Manny Camacho interviews action film star Gary Daniels…
Waking up at 4:30 AM is not something many of us like to do. Waking up to go to work at such an ungodly hour is usually far worse. However, waking up at this ungodly hour to go to work because I get to interview a martial art and action star I grew up watching…that is a treat!
Gary Daniels is a prolific actor and martial artist that has been in films on both sides of the pond for over 25 years. He got his start with a variety of talented people in the industry like Jackie Chan, Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Lorenzo Lamas, Richard Norton, Malcolm McDowell, Costas Mandylor and a variety of others.
I remember first seeing him on screen as one of the villains in Jackie Chan’s City Hunter, opposite Chan as the main opposition protecting the main antagonist, who was played by Richard Norton. This film hilariously displayed Jackie Chan getting electrocuted by an arcade machine which morphed him into a variety of Street Fighter II characters. The same gimmick popularly transformed Daniels into Ken. Not only did he look exactly like Ken; honestly, there has never been anyone better suited for the role except for the fan film based adaptation done recently. Daniels would continue to play crazy martial art villains for many years to come. He’s even brought to life characters from other popular titles, mainly from the Tekken franchise, depicting Bryan Fury in both the 2010 release and in the recent sequel, Tekken: Kazuya’s Revenge.
Daniels expressed to me the film that gave him his break was actually Fist of the North Star, where he portrayed the legendary anime character Kenshiro, which he stated was a perfect amalgam of Mad Max and Bruce Lee and aided in cementing him as a character actor in martial arts films and diverse enough to play more than just the villains.
Daniels is currently filming in Vietnam and we spoke about some of his past projects, the movie he is shooting now. and some of his upcoming releases. I had a wonderful time speaking with him.
Below are the main topics from the interview, enjoy…
Flickering Myth Manny: How are you Gary! I wanted to congratulate you on your perpetual youth! You don’t age mate what is your secret?
Gary Daniels: Dude [chuckles] …I do, you just don’t see me up close!
FM Manny: So tell me where are you filming at the moment? I understand you are on location for your next film?
GD: Yeah, I’m in Vietnam. We’re up in the highlands up in the Da Lat Mountains. It’s like all hills here. You should see this, there is no road up here and when I go out running in the morning I’m up and down this crazy hill. Like i’m training in a film montage. It’s really remote.
We talked about his experiences from his past and the reason I wanted to interview him and I told him I’d been following his film career since his “transformation” scene in City Hunter. He laughed.
FM Manny: The moment our Editor, Gary Collinson posted an interview opportunity with you I jumped at the chance, citing my history following your work as far back as your rendition of “Ken.” alongside Jackie Chan and his interesting rendition of Chun Lee.
GD: Oh man, City Hunter [chuckles]! Wow, you really brought me back, lot’s of memories. […] Any sentence where I’m named along with Jackie Chan is a huge honor for me. That was a quirky film and I got to work with Richard Norton as well. But turning into Ken was fun. I was a fan of the video game.
We talked about Street Fighter and about his influences in martial arts. Working with Jackie Chan was a big deal for him but he is a huge fan of Bruce Lee, his principles and his films. Playing villains or henchmen was his foot in door to eventually play bigger roles with more action.
FM Manny: In terms of the old school henchmen you got to play one in The Expendables? How was it filming this film without getting to really go nuts with your martial arts skills?
GD: Sly is awesome he’s an awesome guy. My role was more of a stunt role. We had shot the first five weeks in brazil and originally my character didn’t have much in terms of lines or much fighting. I remember when we were shooting a scene, he [Stallone] put his arm around me and said “Gary I want to expand your role.” The scene in the tunnel wasn’t originally in the script and I got to expand my character and show some of my abilities. That film is about the big stars [chuckles] I knew what I was getting myself into and I loved every minute of it.
FM Manny: Well I think aside from the big stars it brought together a lot of old school tough guys that were really good at being the tough bad guy you’d see at the end of the film…Those you want the heroes to really beat up, because they are…you know, really bad! You’re great at being the bad guy.
GD: Yeah, that’s true and I enjoyed being the bad guy in Expendables, it was fun.
We laughed again as I made another comment about how he looks nothing like his age and then I asked him about playing another legendary fan favorite character. Kenshiro.
FM Manny: I grew up on Anime and one of the earliest I loved was Fist of the North Star, were you a fan of the show, of the characters?
GD: I was a huge fan of Anime too, Fist of the North Star was one of my favorites. When I was given a chance for the role, I had spoken to the Japanese producers and thankfully they liked me. I mean it’s Kenshiro! He’s an icon mate, I was hopeful but wasn’t sure if I’d get it. But they liked me and offered me the part. It was quite an intimidating task to do that film. Honestly, I was disappointed at how the director handled the action.
He didn’t know anything about martial arts. He admittedly was focused on the story and the love triangle. He told me he’d watched Enter The Dragon and thought he was ready to shoot a martial arts film. I told him “No…that, that doesn’t mean you can do this!?” Tony [Randel, the director] said he wanted me to work on most of the action sequences. He was giving me more control of the choreography and the stunts. So the ball was in my park and I was excited to direct the action. Really excited! But Tony was very much a “My way or the highway” type and I was pushed to the side with what I directed and he got tired of the fights.
We had 15-20 guys in a particular scene and he very abrasively stopped the shoot and was like “Just use two guys! This is too many.” He didn’t want to tell the martial art or superhero story for Kenshiro. He wanted to “elevate,” his words for this martial arts film to be something more. He wanted high drama, the love triangle. Not to say he felt this way but he acted as if this type of movie was below him; I might be wrong but it seemed like he didn’t want to focus on any martial arts because it was all below him.
Gary gave me more details about his frustrating time working on this project, on a character he loved, but understood how films are driven by the directors and the vision they have in their heads.
FM Manny: I totally understand! I too would have loved to see Kenshiro kicking a lot more ass! Or showing how overpowered he truly is in a live action setting. Crash a building on him or something you know!
GD: Right [laughs] I told Tony this often, It’s Fist of the North Star, people want to see him kick ass!!! He’s like a superhero mate. He’s larger than life, almost immortal. The film came out I didn’t like the fights I didn’t like the lenses, I didn’t have a say or a voice…I was still young so I accepted my role and did my best. The film did well and it got me established.
FM Manny: Was it cheesy for you to see how it turned out?
GD: A little. Kenshiro, you know, he’s a badass! He’s a cross between Bruce Lee and Mad Max and I’m a big Bruce Lee fan. I wanted to bring Kenshiro out right. I did my best but it was so early in my career and I wish I had a chance to revisit those characters and redo the film. But there you go. It did well for me and for that I’m grateful.
I gave him my opinions on the film from my perspective then as a teen and looking back at it now and how it holds up. We got a solid laugh out of the discussion and because we lost our phone connection, I jumped into his other works when we got reconnected.
FM Manny: Now that we got our connection back and if the mountains of Vietnam are willing, I’ll be able to talk to you about your other projects without getting disconnected again. Tell me a little about Misfire, which is a film Flickering Myth writer Tom Jollife had reviewed.
GD: We shot Misfire in Mexico, last year with director R. Ellis Frazier and we also just finished the film Rumble together, which is great. He did La Linea down in Mexico as well and he gave a part in it with Andy Garcia and Ray Liotta. We’ve been friends for years, he’s a talented writer and a very intelligent man. When he sent me the script it was great! It had lots of action and it was intelligent. I had to accept it on the spot.
We talked about his experience working with industry giants such as Liotta and Garcia and he talked about how it was interesting to work with actors like that, that have no ego and are so willing to work and impart their knowledge. He also expanded on the turmoils of working on actions films with smaller budgets.
GD: Unfortunately, if you don’t have the budget [speaking about Misfire] it’s harder to bring the script to life, but it was a good experience. Roger is amazing he spends a lot of time with the actors, he’s very collaborative. Misfire is not a pedal to the metal type of action film, there isn’t a whole lot of fighting or action. It’s a slow burn, a thriller with action in it. I like it when the action comes out of the script rather than the action driving the script. That’s what Misfire was. I’ve heard some folks wanted more action, I’m used to more action, but this was a bit different and I loved it.
FM Manny: So tell me more about the film you are shooting now –If you are able to talk about it?
GD: It’s a step away from what I normally do, […] There is no action in this film…at all. It’s set in he 80’s in Germany, following a woman coming from Russia to Germany who gets separated from her husband. On the way she gets raped, ending up getting pregnant. Her captor and rapist falls in love with her but tosses her aside when he finds out she’s pregnant. […] He delivers her back to her husband where she tries to kill herself.
My Character is named Hans. I’m German in the film. Working as a translator […]
Gary continues telling me about the film, how his character, Hans, finds Quyen after she’s tried to kill herself and ends up saving her. He tells me how his character falls in love with her but is unable to act on the feeling. Because she is Vietnamese and her husband is still out there, it’s complicated. The gangsters who kidnapped her are also still out there.
FM Manny: Is the film in Vietnamese?
GD: I had to be as purely dramatic as I could speaking a lot of Vietnamese. Dude, that’s hard. I’d do a scene then go back to my coach, I was worried I wouldn’t do as well. It’s not like me speaking to you now. We can laugh we understand each other, I don’t have to think about the words to emote them. I can say shit and you know right away from my face I mean SHIT!. But this is one of the hardest languages I’ve ever had to work with as an actor, especially because there’s no action in this film.
FM Manny: So Hans doesn’t get the girl?
GD [chuckles]: Well yes and no, he falls in love but she cant reciprocate. He definitely tries.
FM Manny: It’s too bad you can’t just kick someone in the face and get the girl!
GD [laughing]: I know right, that’s so much simpler.
He continued to expand on his learning curve for the language and how he was overly concerned for his performance but the director, the writers and the other actors reinforced him with positive criticisms. Helping Daniels know he was doing great.
FM Manny: So let’s get back to kicking people in the face, come on, I know you’ve kicked over 200 people in the face, we need to get you to 300. I know you have a few other projects coming out soon, like Skin Traffik, tell me about that project.
GD: We got to film in London, Scotland, Holland, Canada, the US. The cast was great. Mickey Rourke, Michael Madsen, Jeff Fahey, Eric Roberts, Daryl Hannah and Ron Smoorenburg. Great, great supporting cast. That will be coming out soon and is about girls abused and sold in the sex trade. I play a Hitman whose redeeming himself. This one has a lot of action in it.
FM Manny: What about Rumble? More kicking people in the face?
GD [laughs]: Dude, Yeah! Definitely [laughs], Rumble was shot with the same crew that worked on Misfire. It’s a really cool script, shot in Mexico. There’s a lot more fighting in Rumble. A lot more fighting [laughs]. That ones in post production and is screening at The Berlin Film Festival.
We digressed and talked about fighting skills and stunt coordination before I asked him a few broader topic questions.
FM Manny: Whose been your favorite actor(s) to work with in the industry?
GD: Oh man, there’s been a couple. Lance Henrikson comes to mind first. It’s what he did that wasn’t on the page. That’s what made me realize “this is what good acting is all about.” Jeff Fahey, very, very talented actor. Peter Weller. He was great, such a gentlemen, loves to share stories. Those guys –they don’t have egos. These are the kind of guys I enjoy working with.
FM Manny: So what was your best, rather your favorite fight scene?
GD: That’s a tough one [laughs]!
FM Manny: Ok, I’ll rephrase, let’s go back to the kicking people in the face theme [both laugh], who was your favorite person to kick in the face. Van Damme has his Flying reverse butterfly kick, Seagal loves ragdolling people, Jackie Chan likes to punch and kick people in every possible spot on their body before they go down. Bruce Lee was about power and finishing the fight in seconds. Jet Li was about the art of motion and speed. Donny Yen is all grace. You…well, you love kicking, acrobatic high kicks, to the face! Inside Crescent Kick or High Kick right?
GD: Yeah [laughs] I do like kicking my colleagues in the face. You’re putting me on the spot [chuckles], I love working with my Sifu but as for a favorite you put me on the spot [both laugh].
FM Manny: That’s what I do! [chuckle]
GD: {laughing surprised] I have probably kicked 200 people in the face (god what a question) […] It’s all who you’re working with, how do I answer this…It’s a dance, they really have to cooperate because you’re clashing. Some of the best fight scene I’ve ever done are with stunt men. I do most of my own scenes. They understand timing and take great reactions. Some of my most interesting fights are with stuntmen. Actors are great but most of the time they don’t commit and a stuntman has to come in and it hurts the scene. So I love (prefer) specifically to kick stuntmen in the face. It feels real and then the scene looks better.
FM Manny: You’ve been awesome, thank you for your time Gary, it’s been a pleasure and an honor. Do you have a social media profile you’d like us to share with our readers at Flickering Myth?
GD: I’m not a big fan of social media, producers hate that about me [laughs], I do have a private facebook for family and stuff; but I do have a Facebook page you can post if you like.
Before we concluded he got my email address to send me some info and other materials and he wanted to keep in touch and when I spelled out my last name (Camacho) he asked me if I was into boxing, which I replied I had boxed in the past when I was very young but that I was related to Hector “Macho” Camacho, the Boxer, which is why he asked in the first place. This sparked a small conversation about how much he loved boxing, the UFC and his love for Soccer (football). He had also worked alongside Sugar Ray Leonard in a film titled, Riot. We even talked about a film I was working on with Michael Madsen that wanted to cast Daniels for a lead villain role prior to our main producer, Ben Trebilcook, getting tapped to write the next Die Hard film, leaving our project in development hell. But that’s show business.
I could almost see Daniels face (in my mind) lighting up when we somehow arrived at the World Cup as a topic in our long goodbye. He’s a fanatical football fan and player. We stumbled onto Anderson Silva’s comeback and how Silva during his training for his upcoming fight helped Daniels with his choreography. Silva had sent his trainer to work with Daniels just before the World Cup had started. I started to chant, “WE DO WHAT WE WANT WE’RE MAN UNITED!” Much to his glee. Where both our voices went high pitch for a moment. What is it about Manchester United (I need to ask my colleagues here at FM to help me understand my own fanaticism for this football team). I think I started a small bromance with this awesome man. So I jokingly asked him again about how he’s so fit and youthful. I won’t reveal his age, you can look that up on the internet yourself.
FM Manny: So tell me… Are you sucking the life force out of people with each kick to the face, drinking the blood of youth? What is it?
GD: Charlie Sheen said it best, Tiger blood mate…[laughs!!] Clean living, I don’t do drugs, no pork, no fried foods…I work out 6 days a week. I try to keep it simple.
Indeed he has! Gary Daniels is a class act. It’s hard to describe his personality when speaking to him without diminishing his sheer awesomeness. But the best word that comes to mind sounds quaintly British to my Cuban ears, so I’ll use it. Gary Daniels is a lovely human being. An extremely talented martial artist that has competed as a professional kickboxer in the past with an amazing 35 wins (34 of them knockouts) and 5 losses. Even one exhibition match against the legendary Don “The Dragon” Wilson who he worked opposite in a variety of old school action flicks.
With a heavy work ethic and not likely to be slowing down anytime soon –it looks like Daniels will be making more action and martial art movies for another 20 years to come. Here’s to 100 more people getting your boot to their face Gary!
Misfire, Zero Tolerance and Tekken: Kazuya’s Revenge are already available. Rumble and Skin Traffik are coming soon. Skin Traffik can be seen at the Berlin Film Festival early in 2015. Daniels has 3 other films in post production and a few others that are yet to be announced or listed online.
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Misfire is out on DVD now from Image Entertainment UK.
Manny Camacho is a Miami, Florida based award winning writer and independent film producer whose current novel, I Think? No, I’m Sure…God Hates Me, is currently sold out of its first printing but will be available again on Amazon soon.
Follow him on @EmanuelFCamacho and on Facebook
