Kung fu star Donnie Yen recently revealed his experiences of discrimination during his time working in Hollywood in a new interview. The nearly 60-year-old actor recalled that when he first entered Hollywood, he was completely disrespected—he would greet producers politely every day, but they ignored him as if he were invisible, treating him like a prop or a lamp stand on set. This sense of being overlooked deeply hurt him, and he described his experience filming "Blade II" in 2002 as "the worst period of his career." The complex martial arts choreography he carefully designed was dismissed by producers, who said "half a day of shooting was enough," in stark contrast to the two weeks he would spend polishing similar scenes in Hong Kong.

功夫明星甄子丹在最新访谈中，首度公开了自己在好莱坞拍戏时遭遇的歧视经历。这位年近60岁的演员回忆，初闯好莱坞时完全不被尊重，每天礼貌地向制片人打招呼，对方却视若无睹，将他当作片场的布景板或灯架。这种被忽视的感受让他备受打击，他直言2002年拍摄《刀锋战士2》的日子是“职业生涯最糟糕的时期”——自己精心设计的复杂武术动作，被制片人轻描淡写地告知“拍半天就行”，这与他在香港拍摄同类戏份需耗时两周打磨形成鲜明对比。



Beyond personal disrespect, Donnie Yen emphasized that Asian actors in Hollywood face systemic stereotypes. He disclosed that the roles offered to Asians are often clichéd: either wise warriors, stern generals, or one-dimensional villains. What's ironic is that Hollywood often fails to recognize these stereotypical portrayals as problematic. For example, before filming "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," his character was initially designed as a "typical serious master." In the recently released "John Wick: Chapter 4," his role was originally given generic Asian names like "Shang" or "Chang," with a costume featuring a clichéd Chinese stand-up collar, reflecting Hollywood's lazy and biased perception of Asian characters.

除了个人层面的不被尊重，甄子丹更指出好莱坞亚裔演员面临着系统性的刻板印象。他透露，好莱坞提供给亚裔的角色往往千篇一律：不是贤明的战士、严厉的将军，就是脸谱化的反派。讽刺的是，好莱坞常常意识不到这种类型化塑造的问题所在。例如《星球大战外传：侠盗一号》拍摄前，他的角色最初被设定为“典型的严肃大师”；而在近期热映的《疾速追杀4》中，他的角色起初被冠以“Shang”或“Chang”这类泛亚裔化的名字，服装更是带有老套的中式立领，尽显好莱坞对亚裔角色的敷衍与偏见。



Faced with such unfair treatment, Donnie Yen did not choose to tolerate it silently. Instead, he bravely fought back to safeguard the dignity of Asian actors and Chinese culture. When filming "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," he suggested transforming his character into a blind warrior with a sense of humor, adding impromptu funny moments on set, which made the role one of the most memorable in the film. For "John Wick: Chapter 4," he directly questioned the director: "Why can't this character have an ordinary name? Why does everything have to be so clichéd?" His persistence paid off—the character's name was changed to "Caine," and the costume was redesigned to be stylish, paying tribute to his idol Bruce Lee.

面对不公待遇，甄子丹并未选择沉默容忍，而是勇敢发声抗争，捍卫亚裔演员与中国文化的尊严。拍摄《星球大战外传：侠盗一号》时，他主动提议将角色改为有幽默感的盲侠，并在片场即兴设计笑点，让这个角色成为影片中最亮眼的形象之一。拍摄《疾速追杀4》时，他更直接向导演提出质疑：“为什么这个角色不能有个普通名字？为什么一切都要这么老套？” 他的坚持最终换来改变——角色名字改为“凯恩”，造型也重新设计得时尚有型，其中还暗藏着对偶像李小龙的致敬。

With years of experience, Donnie Yen has established clear principles for accepting Hollywood roles. He will always ask two key questions before taking on a project: "Is this role clichéd?" and "Do they respect Chinese culture?" If the answers are unsatisfactory, he will firmly decline. He once turned down an offer for the sequel to "The Expendables" because the character was named "Yin Yang," a typical stereotype of Chinese culture. He also refused a role in the sequel to "Tomb Raider" as he believed it distorted the image of Chinese people. "If a role doesn't give you a voice, it's not worth my time," he emphasized, showing his uncompromising attitude toward cultural respect.

历经多年打拼，甄子丹对好莱坞选角形成了明确的原则底线。他接戏前必会问两个关键问题：“这个角色是老套的吗？”以及“他们尊重中国文化吗？” 若答案是否定的，他会坚决拒绝。他曾拒绝《敢死队》续集的邀约，只因角色名为“阴阳”，是对中国文化的典型刻板印象；还婉拒了《古墓丽影》续集，认为其角色歪曲了华人形象。“如果一个角色没有话语权，就不值得我花时间”，甄子丹强调道，展现出对文化尊重绝不妥协的态度。



Donnie Yen's unwavering persistence has finally paid off, and he has achieved a brilliant counterattack in Hollywood. Once ignored as a "background prop," he is now not only a leading actor in major Hollywood productions but also set to direct and star in the "John Wick" spin-off film "The Ballad of Caine," becoming the first Asian actor to direct and star in a Hollywood blockbuster. Directors and producers in Hollywood now hold him in high regard—"John Wick" director Chad Stahelski praised his role as a "modern kung fu classic," while Lionsgate Films chairman Adam Fogelson hailed him as "a charismatic kung fu superstar and a director who understands global audiences' tastes."

甄子丹的坚守终获回报，在好莱坞实现了华丽逆袭。从昔日被忽视的 “布景板”，到如今成为好莱坞大片的主演，他更将自导自演《疾速追杀》衍生电影《凯恩传》，成为首位在好莱坞自导自演商业大片的亚洲演员。如今的他在好莱坞备受推崇——《疾速追杀》系列导演查德・斯塔赫斯基盛赞他饰演的角色是“现代功夫经典”，狮门影业主席亚当・福格尔森更评价他“既是魅力非凡的功夫巨星，也是深谙全球观众口味的导演”。

In the interview, Donnie Yen also expressed his pride in his motherland and his dissatisfaction with Western media's biased reports. Born in Guangzhou and having renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2010, he emphasized that he is "100% Chinese." He pointed out that many countries cannot match China's infrastructure and quality of life, but media outlets like BBC and CNN never report these truths, only focusing on negative stories. When asked about the 2019 Hong Kong riots, he firmly stated: "That was not a protest; it was a riot." He also celebrated Michelle Yeoh's achievements, believing that more Asian actors will break through stereotypes with perseverance, proving their strength to the world.

访谈中，甄子丹还表达了对祖国的自豪，以及对西方媒体偏见报道的不满。出生于广州、2010年主动放弃美国国籍的他，强调自己是“百分之百的中国人”。他指出，许多国家的基建与生活便利度都无法与中国相比，但BBC、CNN等媒体从不报道这些真相，只一味聚焦负面新闻。被问及 2019年香港事件时，他坚定表态：“那不是抗议，而是暴动。”他还为杨紫琼在好莱坞的成就感到高兴，坚信会有更多亚裔演员凭借坚持打破刻板印象，向世界证明自身的实力。

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