"Kung Fu Stuntman Dragon Tiger Warrior" Sammo Hung "Never say no!" Stuntmen tell us about the behind-the-scenes history of Hong Kong action [Actor's Interview Vol.27]

Creating action with Jackie Chan

Q: In " Project A " (1983), Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, and Yuen Biao all star as stars who are skilled at directing action scenes, so it must have been difficult to direct the action scenes.

Sammo Hung: It's not difficult at all. It's very simple. When Jackie, Yuen Biao and I are on set, it goes without saying that I make all the decisions! If I'm not on set, Jackie and the other staff members make the decisions, but when I'm on set, I make the decisions.

Q: It was that clear.

Sammo Hung: The reason is that the three of them are brothers and disciples at a Peking Opera school, and I am the oldest brother. So we know each other well and can communicate with each other right away, like "You're good at this, aren't you? I want this kind of movement," or "I can do this, but this one might be a little difficult." So I'm the one who takes charge and makes all the decisions on the spot.

“Kung Fu Stuntman Dragon Tiger Warrior” ©ACME Image (Beijing) Film Cultural Co., Ltd

Q: There is an episode in the film " Project A " where you yelled at Jackie Chan when he had a hard time falling from a clock tower. I heard that the same thing happened when Jackie slid down a pole in " Police Story " (1985). Is this true or not?

Sammo Hung: That wasn't to anger Jackie. I just have a loud voice (laughs). I was shouting loudly to encourage him. In the clock tower scene in " Project A ", the only choice is "jump or not." So I was shouting loudly, "Are you going to jump? Are you going to jump? If you're not going to jump, let's stop! Hundreds of people are waiting for you." I was never angry.

Q: So you also scolded Jackie on the set of Police Story ?

Sammo Hung: I wonder if I was on set at the time...I don't really remember (laughs).

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Sammo Hung Kingbo

He studied Peking Opera at the China Drama Academy and became one of the "Seven Little Fortunes." He was highly praised as a child actor and stuntman, and also as a martial arts instructor and actor in director King Hu's "The Wind and Waves of Spring Pavilion." After signing a contract with Golden Harvest, he created a golden age with Jackie Chan and also founded new film companies such as D&B, becoming known as the "big brother" of Hong Kong film. In the late 1990s, he gained popularity after starring in the Hollywood TV series "Marshall Law." His main works include "Enter the Fist," "The Five Lucky Stars," "Spartan X," "First Mission," "Eastern Condors," and many others.

Interview and text: Tetsuya Inagaki

TV director. My personal goal is to realize a documentary project that depicts the obsessions of manga and movie creators. Programs he has directed in the past include ``The Godfather : The Man Who Revolutionized Manga'' (WOWOW), ``Takeshi's Birth: Master and Asakusa'' (NHK), ``Master and Disciple Story: The Encounter That Changed My Life'' [Masahiro Tanaka x Katsuya Nomura ]” (NHK BS Premium)

"Kung Fu Stuntman: Dragon and Tiger Warriors"

Released nationwide from Friday, January 6th at Shinjuku Musashinokan and other locations

Distribution: Albatross Film

©ACME Image (Beijing) Film Cultural Co., Ltd