficult question! (laughs)
OK. I’m paraphrasing, returning to the topic of punching: who did you enjoy hitting in the face more? Van Damme has a signature move - jumping roundhouse, Seagal loves to ragdoll people, Jackie Chan loves to hit people from any point and position until they fall. Bruce Lee preferred strength and finished the fight in seconds, Donnie Yen built everything on grace, Jet Li prefers movement and speed. Well, you love kicking, acrobatic kicking in the air - and in the face. Crescent Kick or just a kick, right?
Yeah (laughs)! I kick my colleagues in the face. You guessed it right. I love working with my Sifu, but with my favorite strike, you got it right.
That's what I do!
(laughs in surprise) I kicked about 200 people in the face (Lord, what a question)... How can I answer it. Of all the people I've worked with... It's a dance, they have to really help, because you hit. Some of my best scenes were done with stuntmen. I direct most of the scenes myself. And stuntmen understand timing better and have good reactions.[...] The actors, of course, are cool, but most of the time they don’t succeed and then the stuntman comes to the rescue and this damages the production. That’s why I prefer to hit stuntmen in the face, it feels more real and the scene will look better.
You were very cool, thanks for your time Gary, it was a pleasure and an honor. Do you have a social media profile so our readers can contact you?
I'm not a fan of social media, and producers hate me for it. I have a private page on Facebook, you can post it if you want.
Translation: uranium
Source: flickeringmyth
Especially for Fight-Films.Info
In almost every old film, he demonstrated his style - cross splits and repeated roundhouse kicks
http://vk.com/video206609118_171449317?hash=9ac17a6d52bdc4f4
very funny to read this. Weller in the 80s was considered one of the most arrogant stars in Hollywood; he and his colleagues on set could not communicate at all and ignore them if they approached him. Peter's years have ruined him :)
thanks for the translation!
Grassy Dee,
Well then. It seems like he hasn’t been seen since then, most likely that’s why. Now I’m wiser, but it’s too late.