Homepage - Introduction - Interview - Filmography
Introduction
Ladalski was also in The Chinese Stuntman or in Shaw Bros
productions such as The Informer and My Rebellious Son. One of John's most
memorable roles was in Jackie Chan's Armour Of God, where he was the final dressed
as a monk baddy to fight.
In this interview, John Ladalski
speaks his mind and doesn't hesitate to talk about his fellow actors in good or in bad
terms...
Interview
HK Cinemagic: What brought
you to Hong Kong and how did you get involved in the Hong Kong cinema ?
John Ladalski: I planned in 1979 to go to HK, I was studying Jeet
Kune Do under Sifu
[master] Dan Inosanto [a former Bruce Lee
student] from 1976 to 1979. Previously in 1975 I studied
boxing in Chicago and studied Shorinji Kempo in Tokyo. In 1976 I did Wing Chun with Wong
Shun Leung for a few months then I went to Los Angeles in September 1976 at the Dan
Inosanto's school.
I planned to do movies as a career. I did not know action, but I wanted to try. I had the
idea to do it with Ho Ching Do (aka Bruce Li, a Bruce Lee clone) who brought Dan Inosanto
to HK. It was in 1977 and the Game Of Death was to be done. I became Dan Inosanto's
agent for that movie as well as for my plan to work with Bruce Li [on The Chinese Stuntman].
Did you find it difficult to
adapt yourself to working conditions in the HK film industry ?
Yes I hated it. The Chinese way is to not tell what to do until you're on set ready to
shoot. Then they you expect to do it perfectly for the first take. Later I learnt and I
was able to do one take quick and with ease.
Were there any difficulties
from the crew because of you being a westerner ?
Yes, they give you a hard time until you know their tricks. They always put you down,
saying westerner can not act. Sure we cannot act the Chinese way, but we act the westerner
way. It took me two years to get used to the Chinese way of shooting, but I learnt a lot!
You've worked for Hong Kong
cinema but also for US movies, can you tell us your feelings about these two different
approaches of movie making ?
In the USA, we have completed scripts, they tell you what's up and let you rehearse the
proper way. In HK they sometime make up as they go, or write scripts as we shoot, or
improvise all the time, or change scripts, etc.
Which one do you find the
most efficient in terms of action and storytelling ?
Well, in the USA, they are too strict and in HK they are too changeable. A balance between
both will be good.
Homepage - Introduction - Interview - Filmography - Top
You're one of the most long
time working westerners in the HK cinema, can you tell us how things have evolved in a
general and for you in particular ?
The Jackie Chan's way of shooting was a bit updated at the time
he was doing some western films before he got famous, like for instance The Cannon ball
Run, the Protector and so on.
Every film company works their own way. They produce some good and some bad movies, but
mostly bad ones.
This is why the HK film industry is so down. There is no quality control nor artistic
stand point. It's just a money business machine.
You've worked with many
impressive martial artists from the West.
Can you share with us your feelings about them ?
- Jeff Falcon has a bit of an ego, he thinks he's too great. He is good but he's nowhere
in films now, just doing business in China as he married to a Chinese lady and speaks good
Chinese.
- Sophia Crawford is a stuntwoman in Buffy The Vampire
Slayer TV series. I trained with her first but she didn't give me much credit for
that. I told her how to get to Hollywood, but she learnt from others as well. Her acting
is so so.
- Bruce Fontaine, I trained a little bit with him. He's a
Wu Shu
[Kung Fu] guy. He's alright but a bit up tight then in HK, but now he's cool. He trained
stuntmen for X-Men, he's a good trainer from his experience in HK.
- Cynthia Rothrock. She's an expert you know. She did not
know how to act at all for many years but finally she learnt how to act in her TV series
in USA. She has Wu Shu timing, but not real fighting timing, as I have, so she did not
catch my timing when we were doing scene together.
Do you find frustrating that
most westerners in HK productions are cast as bad guys ?
No I like playing bad guys, it's more fun!
You've worked with some of
the best action directors from Hong Kong.
Tell us about them.
- Jackie Chan is a good director, but hard working, too hard working you know. He's always
polite. He is good to me at least as a friend.
He can direct a dozen different ways, he knows all the tricks in filmmaking. Jackie learnt
his timing from Bruce Lee, as Sammo Hung did too.
- Frankie Chan has a big ego, he even got fired from his
producers. He overdoes acting. To make only himself look good on screen, when he was
directing, he deliberated hit the stuntmen. It was sometimes real hits and not fakes one.
I can tell you a lot of stories about him.
- Lau Kar Wing is Ok, he just does his work.
- Yuen Bun, I never worked with him. He speaks English but
he doesn't speak to people or me, I never know him really.
- Jet Li, I know him. He has the biggest ego in the East.
He thinks he's too great, but he's too stuck up, he has no real power. He has stunt men
for him as Jackie Chan does, because he got too many injuries.
Is there anyone you would
like to work with ?
Of course, with Jackie Chan and Steven Seagal.
How did you feel about
working on The Game of Death and The Chinese Stuntman ?
In the first one I did a little part but it was really great and I was happy to be there
with Dan Inosanto.
As for The Chinese Stuntman, we had a lot of trouble on set, we shot it in Taiwan.
There are more problems in Taiwan than in HK sets.
What inspires you now in the
current situation of Hong Kong cinema ?
I
am a action director for three films. I can action-direct a new wave of Bruce Lee type
action and make it more realistic. But HK directors go nowhere. They don't change. There
are some good new film ideas, but it's mostly old stuffs. Most HK movies only re-do
American scripts. But that's a whole long story there too.
What is your favourite work ?
Blood Fight and Armour Of God.
Any word to conclude ?
Well I can train any newcomers or martial artists to do great HK
type action movie or Bruce Lee stuff. I want to see a new generation of martial arts
heroes. People want to see more Bruce Lee, Van Damme, Steven Seagal movie types and female
fighters as well. In HK they are always looking for Asian female action actresses, but
they must be trained first. You have to know the movie way of showing fights and it's of
no use being martial arts black belt. You have to unlearn to re-learn again.
Many
Thanks to John Ladalski for answering our questions.
Interview by Arnaud Lanuque, March 2003.
Link of
interest : Foreigners in the HK Cinema (in French), at HK Cinemagic 2.
Homepage
- Introduction - Interview - Top
Filmography:
108 Golden Killers
Inheritor of Kung Fu
The Informer
To Hell With The Devil
My Rebellious Son
The Chinese Stuntman
Armour of God
Spy Games
City Cops
City War
Burning Ambition
Long Arm of the Law III
The Inspector Wear Skirts II
The Cyprus Tiger
In The Line of Duty 5 : Middle Man
Death Cage
Duel of the Ninjas
Mission Thunderbolt
Ninja In The Claws of CIA
Ninja Thunderbolt
