Donnie Yen successfully lobbied to have his John Wick 4 character's name and look changed

“The name was Shang or Chang,” Yen said in a recent interview. "Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang?"

By William Hughes | March 2, 2023 | 5:34am

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Donnie Yen successfully lobbied to have his John Wick 4 character's name and look changed

Donnie Yen Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images

A couple of years back, we reported that Donnie Yen—one of the greatest action stars of all time, and a legend in the world of Hong Kong filmmaking—was signing on for a role in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4. Now, a recent interview Yen gave to GQ revealed that the Ip Man star had a couple of conditions for his appearance opposite Keanu Reeves, including alterations to the name and look of his character, now called Caine.

“The name was Shang or Chang,” Yen says. “Why does he always have to be called Shang or Chang? Why can’t he have a normal name? Why do you have to be so generic? Then the wardrobe again—oh, mandarin collars. Why is everything so generic? This is a John Wick movie. Everybody’s supposed to be cool and fashionable. Why can’t he look cool and fashionable?” Yen (who raised similar objections during his brief sojourn in the Star Wars universe with Rogue One) brought his issues to director Chad Stahelski, who, he says, was totally receptive to his concerns. “I had a very respectful experience working on John Wick,” Yen says in the interview. “Overall, I enjoyed making the film.”