John Wick Chapter 4: Donnie Yen fought to change his character from having stereotypical tropes

Last Updated on March 2, 2023

If you ever find yourself in a fight with Donnie Yen, you better make sure you’re prepared to lose. The Ip Man star has tangled with the best of them. In the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4, Yen is expected to face off against the star, Keanu Reeves, in a battle to rival all you’ve seen so far. CBR now reports that Yen’s character, Caine, was originally meant to appear much different. Initially, the action legend was to sport an old-school, stereotypical Asian look, but Yen wanted to expand his wings far from that. This is John Wick afterall.

Yen recently sat down with GQ to discuss his participation in the upcoming sequel. Yen had gone to the director, Chad Stahelski, with his reservations. “The name was Shang or Chang. Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Why can’t he have a normal name? Why do you have to be so generic? Then the wardrobe again—oh, mandarin collars. Why is everything so generic? This is a John Wick movie. Everybody’s supposed to be cool and fashionable. Why can’t he look cool and fashionable?”

The John Wick franchise is tailor-made for fans of stars like Yen. And the action sequences definitely look inspired by work similar to his, especially with Reeves’ former work on the Matrix films with fight choreography by martial arts legend Yuen Wo Ping. Despite the initial character snag, Yen had a great time working on the film. “I had a very respectful experience working on John Wick. Overall, I enjoyed making the film.”

Although he doesn’t look it, the action legend is 59 years old. He’s seen a lot in the business on both sides of the pond. In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Yen also wanted to make sure his character was very much a character from a galaxy far, far away. He also took the opportunity to spread his wings as an actor by improvising comedic lines. In XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, Yen also got to showcase more personality by being more than a stoic, mustache-twirling villain, and adding a swagger and sense of humor to his character.

Strap yourselves in for the action as John Wick Chapter 4 arrives on March 24.