The following transcript below is from the video “Donnie Yen Asked Could he Beat Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee in Fight” by Marten GO.
Hong Kong TV Host:
“If you fought with Jackie Chan, who would win?”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Of course, Jackie would.
Hong Kong TV Host:
“You’re bullshitting!”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Hey! What?”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“You really know how to polish the apple.” I’ve no doubt you would win if it was for real with Jackie!” Uhh, Jackie Chan’s kung fu isn’t even real.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“How can you even say that?!”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Oh my, let me ask Mr. Choi. Is Jackie Chan’s kung fu real?”
Mr. Choi (TV Producer):
“Of course not…”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Huh? It’s not!? How dare you say that?” It’s because of your seniority.”
Mr. Choi (TV Producer):
“Oh no, no… Jackie, he has smarts. He’d win with his brains, probably.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“But Donnie, your kung fu is real.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“You know, these things are hard to talk about, right?”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“You sure know how to polish that apple.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Well Jackie’s my elder, I ought to respect him, right?”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Should I say yes?” How about Bruce Lee? Did he really know how to fight?”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“I believe, Bruce Lee was a great fighter, absolutely.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Ok, you’re a real martial artist, tell honestly, did Bruce Lee know how to fight?”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Of course.”
Mr. Choi (Hong Kong TV Producer):
“I think so, too. He knew…”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“No doubt about it. No doubt.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“You’re saying without a doubt he knew how to fight.”
Mr. Choi (Hong Kong TV Producer):
“No doubt about it.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“He could fight for real, you’re saying?”
Mr. Choi (Hong Kong TV Producer):
“In a real fight, getting into it would be like in the … (movies).”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Right, right.”
Mr. Choi (Hong Kong TV Producer) :
“I believe so.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“I believe absolutely without a shadow of doubt that he could (fight for real.)”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“And you?”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Of course, I say yes.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“If you fought him, who’d win?”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Of course, I’d lose to him.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Is that the truth? Have you ever thought you’d stand a chance against him in a fight?”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“First, I won’t think of that because he is my elder and idol. And also I feel… his…”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Yes, he is an idol to lots of people.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Marital Artist):
“His martial arts… no matter in the martial arts world… his… his… that… contribution and his… contribution to kung fu films.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Right.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong TV Actor, Martial Artist):
“Unprecedented.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Yes, yes.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“He was a martial artist and filmmaker worthy of admiration.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“When you were really little, did you already wanted to become a movie star?”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
 “No. I’ve never thought of acting.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Really? You’ve never thought of acting?”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Really. Never.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“How old were you when you started thinking about it? Nineteen, at least, right?”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“At 19 years old, I was only discovered by my master because at the time, he was looking for uh…Â Before I got into acting, he made uh…Â Mr. Choi knows, Snake in Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“That’s right.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“He made those, right?”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Right.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“It was him that ‘made’ big brother, Jackie with those two films.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“That’s right.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Afterwards, they were in different companies. Jackie joined Golden Harvest and stayed at Golden Harvest. Was kept at Golden Harvest… Mr. Choi knows all about that. So… then, uh… uh… My master, Yuen Woo Ping started making some independent movies, so he needed some fresh blood. A newcomer, looking everywhere. At that time, his older sister, Yuen Woo Ping’s older sister was my mom’s student. So, hey, uh… I know Master Maak has a son and this kid’s kung fu is okay to that effect, then introduced to Yen Woo Ping. It was like that by accident that I got into acting. Simple as that.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Oh. So, before you never wanted to be a movie star, something like that…”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“After I made two movies, I went back to America. For three years, I didn’t make another one.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Okay.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Because I felt it didn’t suit me.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“You didn’t think it suit you.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“I didn’t think it suit me because at that time, I was still quite young. So, uhh… especially because uh… I lived in America when I was young for a bit. So my upbringing…”
Mr. Choi (Hong Kong TV Producer):
“So you didn’t fit into this movie circle.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“And also I was quite an introvert, so thought, this isn’t for me. Then returned to the U.S., but I… having returned to America, I didn’t stop watch Hong Kong’s martial arts and action movies.”
Hong Kong TV Host:
“Uh, huh.”
Donnie Yen (Hong Kong Actor, Martial Artist):
“Then I had a lot of my own thoughts on it. I wondered, wait… what if I do it this way. I could film it that way. Then I decided why not return to Hong Kong and try again. So I returned.”
