Entertainment

Jackie Chan to Tony Leung: Hong Kong Actors Who Made It Big in Hollywood

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4m ago

Jul 03, 2024 / 2310 Views

Evan Walker

Gone are the times when Asian actors were grossly underrepresented in Hollywood. From Lee Jung-jae’s thrilling performance in Squid Game to Korean films like Parasite and Minari clinching Academy Awards – Asian celebrities are starting to get their due and visibility in what we call ‘mainstream’ cinema. Hong Kong, a city of cinephiles, has been home to some of the most talented actors, from martial arts legends like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee to Chow Yun-fat. Many prolific HK stars have starred in Hollywood blockbusters, leaving an inedible mark on millions with their stints on the silver screen. Check out the top Hong Kong actors who have made it big in Hollywood and how.

The West has been hugely sceptical of Asian talent, which has been punished, ignored and stereotyped for decades. However, the quest for representation and equality in Hollywood seems to be narrowing in the recent past – thanks to films like Crazy Rich Asians or shows like Squid Game taking the onus to flaunt our filMMAking finesse.

Coming to Hong Kong, celebrities like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee spearheaded Asian talent ages ago with their gravity-defying martial arts stunts, which, to date remain unmatched. Continuing their legacy were Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung and Donnie Yen, who made breakthroughs in Hollywood with box-office hits like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and John Wick: Chapter 4 respectively.

With that, let’s take you through some of the biggest actors in Hong Kong cinema who made waves in Hollywood.

Hong Kong actors who’ve starred in Hollywood blockbusters

1. Jackie Chan: Rush Hour franchise

From humble beginnings to international superstardom, Jackie Chan‘s journey has been nothing short of exceptional. Chan’s first international project was the 1980 action-comedy, The Big Brawl, which was both critically and commercially disappointing. Despite the setback, the actor continued to play roles in Hollywood flicks like The Protector, the Police Story franchise and more. However, it was only the blockbuster Rush Hour series that established him as an A-lister. The cop action-comedy franchise starred the iconic duo of Chan and Chris Tucker – a recipe for massive success.

It has been more than a decade since Chan announced his retirement from full-fledged action movies, mentioning that he would only do fewer stunts to take care of his body. However, at 70 years old, Chan continues to grace silver screens in whatever capacity he can. The actor was recently seen in an action avatar alongside John Cena in the 2023 action-adventure Hidden Strike.

2. Bruce Lee: Enter The Dragon

Hong Kong-American star Bruce Lee is another martial arts prodigy, who immortalised the art of kung fu on screen. Apart from taking Hong Kong cinema to newer heights, Lee made waves in Hollywood with the release of the blockbuster martial arts film Enter the Dragon in 1973. However, the actor’s demise the same year sent shockwaves across the globe.

Nonetheless, Lee established his stardom worldwide at the age of 32 and his legacy stays on forever. As for Enter the Dragon, Lee’s Shaolin martial artist avatar received rave reviews from fans. Moreover, his quest to represent Cantonese culture globally was embraced with open arms.

3. Donnie Yen Ji-dan: Star Wars, John Wick

Donnie Yen is dubbed the strongest martial artist/actor in the world, joining the ranks of Hong Kong actors like Jackie Chan, and Bruce Lee. One of the highest-paid Asian stars, Yen rose to fame as Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the hit Ip Man series. While the list of Hollywood movies Yen starred in is expansive, his most notable projects are Star Wars and John Wick.

Donnie Yen’s first breakthrough role was in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He starred as Chirrut Îmwe, the monk who joins the Rebels’ mission to steal the plans to the Death Star. Interestingly, he also choreographed most of his fighting scenes in the film. The actor’s second massive Hollywood project was John Wick: Chapter 4 alongside Keanu Reeves. After delivering one of his career-best performances, reports are rife that he’ll be returning for the ‘John Wick’ Caine spinoff movie. Centered around Yen’s assassin character, the movie will be shot in Hong Kong.

4. Tony Leung: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a pathbreaking movie for Asian cinema in so many ways. It was the first Marvel flick to star an Asian actor in the lead role, Simu Liu. Not only this, but it also marked Hong Kong superstar Tony Leung’s first English-speaking role and made him the first Hong Kong actor to star in Marvel movies. He played the main antagonist of Shang-Chi, Wenwu. Even the West couldn’t ignore his irresistible allure and Leung received massive critical acclaim for his compelling villain avatar.

5. Daniel Wu: Into the Badlands, Warcraft

Directing, acting, producing, as well as writing – Daniel Wu has done it all in Hong Kong cinema. So, when a Hollywood offer knocked on his door, Wu happily obliged. The actor’s first venture into western cinema was with the action-drama series, Into the Badlands, which ran from 2015 to 2019. Described as a ‘high-octane sci-fi martial arts’ series, the Wuxia drama followed a warrior and a young boy as they journey together in a dangerous land to finally seek enlightenment.

However, Wu’s first major Hollywood outing was Warcraft: The Beginning. Based on the epic multiplayer online Game World of Warcraft, the film saw Wu as the central antagonist orc shaman Gul’dan. It was also Wu’s first experience shooting a film with motion capture and CG special effects. However, he pulled it off effortlessly.

Wu continues to take on international roles. His latest outing was alongside Rebecca Ferguson as well as Hugh Jackman in the 2021 film Reminiscence.

6. Chow Yun-fat: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Chow Yun-fat is hands-down one of the most charming leading actors in Hong Kong cinema. He made his Hollywood debut almost two decades back in the celebrated Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End movie. Chow’s character, Captain Sao Feng, was inspired by the notorious Hong Kong pirate Cheung Po-tsai. Known for playing gangster roles throughout his career, Chow even aced the fearsome Chinese pirate lord avatar.

7. Gordon Liu: Kill Bill movies

It’s safe to say that Gordon Liu was no less than Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan when it came to martial arts prowess. Did you know that Quentin Tarantino was so fascinated by Liu’s work that he cast him in both the Kill Bill movies? For the first part, Li was seen as Johnny Mo, the leader of the Crazy 88 gang. The second volume showcased him as the white-eyebrowed Shaolin grandmaster Pai Mei.

Unfortunately, Liu retired from acting and has been residing in a nursing home after suffering from a head trauma, which left his body partially paralysed. Nonetheless, his work continues to inspire many aspiring martial arts enthusiasts.

So, which of these Hong Kong actors did you most enjoy watching in Hollywood?

(Hero image credit: jackiechan/tonyleung_official/ donnieyenofficial/ Instagram)

(Feature image credit: jackiechan/ Instagram)

This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong