Donnie Yen calls out Quentin Tarantino for Bruce Lee’s portrayal in ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.’ The action star winning plaudits with his performance in ‘John Wick: Chapter 4′, believes Tarantino’ is making fun of Bruce Lee.
In ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,‘ Tarantino shows Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) taunting stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). After challenging Cliff to a fight, he gets smashed into a car. Though Lee talks a big game, he’s ultimately humiliated by Brad Pitt’s character. Donnie Yen finds this immensely disrespectful. Here’s why.
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Donnie Yen Calls Quentin Tarantino’s Portrayal Of Bruce Lee ‘Cartoonish’
Donnie Yen is tired of Hollywood’s antiquated view of Asian culture. Recently, he called out Asian stereotypes in the early scripts of the ‘John Wick‘ film he’s starring in. Now, he’s standing up for the ‘cartoonish’ representation of the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee in ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.‘
According to Variety, Donnie Yen believes that “Everybody is entitled to their opinions. Quentin Tarantino is a very renowned filmmaker, and he’s entitled to his status – and I’m entitled to state my own view. Obviously, he was making fun of Bruce. It was cartoonish.” Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon has been upset by Tarantino’s impression of her dad. But Tarantino maintains the accuracy of Bruce Lee’s representation in his movie.
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Donnie Yen Avoided Playing The Stereotypical Asian On ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’
Part of the latest ‘John Wick’ film can be attributed to Donnie Yen’s performance as Caine, a former assassin who returned from retirement. Being at the forefront of action cinema in his country, he refuses to bow down to Hollywood whitewashing. Before coming on board, he asked Chad Stahelski to change his character. The changes were made to prevent Donnie Yen from becoming a walking Asian stereotype, starting with his name.
Donnie Yen told GQ that his character’s name was initially Shang or Chang to Caine. It prompted him to ask the movie makers, “Why can’t he have a normal name? Why do you have to be so generic?” He also parted with the traditional Ronin garb, recalling, “Then the wardrobe again — oh, mandarin collars. Why is everything so generic? This is a ‘John Wick’ movie. Everybody’s supposed to be cool and fashionable. Why can’t he look cool and fashionable?“
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