Born in Hong Kong but living most of his youth in America, Philip Ng Wang-lun became an avid practitioner/teacher of various types of martial arts. In his homeland, he built a stable film career as an actor and choreographer, starting to make his way back at the dawn of the 2000s. He has already worked with some of the best in the industry, including: Ringo Lam, Donnie Yen, Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung и Jackie Chan.
But it wasn't until 2016 that Ng's career reached a major turning point with the release of the controversial film "Birth of the Dragon", which was not only the first Hollywood film with his participation, here he also played the legendary Bruce Lee.
As part of the American film promotion "The Hidden Dragon Attacks", organized by the company Well Go USA, we had the opportunity to conduct a short but entertaining interview with Philip Ng. Enjoy it!
Speaking of the movie "The Hidden Dragon Attacks", how would you describe it in your own words?
Philip Ng: I would describe it as a self-aware action-comedy with well-choreographed fights that pays homage to Hong Kong action films of the 80s and 90s.
In 2008, you were supposed to star in the film “Paws of the Dragon”, for which, as we remember, an exciting promotional video was released. What ultimately happened to this project?
Philip: The whole process seemed somehow strange and surreal. I was approached by an American production company with an offer to work as the lead actor and director/choreographer on this potential project. The project was eventually financed by a production company from India. I flew in with my team to shoot the trailer. The local team was great, but while working, I still had the feeling that something was wrong. My suspicions were confirmed already during my second visit to India, when the owner of a local production company (as I understood) decided that now his nephew should become the main character, and I was approved for another role. After that I left the project, and I believe things have not moved forward since I left.
If you were offered to star in the remake of "Bruce Lee's Clones" along with Mike Moh and Danny Chan, would you agree?
Philip: It sounds a little strange, but as with any potential project, the script is ultimately the key factor in whether I agree or decline.
Hidden Dragon Attacks is clearly the best work of your action directing career to date. Who influenced you as a choreographer?
Philip: For this film, I took inspiration from classic 80s Hong Kong choreography, films Jackie Chan и Sammo Hunga, mixing it all with hardcore action seen in the works Donnie Yen, thereby hoping to create something new, but at the same time very familiar.
Considering the Hong Kong period of your career, which fight was the hardest to film?
Philip: I think that long fight against a large crowd of swordsmen with my participation in the film "Once Upon a Time in Shanghai". We staged, rehearsed and filmed it in one working day, and that day we actually shot two long action sequences (but one never made it into the final version due to timing). I remember asking Yuen Woo-Ping, how long would it take him to film something similar in Hollywood, he replied that probably at least two weeks (including rehearsals). I laughed at the time, but later learned (having personally worked on a Hollywood project) that this was not an exaggeration. Still, no matter how difficult filming in Asia can be, it will prepare you for whatever the rest of the world can throw at you.
During the filming of Birth of the Dragon, did you feel any discrimination towards you as an Asian?
Philip: Not at all. It would be difficult to feel this way considering that the investors are Chinese and most of the actors are Asian, not to mention that everyone, regardless of race or gender, was treated with the utmost respect. I believe that allegations of possible discrimination have been used by certain groups to discredit our film. After the release of the first trailer, many news outlets rushed to cancel our film, while my good friend Patrick Lee (founder R) did not connect the director directly with the heads of the Asian community, as well as with some of the news outlets in question. He arranged a private screening for these ladies and gentlemen, after which they immediately retracted their previous comments and published articles praising the film. We all worked hard and had a lot of respect for this project, it's a shame that politics and certain agendas prevented some people from enjoying it.
Who do you think is the top Asian action star?
Philip: I admire all those who paved the way for us and our generation. However, I must say that great Sammo Hung is the one I admire more than anyone else because of his experience. This applies not only to the direction and execution of action scenes, but to all aspects of filmmaking, from concept to the final product. His vast store of cinematic wisdom is definitely a level I aspire to reach myself.
Official source: cityonfire.com
Date of publication: 08.06.2021
Translation: Black Dragon
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Tags: Birth of the Dragon, Undercover Punch and Gun, Bruce Lee, Philip Ng, Yuen Wu-Ping
Tags: Birth of the Dragon, Undercover Punch and Gun, Bruce Lee, Philip Ng, Yuen Wu-Ping
Thanks for the interview! It’s a pity that so far there is nothing particularly interesting for translation on foreign sites. Perhaps an interview with Siono Sono about the release of his new film... -> https://filmcombatsyndicate.com/director-of-the-ghostland-a-conversation-with-visionary-filmmaker-sion-sono/
Danil Chupakhin,
Please! Well... let's translate what we have.
Black Dragon,
Here is another quite interesting interview with Josh Maybee from the point of view of indie fighting cinema -> https://kungfukingdom.com/rogue-origin-interview-with-josh-mabie/
Danil Chupakhin,
Okay, I'll add it to my list. But I don’t know yet when it will be ready. There's been a lot going on lately.
Black Dragon,
Thank you for taking the time to do this! ^^
Danil Chupakhin,
I'm glad that my skills were useful somewhere. ) And in general, I want the project to live and prosper. Moreover, the culmination is coming soon - “Summing up the results of the combat film.” I always read with interest, so keep up the good work!