Mayling Ng Interview (C) 2015 Dan's Movie Report (Exclusive)

 Greetings my esteemed readers, get ready, another exclusive interview on Dan's Movie Report. This just part one of the interview with international superstar Mayling Ng. Her rise to legendary status in eminent in 2016, so read on, find out all about Mayling's brand of action, part 2 will take place following the release of Lady Bloodfight, 3-2-1 GO!

I know you were based in Singapore and now you're currently in Los Angeles, what are your plans while waiting for the premier and international release of Lady Bloodfight (Starring Amy Johnston in her debut leading lady role) where you played Svietta the Russian Psycho ex convict and enemy in the Kumite.

Thank you Dan I’m super excited to be here! I fell in love with the LA when I competed at the The Arnold Classic in Ohio a few years ago. I’ve had quite a positive response regarding my profile as an actress, martial artist and competitor that I’ve been offered a few projects.  I'm discussing possibilities and now starting to proceed with the legal steps to get things rolling -it's all very exciting.

Would you ever like to branch out to take on non action roles, dramatic roles, comedy etc..

Well My last Role before LBF was playing a Mamasan (Madam of a bar with Asian girl’s) with Aidan Gillen (from Game of Thrones) it was all small skirts high heels and not a kung fu kick in the whole film so yes lol. But first and foremost the roles must be challenging; to me that's exciting.  

Just enjoyed your new weapons action reel using a drone filming you on a futuristic bridge please explain the location, weapons and styles you used for the uninitiated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlz7ErbpoTU

I asked Will Dylan the Videographer to explain this one, and I think he said it best:  ”Singapore has many unique structures and architecture. However, it is often difficult for filmmakers to find large open spaces around landmark. Filming with a drone enabled us to create a brand new perspective of the Henderson wave. The high tech gothic look of the bridge blends in to the story, character, "mercenary costume" and weapon.” willdylan.com

If given the opportunity to work on a small US project or a larger project in Asia, same amount of screen time is it USA?

To be honest it depends on the project and the diversity of character, but the creativity here is driving me towards the energy right now in the U.S.; so if the opportunity arises I will take it!

I know you are on the road a lot for work and have lived in many places share your story from life on the road.

Moving started when I was young.   I was born in the UK to a British mother and Singaporean Chinese father, I left the UK at thirteen and moved to Tenerife Canary Islands.   Then, later in my twenties, I moved to Singapore for a year.   In my late twenties I moved to Hong Kong for a year, where I  followed my dream to work in martial arts movies. Returning to the UK to qualify as a Personal Trainer and Nutritional Advisor, I  trained city boys in London’s Canary Wharf, but I couldn’t handle the UK weather so I returned again to Tenerife in 2006 and started my Lyte Protein based diet restaurants;  which was one of the first businesses offering diet designed pre packaged Nutritional delivery meals (I won Barclays Women's Business Pitch idea for the concept.)When the financial crisis hit Spain in 2010 I went straight to Singapore and started my own fitness company training exclusive clients celebrities, bankers and traders.  I then traveled by train across Asia to a few exclusive clients covering all sides of a fitness overhaul, this involved everything from educating domestic staff in areas such as healthier grocery shopping, cooking from my a tailored meal plan (which includes a cookbook from my Lyte Protein healthy restaurants) then taking the client to the gym and designing a progressive program towards their goals before returning a month or two later to adjusting with their new improvements.  It got to a point where I was taking up to two flights a week and living out of suitcases and airports.

Besides the obvious, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Tony Jaa. Who are some of your male on screen action MA heroes?

It’s not so much the actor but also the style, fight and choreography!  I  love work like the original Transporter where Jason Statham’s combat was so direct, Bourne is another but the one that blew me away recently was John Wick!!  I watched it on a favorite and faithful Singapore Airlines flight and was practically bobbing and weaving in my seat much to the annoyance of the guy sitting next to me but I couldn’t stop - I loved it!

 What is a typical fitness regimen day for you? 

After more than 20 years of training, I’m at a point of lifting weights most days and always on a progression, DUP or hitting a personal best as I also compete, having won Silver Bikini in Singapore 2011 (IFBB) SFBF and then having the privilege of being invited to represent Singapore at the Arnold Classic US 2013 and do fitness modeling. So keeping my mass lean is a priority. The only cardio I do is martial arts training and that style depends on what role I'm playing which will dictate  the weapon forms. Unless I’m on a cut for a competition or film I will incorporate 3-5 a week of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) of 16mins each circuit. 

Chat about how you got started in fitness.How did it all begin for Mayling?

I was a big baby lol! My mum enjoyed telling me that if I wasn't eating, I was crying! So I was always a baby gnawing on a drumstick haha and even though I was training daily in martial arts, at the age of twenty-one I was still heavy and had always been solidly built even as a young girl, which really affected my confidence. It wasn't until I really got serious and started lifting heavy weights and swopped out the typical Asian diet of rice or noodle based meals for my macros that was higher in protein that  my body composition totally changed from a UK 14 to a size UK 8-10 (even thou my weight hasn’t changed much!) and everyone wanted to know how and also wanting me to take them the gym that’s why I became certified and started my Fitness company as the demand was high and concentrated on collecting qualifications in all fitness areas-Personal Training, Nutrition, Strike, Raw Combat International (close quarter combat, Knife and gun defense), TRX, even Pole fitness instructor for the Asian female clients (who are scared to go to the gym).  

The Secret is not how to lose weight! But how to keep it off!!! I’m stronger leaner now than I was when I was eighteen! Now I’ve gone from the big built girl with low confidence and through training to a sponsored athlete and fitness model.

How long have you been practicing martial arts?

My mother took myself and my brothers (two older and two younger) into Kung Fu to keep us active, (and probably to try and give us some discipline), I would then go on to train in Lau Gar in my teens and into my early twenties. I moved to Singapore for a year and began training in Taekwondo and ended up competing in Kuala Lumpur against Malaysia.

Then when I was twenty-six I found myself with a serious boyfriend of five years, a mortgage, my own Chinese restaurant business and a Rottweiler, but deep in my heart I had always had this crazy dream to appear in martial arts movies and so we broke up, I rented out my villa for peanuts just so my dog could sleep in his own bed every night, sold the business, paid off my mortgage and headed to Hong Kong, but I actually arrived at probably one of the lowest points for the business when very few action or martial arts movies were being made (timing!), but instead of giving up and moving on, I stayed for a year and trained with the Jeet Kune Do Stunt Team 1st and then also found an underground traditional weapon team Tai Sing Pek Kwak Moon, and fell in love with both the Double handed Broadsword and Bo staff training. But after a year I put my martial arts movie dream to one side, returned to the UK and got certified in Personal Training and Nutrition and within the first month landed a weekly column in a London newspaper on training city bankers, so Personal Training, my business and eventually competing became my main focus.

What are your particular strengths? 

MN: I competed in open hand forms in Spain and Malaysia, but I really love weapons, JiuHuan Dao, Bo Staff, Single and Double Broadsword, Nunchucks and much more. I really like learning new skills. 

I could also say my particular strength is my strength! I can deadlift twice my bodyweight. In the Lady Bloodfight film, I have to pick up one of the other fighters twice with my left hand (I’m right handed) above my head without any wires, and I did this for over 10 takes.

 

 How did you get involved with Raw Combat International? 

I saw a Raw Combat International video on YouTube, and the sheer directness and technique blew my mind so I posted a comment on their page and Luke Holloway responded directly to me, and we talked about training as he needed more female Instructors to represent, and in the end we trained all over Asia Thailand at Tiger Muay Thai studying Moy Boran-the older more violent style of Muay Thai and becoming NRA Pistol, Shotgun and Rifle certified , Close Quarter Combat in Bali then Knives in Malaysia and finally Urban Survival in Japan.

 

I noticed you travel the globe training, and such, any favorite places or gyms you like to work with or work out at?

-My fave Gym hands down is the MECCA for any bodybuilder or fitness professional, Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach Los Angeles, just the atmosphere that greets you when you walk in gives me so much energy.

-For the Martial arts the talent in Los Angeles  is empowering!

I’ve started stunt training with Lohan Buson and Tim Storm for film fighting. Also with Xavier Declie learning to master the 10ft long bamboo bo staff and double nunchucks to my collection.            

- Tenerife When I’m visiting my brothers (who own various F&B establishments across the south of the island venturerestaurantstenerife.com ) its hard to keep lean so I train Hard! at Fitness Center 2000 in Del Duque (owned by Honore Cironte a multi winning Mr Olympia Master Champion) and double up with kickboxing with a great trainer Luca Giacomtti who has a fab home dojo where all the Russian security guys go down and train... insane! 

- UK I trained in Lau Gar Style (but now they specialize in 5 Thunder Dim Mak) as a teenager at the TMAS - The Martial Arts Studio, run by two brothers and their sister,  the Giam family in Liverpool I also go in to brush up on weapon forms.

- Singapore I train at Nia Kwang Pugilistic Association Singapore for traditional Kung fu style and weapons but mainly the Jiuhuan Dao

- Hong Kong, Alain Ngailani and the team at Impakt Gym, It's a real fighters gym and great for working on rhythm, speed and combos. 

 I saw you with Mike Leeder and some new castings on the way, what types of roles would you like to play? Are you more in tune with the bad girl parts?

Mike is a very trusted friend and colleague, he's done so much work as a casting director and producer, he is straight to the point - be it about himself, your skills and your attitude. He will do whatever he can to help people  to improve. He's given me some good advice, and introduced me to some really good people in both the stunts/fighting world and straight acting etc, people like my acting coach Jeanne Hartman who I have been studying with in Hong Kong and Los Angeles.

I know Mike has a number of projects he's putting together and I hope we get a chance to work together on some of them, but he also introduced me to several projects and people that I hope to get to work with too.

Who are some of your favorite directors and actors? 

It's hard for me to say as there are so many great actors and directors whose movies I love, and of course I'd love to work with. 

Luc Besson from The Big Blue, Subway through Nikita, Leon and so much more! I'm a big fan of Tarantino if only he'd write for women more often, Jackie Brown and Kill Bill showed how well he can do it, people like Sammo Hung, Yuen Woo-ping, there's too many to mention, actresses like Angelina Jolie etc who have shown that women can carry an action movie, big fan of them too.

 
Do you want to transition to acting further or is your main focus still on fitness and training?

Film definitely! That’s my passion and what drives me and I hope to do more of, even before LBF I was still constantly working on projects and studying drama.

I still have my coaching business just because my original clients make me do it lol but I moved from being a Personal Trainer and more into online coach as with the traveling I designed programs for my clients to follow and check in online and I still work with these clients now.

In ten years Mayling is where? And, doing What?

Happy, healthy with a home in Los Angeles  and a home on a private getaway beach maybe Amanpulo in Philippines, with a Big dog don’t know about kids but defiantly married lol! I want that life partner my soul mate/hubby (single for 5 yrs while living in Singapore so I’m ready to meet him!)

Final thoughts, advice to young people going for their dream.

  

Don’t give up and go for it, it's so easy to try once, not get what you want and walk away, but don't give up, my dream came true later in life, and I’m not finished! I’m on to my next adventure, country and next chapter!

Connect with Mayling: https://www.facebook.com/ngmayling
                                   http://maylingng.com/

                                    https://twitter.com/missnginaction