After working on the Matrix over 15 years ago Andre "Chyna" Mccoy has blazed his own path on the road to action. Never following the typical set of standards, always working out his own dreams, maintaining his unwavering individuality, Chyna is a seething force, unstoppable, unrelenting, yet grounded and loyal. Dan's Movie Report will now delve inside the intricate mind of the action legend, time for a trip to Chyna! Prepare for impact, and the most brutally honest interview I have ever unleashed!
Chyna, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Chat about your leap from stunts to acting, it must hard for stunt people to make it in
acting.
I know for a fact it takes a director that believes in them, but I
got lucky because if you remember I was the first to do it
in
Game Over. They even told me at the meeting I am the only one in Hollywood at
that time who could act and fight being I was a stuntman.which got me
the lead in Game Over and went on from there nowadays if you are
stunts you better stay there
What
other roadblocks have you encountered?
Race, look, size...
That
still seems to be an issue, sadly?
Fuck
yeah!
Some things never change, shifting directions to other aspects of film, what are your feelings on women in the
action genre, like Z Bell etc.. seems cool as a balance
Z is my girl, she's a beast, she's been in the game a long time, love
her, we
need more like her.
Some
of the ladies really work hard.
Actually my very first experience was from a stunt Woman.
Chat about it, how did it happen, who was she?
She introduced me to the game and told me not to do it, she
was Angela basset's stunt double.
I
respect Angela, one of my favorite actresses.
She said I had a great look and I should go after acting because the
stunt world is hard, dangerous, and clickish and you could seriously
get killed. She died right after that, on Vampire in Brooklyn, I was
devastated. (ED note: Sonja Davis perished on a dangerous falling stunt, according to sources: (She was performing a 45 foot jump/fall, and she miscalculated her
landing. Her body hit the airbag but her head hit cement. She died several days later.)
Good advice, and yet foreboding advice, yeah I remember that stunt mishap.
That is shattering when a stunt person is killed or seriously injured. Do you think the SAG union is doing enough to protect stunt people?
Nope, which is why I left SAG
What
could the union do to help right the ship?
Make sure our contracts are written better. make sure they are fully
covered even when they are out of the country. There are many things,
and honestly I don't know what it is like today, I am
no longer a stuntman, so things may have changed greatly.
Yes,
I have heard rumblings from stunt people, after an injury it was
difficult to get any work again
Then maybe things haven't changed. Maybe...I left the stunt world many many moons ago so I don't keep up on that end of the world.
You
recently worked in China on Kung-Fu Hero, describe some of the differences between working in China and on US productions.
China productions treat you well, they are all about safety, they pay
well, and they don't Bullshit around.
Cool setting up the shots, better technique etc...?
Even if the script isn't done, they are in full production, and
full steam ahead and very fast and efficient as a team.
They
also seem to care about the action more
They love the action they feel like this why skimp on the action and
put all the money in the drama when action even in drama sells the
film so for them every aspect is important.
I
have heard some stories from Thailand of some folks not getting their
full pay as
promised, on Thai films. You have never encountered that?
Never done a Thai film or even had the chance to experience that part
of the world I'm more based out of China.
I
know Almen Wong did a film called Her Name is Cat Part 2 and was only
paid 1/2 the money she was promised. Just can never be too careful
10,000 miles away. Looking out for you Chyna.
Was that a China based film ??
HK
production though shot in Thailand.
Hmmm that's a whole different world HK I mainly work in Beijing,
never worked in HK, totally different rules the works etc... when I
worked on Kung- Fu Hero they said okay this is your pay how do you
want it and they gave it to me in one lump sum.
Is
Bejing opening up to western culture more since the 08 Olympics?
China period has always been open to western culture since the
British were in power. Western medicine rules and people are no strangers to the western
world. Ooops I mean to the Chinese culture
I
saw you had lots of fans when you went there for Kung-Fu Hero the
people out there really like movies?
Well not only movies but i'm a rare breed in China so to see someone
like me in China who can do what they do is amazing to them
Yes, like a curiosity?
They called me Big Hero
Big
hero. Cool Name!
Yes because any type of color isn't normal out there.
Diversity!
So when it shows up it's like WOW!
Wish
there was not such a big deal about race and color in all films,a
good actor or actress is just that, not
a good black or good Asian.
Exactly.
Lets
shift gears to your new film, Chat about Bullets Blades and Blood, how
did you get involved?
Okay, BBB was an idea the creator had so I said well script time and
he agreed so throughout the process of making the film he would ask
me to help bring the script together. During
that time he loved one of my characters from my Killers of Killers
project called Jericho so he said I want to make you Jericho in this
film and the rest is history.
Above Pic: Chyna in Bullets Blades and Blood!
Speaking of Killer of Killers where are you on that? New interest
script etc.
Well we are in the financing phase of my new project Killer of
Killers a high octane Assassin film which is written and created by
me.. The script is done anyone of interest in Killers can go to http://killerofkillers.weebly.com/
A quick synopsis on Killers is: A hundred million dollar Bounty. An
Elite Rouge Assassin. An Eclectic group of International Killers
sent on a one way mission. Bring back a body bag or don't come back. "Killer of Killers"!
Cool
will check it out, chat about some of your interests outside of film and hobbies.
Now when I'm not working on films, I
love spending time and don't laugh, training,
watching Family Guy.
Me too!
American Dad and Dragonball Z
I
love the shows American Dad and Family Guy
me
too, I have watched all episodes.
I spend my relaxing weekends watching all Japanese anime because I
have been watching them since i was young. When it comes to
Dragonball I only knew the Japanese versions before I even knew they
did it in america.
I
watched Star Blazers, did you ever check that one out?
Never
watched S.B., but I watched a lot of Gargoyles, and Violence Jack.
Cool,
lots of the stories on the JapAnime are intricate.
I also watched Ninja scroll, Mad Bull etc...
Interesting
tastes in viewing you have, wrapping up the chat, what do you want to
tell people getting into the acting business as advice
for
the future.
Yes if you have a dream in acting, or whatever it may be never let
anyone alter your thinking and mindset stay focused on the goal, pick
up a camera, shoot yourself, make your own films starring you, and go
for it!
The
short films people are doing are cool for
themselves, better than action reels, at times.
Awesome, I have even seen some Vine videos better than full features,
folks
have ideas, and get them out into the universe!
I
agree, make it happen, even if you go it alone!
Alone is where it starts, once you build it they will come.
One
last thing. I almost forgot, you are returning to China for a new
project, when do you leave?
Probably November, so another overseas project under my belt.
Do
you know who else will be involved?
I don't say much I watch everyone else out there do there thing, and I
usually talk about it after I am done and or leaving to do it
Thanks Chyna, keep me up to date on the new project, cannot wait to get
photos and info, I think we have something, great interview, that is
how it is done!
Awesome and thanks to you and all the readers who help inspire me,
and hopefully from this I will have inspired them as well, I thank
you all. "Sometimes
you have to set your goals, dreams and aspirations far beyond your
reach and then reach for them, that way when you finally do achieve
pinnacle status, you won't be disappointed because you took it as far
as you could." Chyna 6-7-14!
-chyn forever reaching Approved-
Like Chyna's official Facebook Page: @ https://www.facebook.com/pages/CHYNAS-MCCOYS-FAN-PAGE/10150115640730377
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