IMPACT 90
Mark Dacascos: Kung Fou Style (fou for crazy)
Interview by Damien Granger
Translation from French to English by "The Wolfsisters"
15 years in the business, 24 films. Apart from
his first role in the comedy DIM SUM by Wayne Wang, which was cut in the final version and
the principal roles in the films "Only the Strong" and "Double Dragon" , the
Hawaiian Mark Dacascos often puts his martial arts talents in the service of B-movies. So
you see him in "American Samurai", "Redemption",
"Sabotage",
"Drive", "DNA" und "The Base". American
productions made for the video market or for cable channels. Films he made, one after the
other alternating with theater ("West Side Story", "Conan") and
television, where he guest stared in "General Hospital", "Flash" and
"Dragnet" before he got the series lead in the TV-Series "The Crow".
A busy career that did not give him the chance to become a star on the other side of the Atlantic. It’s ironic that Mark Dacascos is better known and appreciated in France. It was Christophe Gans who plucked him out of the anonymity by offering him the part of the killer in "Crying Freeman" in the film of the same name. 5 years later they are reunited again in "Pacte des Loups". An association that continues bearing fruits.
| Question: | After having played in "Crying Freeman" and now you are part of the second long movie by Christophe Gans, in "Pacte des Loups" .... |
| MD: | When Christophe told me that he was preparing a new film and that he wanted to have me in it, I told him, that’s ok, that he could count on me. But he insisted, that I read the script first before I agreed on it. So finally I read it and as foreseen, I said yes. |
| Question: | It is said that "Crying Freeman" is in some ways your first important film, the one that made you popular .... |
| MD: |  Anyway, for me "Crying
Freeman" is a special film ... that’s funny, because I met my wife during
the shooting of the film, and we had a baby during the filming of "Pacte des Loups". I am a dad
today ... . In France it is true that "Crying Freeman" is my first
big movie. It sold well in the rest of Europe, too. But unfortunately it was never
distributed in the US. There I already did "Only the Strong" and "Double Dragon" that
were in the cinema and made honorable success. So these 3 films never had the same success
nor the same public. There is the American, the European and the Asian Market, and they
are completely different. |
| Question: | In your opinion, is there a difference between the Christophe Gans of "Crying Freeman" and the one of "Pacte des Loups"??? |
| MD: | He seems to be more mature, more confident, even if he already was sure in his first film. He has a clear and precise vision of everything, the costume, the decor, the light. He knows exactly what he wants and everything is perfectly organized in his mind. That’s incredible! |
| Question: | What was your reaction when he asked you to play in "Crying Freeman"?? |
| MD: |  When I heard about "Crying Freeman", I had already
met Christophe briefly, during the showing of "Only the Strong" in the US.
The "Crying Freeman"-
project started 2 years later. I already knew the character because of the animated film
and I wanted to be part of it – no matter what!. But I had heard that Christophe
already had actors in mind, and I did not know in which direction he wanted to go. My
agent organized a meeting and we discussed for two hours in a Japanese restaurant. He
explained to me what he had in mind, his vision of the film. I was amazed. When Christophe
tells you about a film, it’s like you are in the cinema already watching it. So I
said to him, that I would like to play the role, that I was ready for an audition and that
I would do everything he wanted. Then I did not hear anything for about 9 or 10 months. I
was in Africa shooting "Kickboxer 5: Redemption"
when my agent called me to tell me that he had great news for me: "Christophe Gans
wants you to play "Crying
Freeman". And I gave a cry of joy. |
| Question: | How did you tackle the role of Mani in PDL? That’s a delicate character, nearly mute. |
| MD: |  At
first I was a little bit afraid that, as he is hardly speaking, he could easily be boring
or dull. In fact, first I had to understand Mani because he is, so to say, metaphysical.
He is very nature loving and lives in a different sensor system. He is nearly a
supernatural person. Everything Mani thinks and lives has to be seen through his facial
expression. It is necessary that you can see everything through his eyes and in the way
how he moves. I worked a lot on the corporal expression, the attitudes, to give him a
personality and sensibility. I worked on myself ceaselessly, completely like Christophe, I
am very critical of my own work.
|
| Question: | You have made many B-movies. Did you ever accept a film which you think was great and then got disappointed? |
| MD: |  Yes, but I will not tell you which ones. This year I was lucky, as I made 3
films which I was very concerned about. First "Pacte des Loups", then I
went to Shanghai for the film "China Strike Force" by
Stanley Tong in which I played the bad guy together with Coolio, and finally I made a
drama with a little bit of action with the producer with whom I already made "The Base". As I did not
have good memories of this film, I made grimaces when they sent me the script. But while
reading I said to myself that it was good and that the character was interesting. When I
met the director, Gustavo Graef-Marino, I saw at once that he was very different from
those they usually employ. He was born in Chile studied cinema in Germany and made movies
a little bit arty. I accepted because of him. |
| Question: | At the last movie festival in Milan in the office of the producer, there was a poster of that film. It’s the "Instinct to Kill", right?? |
| MD: | I don’t know which title they gave the film here, but that’s seems to be a little bit out of place. It’s the adaptation of an American book which is called "The Perfect Husband" . I don’t see a connection. What does the poster look like?? |
| Question: | You are dressed like a commando soldier with a machine-gun in the hand on a brilliant red background. |
| MD: | That kills me. I already told them they should not sell the film to the public as an action movie. I only had 2 fights in the movie, besides it’s a drama. That’s crazy, when they sell the movie with this poster, that will never work, the audience will be disappointed. Unfortunately, I think that’s a common problem with low budget movies. The producers think they can sell it better when they sell it on a lie. |
| Question: | And do you like "DNA" ? |
| MD: |  "DNA"
is a movie whose script had great potential. But unfortunately, and I do not know who is
responsible, when I saw the movie, it was not difficult for me to hide my enthusiasm! The
monster is ridiculous. It's a guy in full make-up, one can see it, period. And the
director has the right to have loved Predator and to make his own version, but here, he
really copied too many films, he just copied from everywhere he could. Being inspired and
re-interpreting is another story. It's really a shame, as the actors were quite good. The
original script, before being modified constantly during the shooting, was interesting.
Maybe there were too many people, too many producers imposing their own ideas. |
| Question: | On the other hand, "Drive" was quite good… In France, we had a shorter version. Do you know what has been cut out? |
| MD: |
|
| Question: | Is it hard to find good scripts ? |
| MD: | Oh,
yes ! But I'm lucky to be able to refuse some projects as I receive so many. For an actor,
it is a real luxury. Because, as a beginner, it is very difficult to get work. So it is
very pleasant to be able to do films you can be  proud of, while being able to
make a living from them. First, you are hungry and you accept all the roles you are
offered. It would be a lie to say that money does not matter. This year, I did 3 movies
and I refused a dozen or so. I like this position as it is somehow proof that I have
succeeded. Very good scripts for dramatic movies are circulating, but producers offer them
mostly to stars. As I have played in action movies only, moreover with low budget, the
scripts I receive are all in that same style. Even if I really like action, I prefer
movies as "Crying Freeman"
or "Pacte des Loups",
where the storyline is important. Action is justified and can take a big part in the
movie as long as the storyline works and the characters are interesting. I do not want to
do a movie where only action is important. I did some movies that look like that
description, but the final result was not what they promised in the script. To appreciate
the quality of an action movie, the story must still work after you have cut all the
fighting scenes out. Besides, it's much easier to add action scenes to a good movie than
the contrary. |
| Question: | Would you like to direct ? |
| MD: | I think so, yes, but I do not know if I'll do it. When I saw Christophe working on "Pacte des Loups" shooting, I said to myself I'm not sure I could handle all the elements necessary to the making of a movie. People often believe that a martial artist would know how to direct his own fight, but that is wrong. To do this, you have to know the technical aspect, the camera, the lenses, how to chose the right angle… So many aspects I do not know as I have never been specialized in that field. Of course, as cinema is a passion, I am interested in it from time to time, but not enough to claim that I want to direct a movie right now. For now, I prefer focussing on my career to go on making progress. I learn new things with every movie that I do. |
| Question: | On the other hand, you do not have many things to learn about martial arts. It is said you have mastered 7 different techniques? |
| MD: | It
is really very kind, but it is not completely true. The only martial art I really know is
kung fu, that I learnt when I was a child as my father ran a school. Then, I moved to
Taiwan, where I attended the  Shaolin training. For the rest, judo, tai
chi, boxing, tai kuendo or the saber, I practiced only for using them in the movies. So I
am not an expert in those disciplines, even if, when I was young, my father encouraged me
to learn everything I could about other martial arts and to inspire myself with many
different styles. For him, all styles are good. When I was young, everyone just made bad
remarks about each other's style. Some said that judo was better than tai kuendo, others
that boxing was as good as any other kung fu. My father always taught the opposite. No
discipline is better than the other. The man who practices it makes the difference. No
matter the kind of martial art, what matters is what you are doing with it. It's the same
thing with cooking. You cannot say that Italian cooking is better than Chinese cooking.
They are just different, and both are good. |
| Question: | There is, at the moment, in USA, a passion for martial arts and all Asian things. We saw Jet Li in "Romeo must Die", then the triumph of " Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". |
| MD: |  I remember, at the beginning of my career, I shot the pilot of the
"Bioman" series, which was transformed into "Power Rangers" later. At
this time, "Bioman" was a flop, and four or five years later, when Power Rangers
appeared, it was successful. It was too early, the American public wasn't ready to see
Japanese series. Today, the interest is stronger because they have seen a little part of
this cinema in "Matrix", and they love it. So now, everybody thinks that "
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon " is incredible. These are two very good movies, but
the fight style is not new. In Hong Kong, they have done this for 30 years ! The
"Matrix" effect was very useful, it introduced this style in the USA. I really
love the concept of this movie, the story, the visual and the choreography, even if I have
a certain aversion to the use of wires. I'm still an ardent admirer of the style of Bruce
Lee. Of course, as he said himself, real fights don’t happen this way. But every
punch looked real. It was pure energy, and a lot of charisma. Jackie Chan and Jet Li, in
their first movies, did exactly the same things. That’s what I prefer. Because with a
good coach, anyone who is supported by wires can do any choreography! |
| Question: | Do you use wires for certain scenes in "Pacte des Loups"? |
| MD: | Yes, for some risky stunts, to limit the danger. But, I don't say that I'm totally against it. There are some situations where they are even welcomed! I'm just saying that I prefer the good old way, because what we see on the screen is the true talent of the actor. But there are some movies in which wire utilization is perfectly integrated into the story. It's precisely the case for "Matrix", or "A Chinese Ghost", for example. |
| Question: | As a child, did you dream of becoming an actor? |
| MD: | When I was a child, I wanted to become a writer. I became an actor by chance. I was walking in Chinatown, in San Francisco, I was 19, and a director's assistant approached me. He asked me if I was an actor. I answered that I was not. He asked me if I would like to try. I said maybe. He gave me his card. I called him. I went to the audition. Wayne Wang was there. And I won the role. The movie was called Dim Sum and in the first scene I shot, I kissed Joan Chen. I played her boy friend. I can say that I found the job rather pleasant so I went to other auditions and everybody told me that I had potential, if I would take some lessons . Even today, between movies, I study with a teacher. I take this job very seriously. But nothing I have written so far has born fruit yet. |
| Question: | Do you write scripts? |
| MD: | Mainly poems, short stories, but I am indeed working on a script. It's not an action movie, rather a historical movie. My grandmother is Japanese and she was born on Hawaii. My Grandfather is white, he's an Irishman from Kentucky. He was in the Second World War. My grandmother and my grandfather fell in love in Hawaii during the battles between the Japanese and the Americans. My script tells their love story. |
| Question: | You never have been a journalist? |
| MD: | No, but I wrote an article that was published seven or eight years ago. I did an interview for a magazine. They asked me what my hobbies were. I answered that I loved writing. And some weeks later, the chief editor asked me if I would like to write an article for them. I accepted. He asked me to write an article on sex, explaining what he wanted, that is, to be very crude. I said to him that I accept, provided that I sign with a pseudonym. I worked on it for a month. And I think that I succeeded, because just after, the USA Today magazine praised "a trashy article on sex" by a competitor. I was very happy! |
| Question: | What makes you feel like writing? |
| MD: | The fact of feeling certain things and thinking a lot about everything around me. For example, after this interview, when I am home, I will rethink every word you said to me and every answer I gave you. And I will rethink this, again and again. So, everything that has happened to me in my life, good or bad, stays very fresh in my mind. My childhood emotions are still very present. My sorrows, my pains, as well as my joys. But at the same time, it's very hard to keep all that just to yourself. Writing is the way to share all this energy, all these memories. |
| Question: | It is said that the first scene where you appear in "Pacte des Loups", to fight against several villagers, was very difficult to settle, and had required several shooting days.... |
| MD: |  Six in
total, which is a huge amount of time. For me, it was the most difficult sequence. First,
it was cold. After two hours, we were sweating and at the same time, we were freezing! In
terms of discomfort it was the worst! But everyone, whether Samuel or the stuntmen, were
very motivated. Plus, it was the first action scene we shot together, we had just a simple
contact before. It was weird. The drenched costumes did not make the moves easy, nor the
boots which were filled up with water! It was really very cold. But everybody agreed in
making a good movie. And the overflowing energy of Christophe made us want to do it.
Nobody wanted to drop. |
| Question: | Is "Pacte des Loups" the most difficult movie that you have ever made? |
| MD: | Yes I think. In particular because the shooting was very long. It's difficult to keep one's energy intact for six months. "China Strike Force" was very difficult too, but for other reasons, as the shooting lasted only two months. |
| Question: | It's strange that "China Strike Force" was your first movie in China. With your career and your martial artist talents, we could imagine you to carry on Hong Kong movies ... |
| MD: | The
opportunity hadn't happened yet. I made one episode of the Sammo Hung series Martial Law,
with Stanley Tong. Normally, Stanley produces the series, but he directed the episode  in
which I appeared. It's because of this little role that he engaged me for the part of the
bad guy in "China Strike
Force". In China, they really work very fast, and they hit very hard, too. In one
scene, I fight against a very experienced actor who is used to these productions, and who
had confronted Jackie Chan in "Drunken Master 2". My God, he hit unbelievably
hard. Really, from the first punch he gave me, I thought he had a grudge against me since
he was so violent! And when you jump and land on the ground, normally the director makes
two shots. One where you jump, and the other when you land. In China, they make only one
shot. So, there is no mattress on the ground. And it's not carpet or wood, it's granite! I
run, I strike a big wooden box, I jump and I twist in the air and crash to the ground. I
came out of this shooting covered with bruises. Fortunately I'm a little crazy! |
There were many changes in the producers 's version, which is very different
from the director's cut by Steve Wang, that I prefer. They know I do not like their
version, I told them. Even if the director's cut won at the Toronto Asian action movie
Festival and in Japan, they insisted on their own version. I do not understand why. They
changed the music. They cut out a whole part of the story, which means that you do not
understand the motivations of the characters. They just put all the action scenes all
together, without even thinking of the coherence. The original version was dealing with a
whole story, with a very touching sensitivity. And as you had time to get to know the
characters, you could really enjoy the action scenes. With all the cuts they did, all that
you can understand now about Toby Wong, my character, is that he has this microprocessor
in his chest that enhances his strength and he wants to reach the Leung Corporation to get
money. That's all you know. They cut all the rest. Originally, Toby Wong works for the
Chinese government. He was sent to kill a girl who organizes demonstrations against the
regime but he falls in love with her. In the director's cut, Wong acts for reasons of
love. In the producers' cut, greed makes him turn against the Chinese government. I hate
this version ! In France, you are lucky as the directors are much freer. The producers let
them direct and edit their films as they wish to. They seldom interfere at that stage of
the process. On "