- Siu-Ho Chin, Tai Chi Master, 1993. The only martial arts superstar trained (from age four) by… his mother… said: No villains, thank you very much. The great Hong Kong badass was, “the fastest martial artist I ever worked with,” said Michelle Yeoh.
- Ken Lo (aka Low Houi Kang), Jui kuen II (UK/US: The Legend of the Drunken Master), Hong Kong, 1993. “I said: NO VILLAINS!” . The final, seven-minute fight (taking four months to shoot !) was due for Jackie Chan v Yen, then Chan v Ho Sung Pak, then became Chan v his own bodyguard. US critic Roger Ebert said this Chan film should not be missed. “Quite simply amazing.”.
- Wenzhuo Zhao, Bi xie lan tian (US: Another Meltdown, Hong Kong, 1998. Yen obviously read the poor script, which has nothing to do with Jet Li’s Meltdown. (In fact, it was first called The Blacksheep Affair). The setting is a fictional land called Lavernia, which souhds like a leading lady (a position well occupied by the succulent Shu Qi). The sometimes billed Vincent Zhao had shared the equally poor Fist Power with Anthony Womg and the better Legend with Jet Li.
- Wenzhuo Zhao, Yuen chi mo hei, Hong Kong 1999. Passed (easily) another hero to young Zhao (Chiu Man-cheuk in Cantonese) who did a fair job of using his, as the English title put it, Body Weapon.
- Wenzhuo Zhao, Sang sei kuen chuk (Fist Power), Hong Kong, 2000. He also passed this suspenser from the Body Weapon team. Zhao played the mainland security agent (!) trying to stop Anthony Wong’s HK cop holding an entire school hostage to win custody of his son.
- Ziyi Zhang, Rush Hour 2, 2000. The role he refused – Hu Li – Mandarin for fox – was revamped for an exquisite woman. With only three words in English “Some apple?” and “Out!”
- Simon Yam, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, 2002. The film was banned in China because “it damaged China’s reputation, giving the impression of a country in chaos, with no government and over-run by secret societies.”
- Collin Chou, The Forbidden Kingom, 2007. More interested in aation choreogaphy back home, he declined to join forces with the dynamic duo: Jackie Chan and Jet Li.
- Jet Li, The Mummy – Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, 2007. He passed the Emperor – and a fist-of-furious battle with the new martial arts star, Wu Jing (Jacky Wu) – to Jet Li., Too busy designing movie action sequences in China.
- Anthony Wong Chau-Sang. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, 2007. Donnie never seemed to have a yen for Hollywood movies. Until they got better…
- Jet Li, The Expendables 2, 2011. ““The role was not intriguing enough.” Plus the fact he was already earning 15 credits – from director to composer for Sap ji sang ciu/Chinese Zodiac.In short, Donnie had no yen to play a guy called… Yin Yang(!). Jackie Chan also refused Sylvester Stallone’s pension plan franchise for ancient action heroes Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis. Li shot all his scenes in Hong Kong while making Tsui Hark’s Lóng Mén Fēi Jiǎ/Flying Swords of Dragon Gate. He stayed on for #3. Not Willis, dropped for insisting on. $1m a day. And Yen waited for better scripts. And got them in 2016… xXx : The Return of Xander Cage and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
- Daniel Wu, The Man with the Iron Fists, US-Hong Kong, 2012. Not much attracted to Poison Dagger in the 21st Century street smart take on a19th Century treasure hunt – by the Tarantinoesque team of rapper RZA and Eli Roth. Russell Crowe, of all people joined the mayhem. His price? Rap lessons for his Sydney Rabbits rugby team.
- Weng Jiang, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, 2015. “May the Force of others be with you.” In case Disney agreed to paying $10m for Jet Li to be Chirrut Îmwe, director Gareth Edwards also offered Yen (costing $4m) the alternative role of Baze. The suits balked and Yen ws Chirrut, the Guardian of the Whills. George Luca’s original 1976 title: The Star Wars: From the Journal of the Whills.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 13