Donnie Yen

“Look at every action movie in Hollywood. Every leading man from Spider-Man to Batman to James Bond, 'Bourne Identity', every one of them possesses martial arts skills.”

“There's a lot of thinking when you choreograph something. You're not just choreographing some bodies, arms, legs flying around to look cool. It's a lot more complicated and sophisticated. You also have to deal with the connection of the whole film, so when I choreograph, I think of the movement itself, the camera angles, the characters.”

“My action follows my characters. If a character is a cop, you cannot be posing all the time, you cannot fly off the roof because it doesn't make any sense - it's not practical.”

“Whether I'm acting or making it, at the end of the day it's telling the story; action, drama. You want the audience to feel it - the story, the action, the scene, or a particular shot. I just keep working on crafting my art, on how to make action movies.”

“I certainly hope 'Dragon' can leave some legacy behind.”

“I always tell younger filmmakers, it's not just about the acting or the art itself. It's about how big of an audience watches your film.”

“In Hong Kong, particularly, we craft this art for decades. The action choreographer actually is the action director. He takes over and he choreographs with - by himself or with his team, and place the camera where he feels cinematic effect to bring out that choreography.”

“I got nominated for my second film as best young director in the Aikido Film Festival in Japan.”

“It's a blessing to be given a variety of roles to what I call an iconic action actor like myself.”

“I think a lot of people don't realize that martial arts are just an expression like anything else. It's just that most people are not trained to punch or kick, but you can walk or run or dance, which is also part of expression.”

“A lot of Chinese martial arts films were based on Chinese martial arts novels. And these novels created a world of putting history, calligraphy, and martial arts into one.”

“When you watch my films, you're feeling my heart.”

“I like to stay within the context of the character's background. If he's a cop, I have to make sure the audience is convinced that this person, a cop, can do only so much without a gun.”

“There are two types of Chinese growing up in America. One is the kind that does really well in school, with thick, thick glasses. And the other is involved with the gangs.”

“I spent a couple of years doing American films. I did a few.”

“Action choreographer is like talking. When you talk, you have a rhythm. When you act, you have a rhythm. When you're moving your body, you have a rhythm. So as an actor, as a choreographer, the objective is trying to blend everything in - into - ultimately back into that character.”

“I gained a lot of confidence after 'IP Man' as being a true actor. I went on to tackle what it is an actor is supposed to do before a film. Do a lot of research, get into the character. That's what I did with 'Dragon.'”

“For me, shooting, editing, and scoring rely on rhythm.”

“It takes years of building that experience as a filmmaker, as well as physically. You have to have a high level understanding of martial arts.”

“I try to update my arsenal constantly. Learning different martial arts since childhood. To understand what's out there. To really be in tune.”