Jean-Claude Van Damme, with his extensive travel experience and affection for China, is no longer just a “Brussels muscle”
Actor career Van Damme spans several decades, so it's no surprise that he's used to traveling all over the world. When he came from Belgium to Hollywood in the early 80s in pursuit of acting fame, computer special effects were not yet in use, and filming took him to various parts of the world, from the Philippines to Morocco.
Van Damme, who now lives in Hong Kong, recently starred in China in his new film "Pound of Flesh" and shares his feelings about this country, which he loves so much. But the Far East is only the tip of the iceberg: he talks about other places where he likes to visit, and also gives advice to tourists visiting his homeland.
- Why did you become interested in filming “A Pound of Flesh”?
- I was attracted by the script, the director (Ernie Barbarash) and the fact that the film crew is small - this is a compact film, not a large project. Besides this role was a serious test in purely physical terms.
- What was the most difficult thing for you while working on the film?
- (In an episode where a character has just become a victim of organ thieves) I come to in the bath, my character doesn't know what happened, and I had to act convincingly because I'm in an ice bath, shaking from the cold and still recovering from surgery. It was necessary - and I think that I succeeded - to convey the state of the hero so that the viewer would believe and feel it. It's not pleasant when your kidney is stolen! For me, as an actor, it was difficult. And my fighting technique included using books and chairs, because I said: I can’t swing my legs if I have such an injury and a 15-centimeter stitch? So we took it seriously (to my character's medical condition).
- What are your impressions of filming in China?
- We worked in Guangzhou, it was very cool there, and we had a great team. In China, life is in full swing day and night, full of discos, karaoke - just like in Paris 20 years ago. There are a lot of good things in China. This is a huge country, both in size and population. China is so big that it only needs itself; there's plenty for you to do there. So when I return to Belgium, it seems to me that it is empty, like a village.
- How does working in China differ from Hollywood?
- The Chinese are nice people - let's say if you wear simple clothes or have some problems, they won't judge you. I like it here. In Hollywood, everything is different: if you drink too much - I don’t drink anymore now - they point a finger at you and call you an alcoholic. In Hong Kong or China, even movie stars like Jackie Chan can feel free to just walk down the street and shake people's hands; it's a completely different way of life. I live in Hong Kong now, I first went there in 1982, and I think we can learn a lot from China. And the Chinese, of course, can, in turn, learn a lot from us, and they want to.
- What are martial arts like in China?
- There are different schools in Hong Kong, but here’s what’s great: kung fu, which has a whole system of different styles, is considered a real art here. I started doing martial arts under the influence of Bruce Lee, he was just a god to me. As a child, I was thin and not particularly gifted physically, but through martial arts I was able to truly change my life. I'm happy to have received recognition here in China. I'm a bit of a "white dude who knows kung fu" here.
- Although A Pound of Flesh was filmed elsewhere, it is set in the Philippines. Have you been there before?
- Yes, I first visited the Philippines when I was 22 years old, twenty something years ago. I was there with Chuck Norris, working as a stuntman in his film. At the time there was only one hotel there, the Manila, which has since been extensively refurbished. Then I also starred in a commercial for the first time, for Red Bull.
- What would you recommend to tourists coming to your homeland, Belgium?
- In Brussels I like the Conrad and the Metropole Hotel. It's ancient, but that only adds to its mystery. If you travel to the north of the country, be sure to visit Bruges. And then you can get to Knokke-Heist, where my parents live. It is a town on the coast, very clean and tidy, and has excellent food, which attracts many people from Holland and Germany. Belgium can sometimes be rainy and gray, but this has its own beauty, a pleasant sadness. Strong winds blow in the north, and the ocean there is not blue, but greenish. The banks are wide and deserted, except that sometimes you can see someone riding a horse. It is beautiful there.
- Where do you prefer to relax comfortably?
- There are so many amazing places; It would be unfair to single out anything in particular. I've traveled all over the world, there are simply too many of them. For example, in Hong Kong there are the Four Seasons, Peninsula, and InterContinental hotels. In Los Angeles there are also “Peninsula”, “Beverly Hills”, “Shutters on the Beach” - many wonderful places.
- Is there anything among them where you would feel at home?
- There are times in life when you need to calmly think through certain things. There is a hotel in Paris where I can sit in a small room, drink coffee (I love coffee), open the windows. They know me there, they bring me coffee and fresh croissants. I like this number: the phone is right at hand, I can put my feet on the chair - taking off my shoes, of course - and go about my business, make calls. Sometimes a hotel is just what you need. It's near a shopping center where all these jewelry stores are, and it's called "Westminster." This is my hotel. But the Bristol is excellent too, and I also like the Georges V Hotel.
-Which filming locations were the most interesting for you?
- I had the opportunity to film in the desert - in the town of Erfoud, in Morocco. It was amazing: I asked the driver to take me further into the desert and let him go back to the base, and I was left there alone. There was absolute silence, only one sound could be heard (depicts the howling of the wind). There was also an episode while filming in Israel when I was taken to the top of a mountain at five o’clock in the morning so that panoramic shots could be taken from a helicopter. And here I am standing on the border between Israel and Palestine, the sun is rising, it was a beautiful sight. I really loved that filming gave me the opportunity to experience such special moments. This was all before the era of computer graphics, so we had no choice but to go to the location ourselves.
- Where would you like to make a movie where you haven’t been yet?
- I know it sounds crazy, but I would like to film at the South Pole someday. There it is light for several months in a row and everything is white around. The conditions, of course, would not be easy, but I really like the way it all looks.
Source: dotwnews
Translation: Viktor Egorov
Thanks for the interview.
Eh... I would bombard him with questions about his first films.
I understand that his favorite places are hotels)
In general, I liked the way ZhKVD expresses his thoughts. What I remember most was the offer Belgium can sometimes be rainy and gray, but this has its own beauty, a pleasant sadness.
Especially the last metaphor pleasant sadness.
Van Damme is a good guy.