Sunday, 30 August 2020

Yoson An In Mulan



With a black belt in karate and skilled in kick boxing, ninjutsu, power lifting and Olympic weightlifting, Yoson An's martial arts background stands him in good stead playing the romantic interest of Hua Mulan in Disney's upcoming live-action remake of Mulan.

An, who also does kayaking and rock climbing, says his sports background helps with his grasp of the fight choreography in the movie. "I actually did most of my stunts in this film, except for the really dangerous stuff which I leave to the professionals," he tells the South China Morning Post.

With most of the shooting done on New Zealand's South Island, where he lives, the 28-year-old says he was one of the first actors on the film to start training for it.

"The production was based 30 minutes away from my house. There was a lot of vigorous training involved. For (around five months), I had to train three to four hours a day with stuntmen and martial artists. For five days a week, I needed to do (extra) high-intensity interval training to maintain my physique throughout the shoot. I also did a lot of horse-riding and archery. I had never ridden a horse before this production."

Born in the city of Zhuhai, in southern China, An studied at an international school in Macau before moving to Auckland when he was seven years old. His movie career grew from pursuing musical theatre as a hobby when he was in high school.

"I didn't think (I would become an actor) when I was a kid. But that musical theatre hobby eventually turned into a passion," says An, who speaks fluent Cantonese, Mandarin and English "I did four years of acting classes with my coach, (American actor) Michael Saccente. I was lucky enough to have various exciting projects come my way leading up to Mulan."

After bit parts in films including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016), Mortal Engines and The Meg (both 2018), he secured his first breakout role in Australian police drama Dead Lucky. He played the male lead Charlie Fung in the four-part television series, a trainee detective who blames his partner, played by Rachel Griffiths, for the death of his best friend.

The biggest role so far in his career is unquestionably Mulan's Chen Honghui, a fierce warrior who joins the corps of Commander Tung (Donnie Yen Ji-dan). Tung is also the mentor of Hua Mulan (Liu Yifei), who disguises herself as a man to spare her elderly father from having to join the military. Chen then becomes Mulan's most important ally and, eventually, love interest.



An says it took two years for him to land the role. "My first self-taped audition was (sent over to Disney) in 2016. I didn't hear anything back for three months, so I thought I didn't get the role and moved onto the next project. But a year later, my agent (told me) Disney wanted to see me again for the role. Within five days, I had to learn these new scenes to do a Skype audition.

"A week later I was flown to LA from New Zealand to meet with Niki (Caro, the film's director) for an in-person audition. I had a great time on that short trip as I saw it as a free vacation to LA. I didn't hear anything again from Disney for another nine months after that. So the casting process was close to two years."



A fan of traditional Chinese stories, An says his interest in ancient Chinese culture helped him master the role of Chen. "My mum recited the (original Ballad of Mulan) poem (composed around AD400) to me a few times (when I was growing up); Disney's live-action Mulan version closely aligns to the poem.

"Also, one of my favourite TV series was the 1996 Hong Kong (TVB) version of Journey to the West (based on a 16th-century Chinese novel), starring Dicky Cheung Wai-kin."

An has enjoyed working closely with Liu on Mulan. "I grew up watching The Forbidden Kingdom when I was 15 years old," he says of the 2008 Hollywood film starring Liu. "We had a lot of fun hanging out together as a group. She's probably one of the most humble and focused actors I know. That aspect of hers has inspired me to be even more diligent and dive deeper into my craft."



Besides Liu, working alongside superstars such as Yen, Gong Li (who plays a powerful witch in the film) and Jet Li Lianjie (playing the emperor of China) was a surreal experience for An.

"I grew up watching all their movies. I had a lot of respect for them. All three of them are incredibly nice people. Whilst we were shooting in the South Island, I lived with Donnie for over a month under the same roof. We had dinner every night and played pool together, so we got to know each other pretty well both on and off the set."

With a production budget of US$200 million, Mulan distinguishes itself from most other Hollywood productions with its all-Asian cast. An says the increasing representation of Asians following the success of Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and The Farewell (2019) in the United States is an important industry change.

"It distorts the perception of who the Asian community are," says An of Hollywood's past practice of typecasting Asian actors in nerdy academic roles. "It's very irresponsible for filmmakers to portray communities of any kind in a false light. It also creates an illusion of separation in the world.

"In this age, we need more love, acceptance and compassion. I believe authentic storytelling can be a medium to bring these values to (the audience)."

Mulan will be released on Disney+ on September 4 in select countries, before opening in Hong Kong cinemas on September 17.

Source: SCMP

Friday, 28 August 2020

Singapore's Youngest Billionaire



Welcome to the world of Kishin RK, who may have lucked into phenomenal wealth – but seized the future by selling his first property aged 18, and today gives back with free meals for disadvantaged families and health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kishin RK, the only son of Singaporean real estate magnate Raj Kumar, is Singapore’s youngest billionaire at only 37 years of age. Did he earn any of his own wealth or was it all passed down to him? What are his secrets to success? 

He bought his first apartment when he was 12

He hasn’t said if he used his allowance or his dad’s money for the purchase, but he has said his father guided him through the process and later started bringing him to real estate meetings so he could learn more about the family business.

He partners with his dad but runs his own business

Kishin may have started learning about real estate in his father’s company, but his training and expertise don’t end there. At the young age of 18, he decided to sell an apartment his parents had given him to start his own company, RB Capital.

Unlike his father’s firm, which focuses on buying and then repositioning underperforming real estate assets, RB Capital focuses on real estate development. However, it wasn’t long before both father and son realised they could grow both businesses by working together on various projects. The two are now known as Singapore’s leading landlords and have a combined net worth of US$2.7 billion.

He runs on coffee

Kishin may be passionate about his business, but passion alone doesn’t give him the energy needed to run a huge business empire. He reportedly drinks about eight cups of coffee a day to keep him going.

He set up a foundation to give out free food

Kishin RK doesn’t just work in real estate. He’s also the co-founder of TiffinLabs, which set up a charitable foundation called Food is Love to help provide food to needy individuals and families during the Covid-19 pandemic. The foundation started by offering 20,000 restaurant-quality meals to poor families suffering from job losses and an additional 10,000 meals to health care workers.

He’s a private person by nature

Kishin RK shies away from social media, preferring to direct those who want to know more about him to his business website. His Instagram account, which is private, has fewer than a dozen photos of him. His Facebook page hasn’t been updated since June 2017.

Kishin RK may have had great start in life, but he’s not relying on his parents to help him get by – instead, he’s spread his wings, ventured into new territory and boosted his father’s established real estate business in the process.

Source: SCMP

Donnie Yen Pays Tribute To Director Benny Chan

Hong Kong martial arts actor Donnie Yen Ji-dan paid tribute to Hong Kong director Benny Chan Muk-Sing, who died over the weekend from cancer at the age of 58.

“I will miss your smile, our creative exchanges and fatherhood stories. You will be greatly missed my friend. RIP,” he wrote on Facebook and Instagram.

“Benny and I first worked on the TV series Kung Fu Master and Fist Of Fury, back in 1995-1997. Benny was the producer and director. I was fortunate to work with him again on our latest film: Raging Fire. 25 years later, he’s still the same positive, strong, happy, inspiring director and friend.” 

Kung Fu Master


Fist of Fury


Chan is best known for directing Jackie Chan movies such as New Police Story and Who Am I? Chan was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in 2019 after falling ill while filming his last film, Raging Fire, which stars Yen and Nicholas Tse.

Source: South China Morning Post

BTS' J-hope 100 million Won Donation


SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Yonhap) -- J-hope, a member of popular K-pop band BTS, donated 100 million won (US$84,416) for children suffering economic hardship due to the new coronavirus pandemic, a charity group said Tuesday.

According to ChildFund Korea, J-hope expressed hope that his donation will be delivered to children in crisis, especially to those who are experiencing economic difficulties amid the pandemic.

J-hope has contributed 450 million won through the charity since 2018 as a member of Green Noble Club, a group of high-value donors of ChildFund Korea.

He donated 150 million in 2018 to the charity to support children with illnesses and foster talent.

In 2019, he donated 100 million won to low-income students at his old high school in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, and another 100 million won to children with illnesses.

"We express our deep gratitude to J-hope, a member of worldwide act BTS, for his consistent donations as well as his remembrance of children who are economically challenged," said Lee Je-hoon, the chairman of the charity, adding his group will work hard to support children in need.

Source: MSN


Tuesday, 25 August 2020

[使徒行者3]爆seed林峯回歸大戰黑化馬明

由無綫與內地合拍的新劇《使徒行者3》是2020無綫節目巡禮14部劇集之一,亦屬重頭劇之作,演員陣容強勁,包括有苗僑偉、林峯、馬國明、袁偉豪、黃翠如、黃智雯、周柏豪、蔡思貝以及張振朗領銜主演。當中最矚目的當然是林峯的演出了,這是他自從2014年離開無綫往外闖之後,於2019年3月強勢回歸娘家首部拍攝的新劇。林峯昔日在無綫拍了不少經典劇集,讓一眾劇迷同網民留下了深刻的回憶,至今依然好懷念。這次林峯正式回巢,兼演出他的代表作之一的《使徙行者》系列,實在令人十分之期待。大家又可以再於TVB上睇到林峯的演出喇,是新作而唔係重播呀。
林峯於2019年3月強勢回歸無綫。(節目截圖)
林峯在《使徒行者3》入面繼續飾演爆Seed (薛家強) 一角,苗僑偉就繼續飾演爆卓Sir (卓凱) 的角色。而最驚喜的可算是馬國明,他飾演的魏二少一直混入黑警潛伏於警察之中,以向卓凱、徐天堂、鄭淑梅、覃歡喜為家族報仇,角色亦正亦邪。在最新一輯入面,馬明將會走上黑化之路,是他罕有演反派的角色,他會與林峯有一場世紀激戰,忠奸對立展開一場生死對決。近日在官方的多張劇照中,就可以率先睇到一幕幕的精彩片段以及他們的造型。
《使徒行者3》是2020無綫節目巡禮14部劇集之一,亦屬重頭劇之作。
點擊下圖率先睇精彩劇照:
林峯在《使徒行者3》入面繼續飾演爆Seed (薛家強) 一角。
馬國明飾演的魏二少

苗僑偉就繼續飾演爆卓Sir (卓凱) 的角色。