 HKCinemagic: One of your first breakthroughs was being invited to Hong Kong to work with Donnie Yen on Twins Effect. Tell us about this experience... |
| Mark Strange: It was a really amazing experience working on Twins Effect and seeing Donnie Yen work as an action director is very inspiring. He’s very keen to get the best out of everyone and works really hard. Everyone knows him as a star but he’s actually a great director as well! |
| |
 Mark Strange and Jackie Chan on the set of Twins Effect
|
| |
| HKCinemagic: Dante Lam directed the film. Did you have the chance to work closely with him? |
| Mark Strange: Unfortunately not because I was heavily involved in one of the action sequences in which Jackie Chan, appearing in a cameo role, is attacked by a gang of vampires. Whereas the director would focus purely on the dramatic scenes, the action would usually be handled exclusively by the action director. So in this case I was working directly under Donnie. But Dante Lam did a really good job on the film and it’s great to see him doing so well today! |
| |
Riding the ambulance |
| |
| HKCinemagic: Your big action sequence in Twins Effect featured your character attacking Jackie Chan, riding on a motorbike and then jumping onto the ambulance he is driving. This looked like quite a dangerous stunt! Was safety a big issue onset? |
| Mark Strange: When I was standing on the back of the motorbike there were no wires or ropes so that was pretty scary, especially with the bike changing gear and the bumps as you’re moving that fast! It was pretty dangerous! But while I was on the ambulance we were using wire rigs. This was also the first time I’d ever worked with wires. There was also a part where I’m grabbing onto the front of the ambulance and I get smashed through a fence. I remember the initial impact was much harder than I expected but everything was fine and I didn’t get any injuries. |
| |
Mark Strange as a vampire riding a bike |
| |
| HKCinemagic: While you were in Hong Kong you also worked with Jackie Chan on The Medallion. How did that come about? |
| Mark Strange: Around the same time we were working on Twins Effect, they began the re-shoots on The Medallion and I was pleased to be invited to work on the film by Bey Logan. The first time I went onset I was invited to meet everyone and get familiar with the location. It was quite a bizarre and nerve-racking experience because I was working with someone I’d literally grown up watching and all of a sudden I was doing a scene with him! My aim was just to stay very focused, work hard and do the job I’d been hired for. Especially when you’re working with someone like Jackie who is well known for his level of hard work and commitment, you want to leave a good impression so it was very important for me to do my best and deliver everything they wanted in the fight scene! |
| |
| HKCinemagic: What was it like working with Jackie? |
| Mark Strange: He’s such a great guy and it was such an amazing experience working with him. He pushes you hard but at the same time he’s very light hearted and really fun to be around. His energy and enthusiasm also infects everyone onset so everyone really enjoys the whole experience. |
| |
Jackie Chan in The Medallion |
| |
| HKCinemagic: Based on your own experiences, which film did you enjoy working on more? |
| Mark Strange: That’s very tough! I think I’d have to say The Medallion because it was much more “hands-on” and I got the chance to fight toe-to-toe with Jackie. Even though our sequence was short I was still able to take in the incredible detail of his choreography and work with him on a more personal level. For Twins Effect, the character I played had more involvement in the stunts. There wasn’t any hand-to-combat as such, but both were great experiences and being able to work with guys like Jackie and Donnie are incredible opportunities! |
| |
Mark Strange fighting Jackie Chan in The Medallion |
| |
| HKCinemagic: As an up-and-coming British action star, invited to work in Hong Kong, were you inspired by what you saw out there? |
| Mark Strange: Definitely! Before I went to Hong Kong I’d already started working on my first feature film, Displaced, which I continued when I got back. I also met Mike Leeder while working in Hong Kong and that was great and I was pleased he was able to be involved in Displaced as one of the producers. I also met so many great actors and stunt performers over there and it was all a very memorable experience. These people are some of the most talented in the world! It was nice to come back to the UK and feed off that very same energy and enthusiasm in making my own film. |
Intext Links