Donnie Yen called out John Wick 4 Asian stereotypes, got script changes

If there's one thing Donnie Yen is going to do, it is to call out stereotypes when he sees it.

Yen is the latest Asian action star to find Hollywood fame, following the likes of Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee. After starring in blockbusters like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Disney's live-action Mulan, Yen will soon appear in John Wick 4 as Caine, an old friend of Wick's who is speculated to be an important aspect to the main character's story.

In a recent interview with GQ, the actor shared that he's very selective about signing on roles. The 59-year old will not be taking on Hollywood roles that are deemed "generic" and if it doesn't respect his Chinese culture. Yen also revealed that his character Caine didn't initially check all of his boxes until director Chad Staheleski made some changes.

"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?" said Yen.

Yen certainly has a point and as seen in John Wick 4's marketing materials of the actor donning massive sunglasses and a black suit (no Mandarin collars!), Caine is looking cool and fashionable like all the other John Wick characters.

While it is great that Staheleski is open to making changes and removing stereotypes as per Yen's request, we still see one big issue though: How is having a Hong Kong action star appearing as a blind martial arts expert in Hollywood movies isn't in itself a stereotype?

John Wick: Chapter 4 is hitting theatres on March 24.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.

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