Quick question: Have you ever joked about being in the next installment of a popular franchise about the life of a real-life kung fu master, only to have your hilarious prediction come true a few years later? Chris Collins knows something about this, considering that it was he who voiced this joke to his Wing Chun students after watching "Ip Man 3". Fast forward to 2019, and Chris is one of the enemies the world's most famous Wing Chun master is forced to fight in the final chapter of the saga. "Ip Man 4". Let's talk to him about winning this lottery!
US Marine Veteran Chris Collins was interested in martial arts, which would later lead him to Hong Kong, where he would later earn the title of “sifu” in the Wing Chun style. But Chris's journey to the Far East was just beginning, and he soon found himself training actors and directing action scenes in Hong Kong action films. Chris's skill in this area will subsequently allow him to appear on the other side of the camera, and after filming in "Stars of Destiny 3: Paradox" in 2017, he will appear in the fourth Ip Man film, the plot of which even uses elements of his real-life military background.
Today, Chris sits down for an exclusive interview with KFK to talk about his journey through military and martial arts, his beginnings in the Hong Kong film industry, and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the highly anticipated "Ip Man 4".
Hello Chris, welcome to Kung Fu Kingdom! Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you. Hope you are well and enjoying your holiday weekend?
Hi Brad, glad to be here! I'm doing great, thank you.
Sifu Chris Collins on martial arts in his past
Great! Okay, let's talk about your beginnings in martial arts. When did you first start training and what disciplines did you study?
Well, my dad started boxing with my brother and I very early, when I was about five years old, and we continued training when we moved to Pensacola, Florida, at Roy Jones Jr.'s gym. I also started wrestling in school and from there I moved on to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the early 90s.
Wing Chun was first introduced to the style of kung fu while serving in the US Marine Corps, and it happened by accident. I was stationed in California, and many of us military personnel went to Yosemite on weekends, where I kept seeing a little old Chinese man in his 70s practicing kung fu. So, during another trip, I simply approached him and asked what type of martial arts he practices, to which I received the answer - “Wing Chun.”
Introduction to Kung Fu Wing Chun
At that time I didn't know much about Wing Chun, but the teacher mentioned training Bruce Lee с Ip Man, and I was immediately interested. He was such an amazing master that when I made a few blows, this little old man quickly and calmly deflected them. And I thought, “If he can do this in his seventies, imagine what Marines can do in our twenties.”
When I asked if I could train with him, he replied, “No, I’m not good enough. If you really want to learn the essence of Wing Chun, you need to go to Hong Kong.” His words stuck in my head for months. At the same time, I was preparing to enter sniper school, but by that time I wanted to focus more on close hand-to-hand combat. So I finally managed to get to Hong Kong. I searched all the Wing Chun schools and found the one that was considered the best. This is where I have been working for the last 22 years.
Amazing! It sounds like part of your military background showed up in Ip Man 4.
On working on "Paradox" with Wing Chun fan Wilson Yip
Well, actually it happened before when I was working with Wilson Yip over "Paradox". We talked a lot about my life and my past long before I started filming, and yes - Wilson Yip is a fan of Wing Chun. This is what led us to talk about my life and goal of combining Wing Chun and Kali, which I also studied in the Philippines in the Marine Corps, as they go really well together.
Wing Chun from the US Marine Corps
This was all before the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) was developed, and I learned first-hand that there were real benefits to this type of training. So if you look at history in "Ip Man 4", then it has many parallels with my life.
There's no doubt you had some influence on the film's story. Since we started talking about it, tell us about how you started in the film industry?
Introduction to the Film Industry
It really happened by accident (laughs). In 2000, when I received my title of "sifu" in Wing Chun, I had to fight in front of people, but it did not bring any tangible money. Then my sifu said, "You've spent a lot of time fighting and teaching now, but there's something you might turn your attention to later - acting in movies." This advice stuck in my head, even though I was already running a security company in Hong Kong.
Help in staging the action in the film "White Storm"
Later I ran into a woman on the street and she asked if I had any experience as a model? She ended up getting me a job in a couple of commercials and a few small films. At that time I was not very keen to get into this business, but in the end I met with Nicky Lee, is a very famous action director in Hong Kong and China. I had some YouTube videos about my security company where I was demonstrating some fighting moves, and he asked, “I saw the training videos you made on YouTube. Do you think you could help us create some interesting action for "White Storm" (2013), directed by Benny Chan, and I replied: “Yes, of course.” Ultimately, it was an amazing experience developing the action sequences for this film.
Nicky Lee became the director of the film "Stars of Destiny 2", and one day when I was on set, he pointed out to me an older gentleman named Paco Wong [producer] who was a big man in Hong Kong. Nicky Lee said: "This is Chris Collins, you should sign this guy because he can do anything."
Training actors in martial arts and weapons handling
So he led me to start teaching martial arts, pistol shooting and many other skills to actors and actresses. Then after a while Nicky said to me, "Chris, I don't think you should just train actors, I think you should be one of them. I think you can really become a superstar if you put your mind to it." At that time, I was already over forty and “the ship was sailing in a different direction,” but he really believed in me and encouraged me in every possible way. So Nikki's faith made me go ahead and star in "Paradox", and then in "Ip Man".
After all, the seeds of kung fu karma always bear fruit! Having been completely immersed in Ip Man 4 and being involved in the project, what can you tell us about and what was it like working with Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins?
Working with Scott Adkins
Oh, that was amazing! This was actually the second time I worked with Scott, as we had previously starred together in "War of the Wolves" (2015), so it was great to meet again and catch up with him on set.
Working with Donnie Yen
Of course, since childhood Donnie Yen was one of my idols and also someone I looked up to in the industry for a very long time. So being able to stop watching him and start working with Donny was just a dream come true.
I learned a lot from Donny: how he puts together the rhythm of a fight scene and how he works with the camera. He told me that he always tries to create a symphony in his hand-to-hand scenes.
True story - I watched the third one "Ip Man" at the movie theater with many of my students, and after the movie ended, I just joked, "Okay, everyone, watch out, because I'll be in the next Ip Man movie. Just wait and see!" And it was just a joke that came true... Well, I just never thought that this could actually happen.
The prediction is pleasant, right in a million. What can you say about the scene where you fought Donnie Yen in Ip Man 4 – were there any injuries, for example?
...and started!
It was a fantastic experience! There were no injuries during the filming of the film, except for the one where I dislocated my shoulder. But this happened to me a few times before filming, so I wouldn't attribute it directly to "Ip Manu 4". Also, I had hurt my back about two weeks before, so it was hard for me to do a lot of kicking.
The thing is, when working on a Hong Kong film, there is never any preparation. There's always a rough outline of how an action scene will go, but once you get on set, you kind of start creating it as you go.
However, this leaves more room for error, so you need to stay in character for as long as possible. But when we finished our fight, Donnie said to me, “Chris, you were great to work with and I really enjoyed doing our fight scene.” I really hope that we can work together in the future. It was simply unforgettable not only to work with one of my idols, but also to receive a compliment from him.
The best demonstration that dreams come true! Well, the contract with Chris has been signed, what other projects do you have in development after the release of Ip Man 4?
There's something coming. My next project is a film called "Ruckus Factor", which returns to the military theme a bit. I'm also working with Donnie and Benny Chan again on "Crossfire", - I help with staging action scenes in the film.
We certainly look forward to finding out more and watching the films soon. Thanks so much for talking today, Chris. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2020 from us and all Kung-Fu Kingdom visitors and fans!
Thanks Brad. Same to you! I was happy to chat today!
Yuri Dudin specially for Fight-Films.info
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Tags: Ip Man 4, Benny Chan, Donnie Yen, Chris Collins, Nikki Lee, Scott Adkins, Wilson Yip
Tags: Ip Man 4, Benny Chan, Donnie Yen, Chris Collins, Nikki Lee, Scott Adkins, Wilson Yip
Danil Chupakhin,
Maybe for soap j.erik@inbox.ru I'll try not to leave you in trouble. )
Eh... If only someone could translate this interesting interview with Daniel Bernhand.... -> https://kungfukingdom.com/interview-with-daniel-bernhardt/
It would be just great!
Danil Chupakhin,
Can I translate, if, of course, no one has taken on the translation yet?
Black Dragon,
With whom, with whom, and there are practically no translators on our website :(
If you have the time and desire, it would be cool!
Danil Chupakhin,
So I'll do it. Moreover, Bernhardt. Awesome actor, in my opinion. He definitely deserves attention.
Black Dragon,
If there are more interesting interviews, where can I write to you with a bow and a request for a transfer? :)