Ray Park: From Darth Maul to X-Men, Part 2

The actor discusses his martial arts background and how it led to his career in film.

By Craig D. Reid     July 20, 2000

As a film's success grows, so does our thirst for information on those associated with it. With Ray Park, we're now talking about three successful franchises (Mortal Kombat, Star Wars, X-Men) and a one-hit wonder (SLEEPY HOLLOW). In Part One of my interview with the buoyant martial arts actor, Park discussed his views on the X-Men film, how he got involved in this ultra-successful X-stravaganza and how his character Toad evolved from its original inception into a tongue-swinging, pole-wielding, bird-eating amphibian he modeled after the villain played by Yuen Hua in Sammo Hung's Hong Kong action film Eastern Condors. As it turns out, the fight director for X-Men was Hong Kong's Yuen Kwei, who not only directed the action for Romea Must Die and Leathal Weapon IV, but is also the Beijing Opera School kung-fu brother of Yuen Hua and Sammo Hung. In talking with Park, it's obvious that martial arts play an important role in his personal and cinematic life, a role that proved essential in X-Men. Today, we'll explore that background and why and how he got involved in his first film Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

FANDOM: AS A KID GROWING UP, PARTIALLY IN SCOTLAND AND MOSTLY IN ENGLAND, WHAT COMIC BOOKS DID YOU READ?

PARK: I read all the 'Spiderman' stuff, and I wasn't really a big fan of 'X-Men' because all my friends weren't into them. I had all the 'Action Men' toys, had Star Wars toys and Batman stuff. I remember having this Spiderman hair comb [does a combing his head motion] and a Superman one. I always wanted to play Spiderman, Superman and Batman. Those are the characters I wanted to play as a kid.

HOW ABOUT 'BEANO' AND 'DANDY' (POPULAR ENGLISH COMIC BOOKS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE THE '50S)?

I used to get 11 pounds 50 pence a week for my paper route [about $18], and every Saturday when I got paid, I'd go buy my 'Beano.' Then I would get my 'Martial Art Illustrated,' which sometimes had special edition Bruce Lee posters inside. I had Bruce Lee all over my walls, and I used to photocopy Jet Li pictures and put those on my walls. I know it sounds really sick, because my brother had women all over his walls, all these sexy goddesses, and I had all these martial artists. I'd lie on my bed with my headphones for hours looking at the pictures imagining doing that stuff.

YOU ABANDONED YOUR FIRST CAREER AFTER COMPETING IN THE CHINESE WU-SHU CHAMPIONSHIPS. ('WU-SHU' MEANS 'WAR ARTS,' A TERM INITIATED BY THE COMMUNIST CHINESE TO DESCRIBE THEIR STYLIZED MARTIAL ART TECHNIQUES.)

I actually gave up my engineering career to train in martial arts. My dad was an electrician. I went to college. I only had one year left, and I could have been an electrician, but I went to China to compete in Tian Jing, in the 'World Wu-Shu Championships' and got a gold and two silvers. And I thought, 'Wow, I beat the Malays and the Chinese,' but I really didn't feel like I beat the Chinese. I mean, I won this and I didn't feel proud of this, because I knew they are still good and I really felt like I still wasn't the best. So I just wanted to train full time, so I gave up everything and trained.

COULD YOU SEE YOURSELF LIVING HERE IN LA, DOING FILMS?

Well, I'm still young, and there is a lot of stuff I still want to do outside of films. I sort of left [martial arts] to do something else that I really wanted to do, but I had to take a big chunk out of training and learning martial arts. I mean it's still there, and it makes me who I am, but there is still a lot left for me to accomplish.

HOW HAS MARTIAL ARTS INFLUENCED YOU AS A PERSON?

It's made me more disciplined and taught me how to focus and to respect myself and have respect for others. In martial arts you learn to respect your seniors. I even asked my dad to dig a pit and give me iron plates so I could jump out of the pits like the guy did in 36 Chambers [i.e., the classic Shaw Brothers film The 36 Chambers of Shaolin, 1978].

WHEN I LIVED IN ILLINOIS, I STUCK 6-FOOT POLES IN THE GROUND IN A CIRCLE AND PRACTICED WALKING AROUND ON TOP OF THEM DOING STANCES.

(laughs) One may think it's weird, but it's not; it's what gets you doing what you have to be doing. I still think of the martial art way when I do things, like if I'm doing a fight, it might make sense for camera but it doesn't' feel right as a martial art.

BUT ARE YOU IN A POSITION TO TALK TO A STUNT COORDINATOR AND SAY, 'OH, WE CAN'T DO THIS, BECAUSE OF X, Y, AND Z.'

Well, initially on X-Men they did ask me to do that and actually left it up to me to be free to do whatever movement. However, when they brought in Yuen Kwei--he came in half way through the shoot--I was like, 'Wow.' And he's like asking me what can I do, and I said, 'Everything Jet Li can do but in a white way.' And then he's asking me in Chinese if I can do these certain moves and I'm answering, 'I can do it; I can do it.' I have never said that to anyone, because I would always let them see me do it. But I had just felt compelled to say, 'Yes, I can do this.' We got along well, and I have so much respect for him, and it felt like I was back with my instructor.

SO HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN FILM?

It's something I've always wanted to do, ever since I can recall watching the WATER MARGIN and MONKEY MAGIC on TV. [TWO CLASSIC TRADITIONAL FANTASY ACTION NOVELS TRANSLATED IN SOAP OPERAS FOR HONG KONG TV] My dad was into that as wella big fan of Bruce Lee. It wasn't until we moved to London when I was 7 when I got a chance to do Chinese martial arts. My dad didn't want me to do karate or stuff like that; he wanted me to start like Bruce Lee did. So I found a school when I was in London, and that's how I got started in movies, through my martial arts. In my teens, I'd heard of Cynthia Rothrock and Richard Norton, world class martial artists that got recognized in the Hong Kong film industry, and that's what I wanted to do: go to Hong Kong and be recognized as doing martial arts in Hong Kong movies, and then do films later in America. Never thought I'd end up in Hollywood first.

SO WHAT'S YOUR FOUNDATION IN MARTIAL ARTS?

Northern Shaolin kung-fu; specifically, it's called the Ching Wu style.

THAT'S INTERESTING. IN THE CHINESE CONNECTION (1972), BRUCE LEE PLAYS A CHARACTER WHO IS THE SENIOR STUDENT OF THE FOUNDER OF THE CHING WU SCHOOL.

Right, but I didn't know that when I started. It wasn't until I was about 16 and went to Malaysia that I found out: 'Hey, I got a bit of history here.' I just wanted to learn more about the style. I wanted to train in China, but there was just too much politics going on over there at the time, so I ended up training in Malaysia. I had just competed in the World Championships there in '95, came in fourth, felt I could have done better. I was getting frustrated because I wanted to get into film. So I decided to return to London, and when I got back, a guy I know who is a stuntman told me a film called Mortal Kombat was holding auditions. I went on down there with all my sticks and swords and treated it like a competition. But I felt awkward because everyone there were stuntmen; I'm not a stuntman but a martial artist.

So I'm fresh from Malaysia and in my showing-off, demonstration mode, and I was just taken in by it all, hanging out at Pinewood Studios. Dean McKay was the stunt coordinator. He said he wanted Dave Foreman and me to go back the next day to perform in front of the director. I'd do everything by the book, but I watched Dave improvise and do his flashy stuff and thought I should do my flashy stuff, so I did flips, spins, kicks and they liked it. There were no parts for me, but I was told they would try to get me a character part. They had to convince the stuntmen union why they should hire me over a stuntman because of my skills they couldn't do.

However, the stunt coordinator got sacked. Because of that, I was left in an awkward position. I was told I should leave because he's leaving. But you know, I gave up all my classes. I was teaching lots of gymnastic and martial arts classes in the London area schools. I gave that all up because I thought I'd be doing this film for 6 months. So if I leave the film, I have nothing. However, a few days later I heard that the film's star Robin Shou wanted to keep me on. I spoke to my dad, broke down and cried, because I was threatened that I would never work again. He said I should have a go because you never know what is going to happen. So I phoned Robin, felt awkward, but asked if I could have the job. Robin was really cool about it, and I was back on set and able to show him more of my stuff. I think he liked my wu-shu background. I ended up doubling for Raydon, and that took me to Jordan and Thailand. Of all the people hired as doubles, I was the only one that did the whole shoot. I learned a lot on that set: air rams, wire work, and doing stunts. I remember the American stunt coordinator Pat Johnson told me if I can't do something, tell him and he can get someone, but I told him that although I'm not a stuntman, I'll give 110 percent and I wont let him down because I wont let myself down.