Budomate: I know you trained with the Shaolin Monks in China in the 1990s. How did that come about, and what made you decide to go to Shaolin?
Mark Strange: I’ve been studying martial arts since the age of 10. Inspired and influenced by Kung Fu and action films, I started training at a local Lau Gar Kung Fu school. I then wanted to expand my knowledge of Chinese martial arts, and began training with Sifu Derek Frearson with the International Taijiquan & Shaolin Wushu Association.
Derek invited me to train in China and Hong Kong. I studied Shaolin Kung Fu at the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, Wing Chun in Foshan, and Seven Stars Praying Mantis Kung Fu in Hong Kong. It was an incredible time, and provided me with skills and experiences that will always stay with me.
Budomate: You represented Great Britain at the World Chinese Martial Arts Championships in China in 1997. You earned the prestigious title of British Full Contact Chinese Kickboxing Champion. Could you tell us more about that achievement?
Mark Strange: I earned my place to compete in the World Chinese Martial Arts Championships over a series of tournaments that took place on the Wirral, UK. I became British Full-Contact San Shou (Chinese kickboxing) champion, and was selected for the squad for the World Championships at the Chin Woo Athletic Association in Guang Zhou, China, where I earned the title of ‘Most Outstanding Competitor’.
By this time, I had already been competing extensively on the UK martial arts tournament circuit, and became an all-rounder in that I competed in Forms, Semi-Contact and Full-Contact kickboxing, achieving many accolades over the years. These were great times, and also helped shape my performance as an actor and action-performer.
Budomate: In 2003, you appeared in The Twins Effect directed by Dante Lam and later in The Medallion, where Jackie Chan starred. How did you land those roles, and did you get the chance to meet Jackie?
Mark Strange: I sent a showreel out to a producer, which landed me a role on The Twins Effect with Action Director, Donnie Yen. I got the call to fly out to Hong Kong. Whilst working on the movie, I then got an opportunity to work on reshoots of The Medallion.
It was an incredible experience to meet and work with Jackie Chan so early in my film career, and I was fortunate to have two stand-out scenes with Jackie in both movies. I’m grateful for the opportunity, the people I met and worked with, and the experience took me forward in the action cinema world.
Budomate: In 2016, you took on a few roles in TV shows. How is the filming process different from making movies?
Mark Strange: The filming process is totally different, and can vary greatly between projects too. I’ve worked in-front of the camera on a few TV series, including Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, starring James Nesbit. That was such a great experience. For many years, I’ve also been working behind the camera on Fight Arranging for two of the UK’s leading television soap opera series. I enjoy this immensely, passing on my skills to other actors and ensuring the action looks realistic for film and television.
Budomate: In 2019, you worked with Scott Adkins and Jesse V. Johnson, playing a character named Cliff. How did they work together, and what was your experience like?
Mark Strange: It’s always fantastic working with Scott and Jesse. They are both incredible and super-talented, and they always put 100% into making memorable action films. Playing the part of Cliff in Avengement was such great fun, and the team gave everything, especially in the epic pub brawl scene, to ensure the action was gritty and realistic. It was awesome to be part of that movie.
Budomate: Most action fans know you from your role as the Karate Champion in Ip Man 4. How did you land that part, and what were the highlights of the experience?
Mark Strange: Hong Kong based producer and Casting Director, Mike Leeder, put me forward, showed my reel to the Director, Wilson Yip, and they got back to offer me the part. I was a perfect fit for the Bob Wall / Chuck Norris type Karate Champion that challenges Bruce Lee, played by Danny Chan, in the famous street fight. It was an incredible experience.
Not only for the fact that I was fighting the legend that is Bruce Lee (played by Chan) but that I had a part in what is probably the biggest martial arts movie franchise in the world. When I flew out there, I didn’t expect that I would have over 3 minutes of screen time in that iconic fight scene. It’s a major career highlight for me.
Donnie Yen is incredible, and it was also sensational to work with the legendary Action Director, Yuen Woo-Ping (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Kill Bill). It was fantastic to share movie screen-time with Danny Chan and Scott Adkins, and the whole cast and crew were fantastic.
Budomate: Your recent movie, Kung Fu Games, is getting a lot of attention. Can you tell us about the story and your character?
Mark Strange: Kung Fu Games is about a group of notorious fighters trapped in a lethal martial arts game run by a sadistic magnate, and it’s a battle for survival in a deadly kill-or-be-killed showdown. I play the lead role, Mike Fisher, who is one of the fighters. It was an amazing opportunity and a dream-come-true starring role.
It was incredible working with producers of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Shannon McIntosh and H. Daniel Gross of Tiger Style Media to deliver their vision of launching an explosive new era of martial arts cinema. It was brilliant working with the Director Ryan C Jaeger, and all the supremely talented cast and crew.
I love that Kung Fu Games pays homage to old-school Kung Fu films of the 1970s and 80s. My co-stars have a stunts / martial arts background, and we all did our own stunts with Stunt Coordinator, Sarah Chang. Everyone did an amazing job, and we had a lot of fun.
It’s a dream-come-true opportunity to play a starring role, and is most definitely the major highlight of my film journey so far. It’s given me a thirst to play more leading roles so I can stretch myself as an actor, and I’m looking forward to further opportunities in the near future.
Budomate: You recently shared the screen with Frank Grillo and Robert Patrick in Hounds of War. How was your experience working with Frank?
Mark Strange: It was awesome! Frank Grillo is a brilliant actor, very charismatic, and it was fantastic to be in the film working alongside such a talented and creative cast and crew. We filmed in Malta, which was great. Although I didn’t get a chance to do much action, I enjoyed playing Santiago, one of a group of mercenaries on a mission. I love playing military elite type roles so it was such a great experience.
Budomate: Can you share some details about upcoming projects?
Mark Strange: All I can say right now is there’s a slate of really cool film projects up ahead, and I’m looking forward to playing some memorable character roles that bring out the best of me as an actor and action performer.
Budomate: You ran a successful martial arts academy early on in your career. Do you still teach?
Mark Strange: Apart from the odd masterclass workshop for national or international shows, I no longer offer in-person tuition as my film schedule is so busy. And I get asked a lot to teach. To remedy this, we recently launched the Mark Strange Channel where members have access to my exclusive training videos and motivational content on all aspects of martial arts, fitness, screen fighting and getting in the greatest shape both physically and mentally.
It’s a great platform in that it enables me to keep on sharing my skills and experience, and there’ll be plenty of guidance for actors who want to improve their screen-fighting skills too. Check it out: https://markstrangechannel.com
Budomate: If you could star in a remake of any famous film, which one would you choose?
Mark Strange: That’s a great question! I can think of quite a few films but I’d have to say that it would be utterly amazing to star in a remake of Rambo. Alongside Jackie Chan, Sylvester Stallone has always been an inspiration to me. So, it would be an absolute privilege to play a new version of Rambo.
Budomate: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Mark Strange: Training, more training… watching movies, travel, and sharing life’s journey with the wonderful LIMA X ART. And I enjoy everything about being on a film set, bringing visions to life on the screen.
Budomate: And finally, what are three recent movies you’d recommend people to watch?
Mark Strange: Right now, I’d say The Killer Game directed by JJ Perry, John Wick 4 directed by Chad Stahelski, and Fall Guy directed by David Leitch. Of course, Deadpool & Wolverine directed by Shawn Levy – it was great to have been part of the stunt team on this movie – and, of course, I’m super-proud of Kung Fu Games, and would love people to watch it.