Too late the hero? The delayed stardom of donnie yen

Abstract

In my book, Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee to Crouching Tiger (2003), I described Jet Li as ‘arguably the last significant kung fu star’, confidently stating that ‘there is no one in line to take his place’ (2003, 140). I was, of course, aware of and admired Donnie Yen, but he had been unable to establish himself as a leading man and the route to stardom through ‘authentic’ martial arts ability was visibly closing. Sabrina Qiong Yu also places Li at the top of the kung fu mountain, describing him as ‘[a]rguably the best martial arts actor in the world at present’ (2012, 6). Both Yu and I add a qualifying ‘arguably’ to our respective claims and, if one chose to argue with Yu then Yen might be the first in line to challenge Li for the crown. My claim, on the other hand, is not really even arguable any more, even though Li remains the bigger star and the highest-paid Chinese actor in Chinese language films (see Farquhar 2010a). Donnie Yen’s belated rise to major stardom, particularly since SPL: Sha Po Lang aka Kill Zone (Wilson Yip Wai-shun, 2005, Hong Kong), is one of those instances when being proven wrong comes as a pleasant surprise - few Hong Kong stars deserve their success more (see Hunt 2011). The title of James Mudge’s overview of Yen’s career stresses his ‘persistence’ - ‘The long, hard road to fame is a sign not only of his incredible athleticism and astounding talent for martial arts, but also of his patience and persistence’ (2006).