Celeb Crushin’: Donnie Yen
It’s time once again to swoon over our star hottie pick of the week
When there’s a movie that replaces Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the top-grossing film of the Christmas long weekend, that’s when you know Ip Man 3 is a clear winner among Singaporean movie-goers: Within 11 days of its Christmas Eve release in Singapore, Ip Man 3 grossed a record $5.7 million, raking in more than $765,000 on Christmas day alone and claiming the title for the highest grossing Chinese movie in a single day. So here’s a look at the 52-year-old leading man in the wing chun franchise and seven reasons he’s our celeb crush this first week of 2016.
Ip Man 3 is now showing in local cinemas.
(Photos: Shaw Organisation, TPG, Lucasfilm 2016, Donnie Yen (@donnieyen.asia) via Facebook)
He’s got the moves
The expert in wing chun, taekwondo, mixed martial arts, kickboxing, karate, judo and Brazilian jiu jitsu started training at a young age in wushu and tai chi under the guidance of his mother, martial arts master Mark Bow Sim. At 16, Donnie was sent from his home in Boston to spend three years training with the Beijing Wushu Team, of which Jet Li is another famous alumnus. And after being chosen to star in his first movie at 18, he never looked back.
Now, anyone who’s watched any of his movies — Special ID, Kung Fu Jungle, Bodyguards and Assassins, the Ip Man trilogy and more — can attest to his fighting skills. He even got to spar with former pro boxer Mike Tyson in Ip Man 3 and caused some damage — he fractured Mike’s left index finger while performing a fight sequence last May.
Ip Man 3 is now showing in local cinemas.
He’s not just a martial artist
Donnie has proven his worth as an actor even when he doesn’t wing chun his opponents on screen. Following Ip Man in 2009, he got to try his hand at comedic roles, playing a makeup artist opposite Carina Lau in All's Well, Ends Well 2011 and a has-been singer opposite Sandra Ng in All's Well, Ends Well 2012. Both pictures were box-office hits and won him acclaim for his performances.
Last February, the action star landed a cameo role as a singer in the Hong Kong Chinese New Year comedy flick An Inspector Calls. Donnie was replicated three times on screen to play a quartet singing ‘Sherry,’ in the high-pitched style of 60s pop band Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
He’s devoted to social causes
The down-to-earth superstar is a regular at charity functions — last July he attended a fundraising gala for the Hong Kong Po Leung Kuk (Society for the Protection of Women and Children), in December he appeared at a charity auction in support of the Bruce Lee Foundation, and later that month he took to the stage to perform cha-cha at a charity screening event of Ip Man 3 for the elderly in Hong Kong.
Together with his wife, model Cecilia Wang, Donnie was named in June 2014 an honourary ambassador of Free the Children, an international charity focused on youth empowerment. And as part of the line-up at We Day Vancouver in October 2014, he addressed 20,000 youths at the Rogers Arena: “I want to make films that inspire people, that teach people they can make a difference … You need to define success for yourself and find your own path to it.”
He’s a musician
An unexpected talent, perhaps, given that Donnie is far better known for throwing punches and flying kicks, but the martial artist is said to be a gifted pianist. And little wonder, since his mother is a soprano and his father, Klyster Yen, once editor of the daily Sing Tao newspaper in Boston, is a violinist.
At the premiere night of his 2005 movie Seven Swords, Donnie impressed with his live performance of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66. He staged the same tune again this June as a duet with a 14 year-old music prodigy in his first public piano performance in Hong Kong.
He’s a family man
The father of three children — his son Jeff from his first marriage, and his daughter Jasmine and son James with Cecilia — is widely known to be close to his family. He reportedly would display photos of his wife and children while he’s overseas filming for long stretches and call home three times a day.
Donnie once remarked that he was often surprised by how much his children had grown every time he returned home from filming. And the desire to spend more quality time with his brood made him bring Jasmine, 11, and James, 8, to the Taipei premiere of Ip Man 3 on December 22.
In particular, James may be on the way to become a third-generation martial artist: The bespectacled youngster has started learning taekwondo and Brazilian jiu jitsu. But his famous papa said, “I’ll teach him when he has learned some basics because my kung fu is too profound for him now.”
Related:
Donnie Yen Respects Children’s Choices for Their Own Future
Donnie Yen and Family in Taipei for Ip Man 3 Premiere
He loves his wife
Donnie shares his philosophy on how to treat his spouse with a line from the first Ip Man movie: There are no men who fear their wives, only those who respect their wives. The action star attended almost every function together with Cecilia when he began promoting Ip Man 3 after returning from England — so they could have more time together. And he added that flirting often was his secret to keeping the romance alive.
Despite his macho onscreen personas, Donnie doesn’t shy away from online PDA. To mark his 12th wedding anniversary with Cecilia, he posted on Weibo: “Aug. 30th 2003–2015, 12 years! I can’t describe what you mean to me! I’m the most fortunate man! Please let us be together for a hundred years! Mrs Yen, happy 12th anniversary!”
The couple married in 2003 after just a three-month courtship, and their 20-year age difference doesn’t seem to hinder their relationship at all.
Related:
Donnie Yen: Happy 12th wedding anniversary, Mrs Yen!
Donnie Yen and Cecilia Wong the Loving Couple
He’s going to be a Jedi
With the Star Wars fever hardly abating, anything and anyone related to the science fantasy franchise will make headlines. And Donnie, after defeating Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the local box office, has been confirmed as part of the cast of the late-2016 Star Wars prequel spin-off movie, Rogue One, reportedly playing a Chinese Jedi who meets Han Solo and fights by his side.
The cinematic showdown between Ip Man 3 and Star Wars: The Force Awakens didn’t bother Donnie one bit. The actor described it as “choosing between a Western or Chinese meal — it all depends on preference.” He added, “It’ll be great if Star Wars becomes a blockbuster, because I’m playing a part in the next Star Wars movie!" What a way to think positively.
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