Today we talk with Ron Smoorenburg, a Dutch martial artist, stunt performer, and actor known for his explosive high-kick style and work in international action cinema, including Who Am I?, Tom-Yum-Goong, and numerous Hong Kong and Thailand productions. He shares his journey through the world of martial arts, stunt fighting, setbacks, reinvention, and his unique approach to creating action on screen.
You have a background in Kyokushin Karate – why did you choose that style over Shotokan, Goju-Ryu, or Ashihara?
In my hometown, we had a gym that looked straight out of a Rocky movie, with that classic ’80s atmosphere – wooden floors and heavy punching bags everywhere. There was a teacher named Ron Calmer, and he looked exactly like Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid. After watching The Karate Kid at a children’s party, I knew I wanted to join a karate school.
One of my older friends was already training at a Kyokushin school. One day, he landed some hard kicks on my legs and showed me how conditioned his legs had become – I couldn’t do anything against him. That convinced me I had to join that school, and it turned out to be the best decision of my life.
I later found an Ashihara Karate book at the local library and started trying to learn the movements and tactics on my own. At the time, there weren’t any schools nearby that taught the style.
Who inspired you to start training – did you have an idol growing up?
I grew up during the great era of the 1980s. Besides The Karate Kid, every Friday night we watched a ninja TV series called The Master starring Sho Kosugi. Everyone was making ninja stars, smoke bombs, and even swords.
We also had Rocky IV, where Dolph Lundgren really impressed me with his physique. Jackie Chan was at his peak, and The Young Master was on TV with its incredible final fight full of amazing kicks.
But it was Jean-Claude Van Damme who truly changed my life. After watching Bloodsport, something clicked in me. I started stretching like crazy, working on oversplits, and kicking leaves off trees in my neighborhood to improve my height and flexibility.
Can you share your experience competing in high-kick competitions? Any memorable moments?
Besides kicking leaves in the street, I also trained at my parents’ house. My room was on the upper floor with a sloped ceiling, and you could actually see my footprints on the surface from all the kicking practice. I was constantly trying to beat my own record. During karate demonstrations at my Kyokushin school, my instructor would always have me kick a piece of paper out of a teacher’s hand held high in the air.
One day, there was a TV competition for the highest kick record. Since Dutch people are generally tall, the record was already insanely high – over 3 meters (10 feet). I wrote to the TV program saying how much I loved kicking and asked for a chance to compete. Eventually, I made it to the final episode, where I broke the record with a kick reaching 3.30 meters (11 feet). I trained specifically for that kick against a wall for two straight months.
There was another contestant trying to beat me during the live broadcast. Before the show, he pretended he couldn’t kick higher than 3.10 meters. But once the cameras were rolling, he suddenly kicked 3.26 meters, looked straight at me, and laughed. My parents were sitting in the audience, and I looked at them to regain my focus. Then I managed to hit 3.29 meters. The other guy was devastated and lost his balance on his second attempt, and I finished by setting the final record at 3.30 meters.
What did you do for a living before entering the film industry?
I was a graphic designer, as I love the art of creating. Back in the days I was pixel by pixel almost and redrew Ninjas from an old MSX game. In Holland there’s no action movie industry but one day an uncle told me – “maybe you will make money with your passion for martial arts”.
Many people know you from Who Am I? (1998), where you faced Jackie Chan – how did you land that role? Can you tell the full story? I’ve heard it was almost like a miracle.
In June 1997, I was working as a graphic designer at a company called Alldata, which specialized in creating interfaces for TV games and news programs. One day, my boss told me that Jackie Chan was coming to the Netherlands to film a movie. A casting agency in Rotterdam was looking for 3,000 extras.
I contacted the casting company, called them nonstop, and eventually got a small role as a background extra, playing a businessman when Jackie Chan enters a building in Rotterdam. If you watch the movie carefully, you can actually spot me in that scene.
On my first day on set, I saw Jackie Chan in the distance, and I started throwing a few kicks around, hoping he might notice me. I asked one of the local casting agents if there was any chance I could do more action work in the film, and she suggested I speak with the Dutch stunt team.
When I told them I had recently set a high-kick record and performed martial arts demonstrations at events, they laughed at me and jokingly told me to jump off the building and leave.
But I felt I had to do something. I noticed one of Jackie Chan’s stunt team members asleep in a corner, and somehow I found the courage to wake him up. Surprisingly, he was very friendly. He was a small bald guy from Wheels on Meals – you’d definitely recognize him if you saw him. He told me I needed to make a showreel and bring it to him the next day. At the time, I didn’t even know what a showreel was, but I quickly realized it meant putting together highlights of my martial arts performances and demonstrations.
I got home late that night while my parents were getting ready for bed. I begged them to help me because I felt this was incredibly important. We gathered footage of my demo fights, freestyle kata performances with music, and my record-breaking high kick. At the same time, I designed a professional-looking cover for the VHS tape using my graphic design skills. I used a photo of myself doing a high kick, making it look like I was already an action star.
The next day, I handed the tape to the stunt team member. During Jackie Chan’s lunch break, they casually played it on a monitor attached to a playback cart. A little later, one of the team members suddenly called me over very seriously and told me I was being asked to do a live audition.
All of a sudden, I found myself in a room surrounded by Jackie Chan’s entire stunt team, with cameras set up in every corner. I had to perform the same moves from my videotape right in front of Jackie and his crew. I demonstrated fast kicking combinations and a flexibility routine where I gradually raised my leg higher and higher until it was almost vertical.
Then two of Jackie’s stuntmen performed a combination as a reaction test, and I had to copy it immediately. Luckily, it was similar to the demo fight choreography I had already been doing on stage.
Afterward, they asked me to wait outside while they held a serious discussion. About five minutes later, a wardrobe designer came over and started taking my measurements – even reaching down my pants for sizing purposes. I asked him what was happening, and he told me they had decided to put me in the film’s final fight scene. Out of around 20 people who auditioned, they said I was the best choice for the role.
It felt completely unreal.
What was the most challenging part of filming action scenes with Jackie, and do you have any interesting memories from that experience?
There were two kinds of challenges happening at the same time: the challenge of fighting Jackie Chan on screen, and the personal challenges happening around me.
If you remember the Dutch stunt guys I mentioned earlier, they were furious when they found out I had landed the final fight scene in the movie. They felt embarrassed because they had laughed at me in the beginning. Some of them even wanted to intimidate me before filming. One guy said, “Hey Ron, let’s exchange low kicks,” clearly trying to weaken my legs before the shoot.
Another member of the Dutch stunt team actually stole my wardrobe costume and put it on himself, trying to convince Jackie that he looked better for the role. When I saw him standing in the elevator wearing my suit, he told me I had lost the part. The other stunt guys in the elevator were laughing. It was probably the worst elevator ride of my life. But when Jackie saw me, he immediately told the guy to give me my suit back.
At the same time, my longtime girlfriend of five years broke up with me because we had booked a vacation to Greece that I suddenly had to cancel due to filming. She told me I had to choose between her and the movie. My parents saw me upset on the phone and thought someone had died, but it was actually my girlfriend ending the relationship.
I also lost my graphic design job because the shooting schedule kept changing from day to day. My boss became frustrated because I could never confirm whether I would be at work the next morning. Eventually, he fired me. On top of that, one of my best friends and karate training partners became angry and jealous because I got the fight scene with Jackie and he wasn’t involved.
On Jackie Chan’s set, almost everyone is afraid of making mistakes. There’s pressure in every department. I tried to stay calm, and the beginning of the rooftop fight scene actually went very well. I felt relaxed, even with the acting, and Jackie himself was very cool in person. I performed some leg-control techniques, opening kicks like mawashi geri variations, and even the move where I lifted the jacket with my leg. Everything felt controlled and smooth.
Then things changed when a documentary crew arrived on set. The atmosphere suddenly became different. They started filming a kicking sequence with Brad Allan, but they didn’t let me rehearse that combination beforehand, which felt strange.
Later, Jackie created another combination that became increasingly complicated. He started getting impatient and would suddenly stop in the middle of the action. At the time, I didn’t really understand why. My strength was leg control, so I would never actually hit Jackie. My style was more like Jean-Claude Van Damme’s—taller, karate-based, powerful and direct—not built around the flowing kung fu rhythms and snapping movements Jackie’s team used. Bruce Lee once described the difference as “iron bars versus chains,” and that’s exactly how it felt.
The stunt team explained to me that in film fighting, using less power with a cleaner swing actually looks stronger on camera. I was basically learning movie fighting on the spot, and it became an incredibly valuable lesson.
The pressure on a Jackie Chan production is intense because you’re expected to perform at full speed immediately. You have to remember choreography, timing, rhythm, reactions, and camera positioning all at once. Nowadays, stunt teams usually have workshops, rehearsals, and multiple practice sessions before filming. Back then, it was much more immediate. One of Jackie’s longtime stuntmen, Sam Wong, told me that even after working with Jackie for 15 years, he still got nervous. That helped me realize what I was feeling was normal.
Since I had never done an action film before, there was an overwhelming amount of information coming at me during every take. Jackie became irritated at one point because I slid too close to him during a roundhouse kick. Meanwhile, the crew kept throwing technical notes at me nonstop between takes: “Kick higher. Keep more distance. Lower the third kick. Look at Jackie. Wait three seconds before the last kick. Spin faster at the end.” All of this while wardrobe people were fixing my costume and someone was shouting, “Ready… action!”
Now, almost 30 years later, after becoming a coordinator myself and reanalyzing the experience, I can see things differently. Jackie would sometimes stop the action suddenly, even though small adjustments could easily have fixed the problem. As a master performer himself, he could have simply shifted position slightly and the sequence would have worked. But later I realized a lot of that material was being shaped for the documentary My Stunts to create dramatic tension.
In the final edit of the documentary, it appears as though Jackie becomes angry first and then replaces me with Brad Allan. But in reality, the footage with Brad had already been filmed earlier. Events were rearranged in editing to create a stronger narrative. Unfortunately, that portrayal affected my career for years.
The positive side is that I refused to quit. I was literally practicing timing and rhythm in the bathroom between takes, trying to adapt as quickly as possible. Eventually, I started understanding the rhythm of Jackie’s choreography, and you can actually see the improvement later in the rooftop fight near the edge of the building. Members of the stunt team even told me afterward that I had done very well, although none of that made it into the documentary.
As a result, many people came away with the impression that I wasn’t capable or professional, which wasn’t true at all. Years later, Mike Lambert, who was originally supposed to do the role, publicly stated that I had been set up unfairly. But Jackie Chan was such a powerful figure in the industry that very few people were willing to speak openly about it.
The experience definitely hurt my career, but I never gave up. After Who Am I?, my goal became very clear: I wanted to fight and work with as many action stars as possible, improve my skills to the highest level, and make sure nobody could ever underestimate me again.
What is Jackie Chan’s approach to choreography, and what did you learn from working with him?
I’m still very thankful to Jackie Chan for allowing me to showcase my kicking abilities to the fullest. In many movies, you are limited because you’re not supposed to outshine the lead actor. But Jackie is unique in that way – he allows the bad guy to shine too. Jackie Chan became my master in movie fighting.
Because of the immense pressure of working with Jackie Chan, every fight scene later in my career felt easier by comparison. It almost felt like being in bullet time. After that experience, I never got nervous working with any other action star again.
What I learned from Jackie Chan is that nothing great comes easy. You really have to push the limits to create something memorable. I learned a lot about timing and rhythm from him. Jackie also has a fascinating way of working with his team. He has coordinators and sub-coordinators constantly moving around the set, going from one location or object to another, exploring what kind of action can be created there.
Jackie then takes the best ideas from all those action proposals. He moves from point A to point B while shaping the scene together with suggestions from different team members. Even the art department is incredibly creative and supportive. For example, they would place mats under the floor and paint them to look like stone, or build breakaway props that still looked powerful on camera.
Jackie is not just a master – he is truly the grandmaster of movie fighting.
In 2005, you worked with Tony Jaa on The Protector, when he was a rising action star – what was that experience like?
First of all, besides being fantastic in martial arts, Tony Jaa is also extremely humble and wonderful to work with. I remember in 2005, on the set of Tom-Yum-Goong, he was constantly training between takes. Like me, he also loved breakdance-inspired fight movements. I was practicing some moves nearby while he was training.
Director Prachya Pinkaew knew I had come from Who Am I?, and even though it was a group fight scene, he wanted to give me a small highlight moment. I actually arrived in Thailand near the end of the shoot for the movie.
The team asked me if Tony could kick me in the face with a “Kick the Moon” twist kick. I was so excited to fight him that I immediately said yes. So I ended up taking some real kicks straight to the face. One of them even loosened one of my teeth a bit. But honestly, it was already a bad tooth anyway, so who cared?
And even now, every day when I brush my teeth, I remember Tony Jaa. Very, very good memories.
In 2010, you worked on The Eagle Path alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme – how was that experience?
I always say Van Damme will never let you down as a person. He is caring, very passionate, and great to work with. During filming, he gave me a few solid hits, and honestly, it was an honor for me to get hit by Van Damme. At one point, I slammed into a wall and got a cut on the back of my head. We stitched it up and just kept going.
He later told me to sit by the fan and get some Coke. An interviewer completely misunderstood that story afterward, but he literally meant Coca-Cola and sugar to help me recover.
Van Damme is definitely the man for me. And honestly, without Van Damme, there probably wouldn’t be tricking or even MMA in the form we know today – it all came from the influence of Bloodsport. He had a massive impact on the martial arts world.
And even today, there’s still no martial arts action star with the same screen presence, charisma, and look as Jean-Claude Van Damme.
In 2013, you worked with Scott Adkins on Ninja: Shadow of a Tear – what was it like collaborating with him?
Scott is really a great guy, and what I like about him is that he’s very balanced, grounded, and healthy-minded. We also share some similarities from the old Hong Kong action movie days.
In Ninja 2, we had to do a long fight sequence all in one take, and I had to react to his kicks perfectly. I gave it everything I had, and afterward I got a really nice compliment from Isaac Florentine.
Sadly, they cut some of the moves from the original choreography, including a really nice 360 kick. Coming from Who Am I? and being known as “the kicker,” not being able to fully showcase certain things is always a little painful for me.
That’s why I’ve always wanted to do a proper one-on-one fight with Scott, and I’m still waiting for it. I honestly think it could be fantastic matchmaking where both people can shine at the same time – and that’s perfectly okay.
In 2016, you worked on Never Back Down: No Surrender with Michael Jai White – can you talk about his approach to choreography?
I don’t think I was in my best shape at that time, and honestly the choreography, camera work, and editing were horrible. If you throw a back kick and the camera only sees your back instead of the leg, then something is seriously wrong.
Still, I blame myself too, because in the best situation you should be able to look good from any angle. It ended up being a pretty ugly fight scene.
The truth is, Michael Jai White is actually a very good performer with great punches, and the coordinator also had a strong reputation. So in the end, I take responsibility for my part in it.
Why do you think Triple Threat (2019) didn’t achieve greater success despite such a talented cast and crew?
If you have a dream team like the Expendables of martial arts – actors each with their own flavor and style – what could go wrong?
For me, it’s exactly about those individual flavors and styles.
A lot of the budget went into bringing together great action actors, but there wasn’t enough rehearsal time. Tim Man, who was the choreographer, had immense pressure to deal with, and he handled it amazingly – I see him as a genius.
But what could have saved more time is if all the action stars had been allowed to keep their unique fighting styles and just do what they do best.
I’m a kicker – so it should be optimized. You don’t give me a karambit; you give that to Iko. I can basically do one thing: kick. Sometimes when coordinators choreograph for themselves, they include all their own techniques, so I feel there’s a bit of a double standard there.
So in the case of Triple Threat, we already had all the ingredients, but the spice was taken out of the dish. The fights became more generalized choreography. That was done out of respect for Tim Man, but not necessarily in the way it could have been done – and that’s what fans notice.
If you compare it to the average Marvel movie, it’s still fantastic martial arts, but not quite what it could have been, and I think that’s what disappoints fans a little.
From another perspective, the Donnie Yen approach makes sense: let people showcase their highlights and build the fights around that.
In 2019, you worked with Steven Seagal on General Commander – what was that experience like?
Seagal is always cool for me. It’s more the production side in the Philippines that sometimes struggles to deliver something truly professional, due to a lot of different factors – even though they definitely have the potential and the people to make great action films.
If not everyone is fully committed to making a proper piece of art, then it just won’t become one. I remember we even had a toilet set falling apart when we started shooting. The producer got so angry that he kicked in all the doors, destroyed the set, and shouted “wrap,” deciding to shoot it another day.
Do you think Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen succeeded in action cinema partly because they control the full filmmaking process?
Yes, I think that’s the game changer. Donnie Yen has something called “the golden scissors,” where in every project he’s involved in, he has around 99% control over the editing. That gives him full quality control, because many editors – especially in the West – tend to mess up Hong Kong-style fight scenes.
So he and Jackie Chan had enough of that (even back in Rush Hour), and once they gained more control, their movies became much more successful.
Donnie’s success is 100% connected to this. Without that level of control, it simply wouldn’t have happened the way it did today – I can tell you that.
Can you tell us about your projects Assassin’s Tale X and Warzone X as a director and writer? What’s your vision for them?
These were two small projects made out of love, marking the end of a training period in Thailand with my friend Nick Khan (Soldier X Fighting Style). For me, both projects were a way to improve my ability to produce films in Thailand and organize shoots down to the smallest detail.
(The “X” is actually a symbol Nick always uses in his system “Soldier X,” so I embedded it into the titles.)
There’s a bigger reason behind it all. Everything I’m doing now is preparation for my full feature film The Last Fighter, and all these smaller steps are part of that journey. In these short films, I had the space to experiment freely. I also added some animations, drawing on my background as a graphic designer.
I truly believe that every director, actor, and writer, between bigger projects, should always keep developing, shooting, and learning.
Can you talk about the project Rambo vs. Johnny Cage? Was it meant as a message to the team behind Mortal Kombat?
It definitely is, because for me Johnny Cage needs to be a real action actor. I feel like Johnny Cage in real life. Even if it’s not me, let them take Scott Adkins or Bren Foster, for God’s sake.
They can fight and act as well, and they would be perfect. I hope this MK2 is better. I always say: good ingredients make a good pizza. The audience doesn’t go to these movies just for the acting, so give them what they want.
Also the Hollywood way of shooting action… I don’t know, it’s just not OK. What Marvel movie can you remember that had truly good fight scenes – something you still remember like Bloodsport? That’s the point.
Rambo vs Johnny Cage was done purely for the love of the art, even with almost no budget. It’s always good to make things happen. As I always say: “Life is Action.”
What is Action Movie Mayhem project about?
Action Movie Mayhem is a documentary following five action actors and stuntmen in Thailand who are chasing their dream of success or what they believe success actually is.
These performers are all at different stages of their careers, from beginners to veterans, and it’s very interesting how they answer the same questions but with completely different perspectives and outcomes. The shared experiences, setbacks, victories, and real-life struggles make it very compelling for people to watch, reflect on, and compare.
You’ve worked with many talented action stars – who would you still like to collaborate with?
I’d love to fight Bren Foster, Mark Dacascos, Bruce Khan (Korea – Revenger), Iko Uwais (one to one), Scott Adkins (one to one), and it would be just epic to work with Dolph Lundgren.
One guy told me I could try to set a record for having fought the most action stars. How great would that be?
After nearly 100 projects, which one stands out the most to you in terms of fight choreography, and which one for acting?
Who Am I? is definitely number one for me, as it also has the choreography and concept to make it a true classic.
Order of the Dragon (2026) is a movie in which I play a good guy, and it carries a lot of emotion and drama. I hope I can show the audience that I can do more than just action, that I can be strong but also vulnerable, which will really connect with people.
Why do you think the U.S. industry hasn’t given you opportunities yet?
There are multiple reasons. I think it’s because I wasn’t ready yet to carry a full movie. I learned acting over the years and had to rebuild myself from zero again after Jackie Chan’s My Stunts documentary.
I basically “died” already in the business, but the good thing is you can’t die twice. So now I go all in, to the max, without limits. There’s a certain kind of mental freedom in that. Maybe it’s better to be an underdog and underrated than overrated – that means you still have something to show the world, and I always feel that. It drives me. I also have a message for the world that I want to carry forward.
Now I think I can handle leading roles, but it took time. A producer gave me a chance in Order of the Dragon, an upcoming movie where I am the lead protagonist. I’ve learned not only to be tough, but also to show vulnerability as a real human being. I think that’s my selling point.
I had a manager who wanted to bring me to Hollywood, but it was a fake environment with fake people – lots of bragging, exaggeration, and almost a grooming-level of inappropriate behavior that I couldn’t accept. I come from a very strong family, and I stick to that. I don’t bend for anyone or anything, even in Hollywood.
I was told I had to show luxury – watches, cars, suits – and I couldn’t be myself anymore. I lost myself. I wasn’t even allowed to share pictures with my family anymore. That’s when I realized Hollywood wasn’t worth it. I found myself again and understood that real power comes from love, family, and authenticity. That’s what I carry into my upcoming films, and what I believe will eventually overcome that darker world I don’t want to be part of.
Of course, that wasn’t the good side of Hollywood, and the great producers were never the ones I dealt with. I know some action actors absolutely deserve roles like Batman or other superheroes, but for some reason they still struggle to get those opportunities.
Still, passion-wise and in terms of what I want to do in life, I’m not really a fan of Marvel, John Wick, or The Bourne films – they’ve kind of changed martial arts cinema. I prefer Asia, where there is still real respect for martial arts in movies. I’m happy to build from that base, because that’s what I truly want.
It feels like the industry still underestimates your experience – I’d love to see you in more standout roles. If you could choose any project, what would it be?
It would be in my movie The Last Fighter, in which I will carry a message to the world—a very strong one, with a deep reflection on life. A modern Rocky, filled with love, friendship, betrayal, new fight concepts, struggle, love, immense pain, and destiny. This is what I want to bring to life.
So everything I’m doing right now is leading toward that. I love to give it my all and earn the trust of producers, directors, and investors.
The good thing is I’ve really built things over the years and I didn’t take shortcuts, so I’m able to carry projects properly. If I look at my whiteboard, there are eight new projects in development from directors who see this potential in me – what you called standout roles. They’ve created strong acting parts for me with action. Of course, in reality, maybe two or four will happen first, and some might never happen or get delayed, but things look very positive for now. And I will give it everything I have.
Why did you choose to settle in Thailand instead of Hong Kong? What led you to that decision?
I went to Hong Kong in 2000 by myself after two promises to work on films from Hong Kong producers that never actually happened. I found a sponsor, saved some money, and went anyway after Benny Chan told me I could be part of Gen-Y Cops. The film got delayed, and suddenly I had nothing.
Walking the streets of Hong Kong and about to go back home, I saw the “John Woo Office.” I walked inside, and surprisingly I got the chance to be in a boxing film called Born Wild. That gave me enough money to stay longer and also continue with Gen-Y Cops and, on top of that, Avenging Fist, a Hong Kong version of Tekken.
Hong Kong was the place to be. I would train in the park, then visit game centers playing Dead or Alive 2, get inspired by the combos, and go straight back to the park to train again. Those were the best times of my life, but eventually I had to return to the Netherlands as the action film business there had completely slowed down.
Back in Holland, I was sitting in the office staring at the walls. When my boss left the room, I would switch the computer screen to pictures of Hong Kong streets just to bring back that feeling of being there.
Later, I got an opportunity to shoot a TV series pilot in Thailand, and at the same time Tony Jaa was rising with Tom-Yum-Goong. I managed to get involved, and I discovered Thailand was a very friendly country, great for outdoor training, good weather, and a lot of productions with fight scenes.
While everything in Holland was falling apart, I had to sit in an office, my relationship wasn’t going well, and projects weren’t moving forward because Holland didn’t really understand action, I slowly built a new life.
Now I’ve been living in Thailand for over 20 years. It’s almost like a backdoor into Hollywood action films as well. The stunt teams here are strong, and it’s also an incredible place to create your own films.
What is film production like in Thailand today? Is it similar to Hong Kong, or does it have its own unique approach?
Thailand is definitely unique. The sets are more relaxed, but the crews are still very professional, similar to Hong Kong. I feel like stunt performers take more hits here and use fewer wires, except for the extreme layered falls you see in Jackie Chan movies – Hong Kong is really unique in that way.
In Thailand, you have productions from all over the world filming, so it’s very interesting to be here. Building a resume is good, but there is a career ceiling. You won’t really become an action star here unless you make your own films or branch out elsewhere to play lead roles.
Locally, I was lucky to play lead villains in five TV series, and people still remember it and mention it on the streets, that’s a great feeling. Especially as a foreigner, getting that kind of recognition and even people cheering you is something special. In Holland, that doesn’t really happen. So the audience here is fantastic, and as an artist you do need that kind of feedback from your work.
It seems like you’re involved in almost every action film shot in Thailand in some way – is that true? And is there any involvement with a new Rambo project filming currently there?
I’m involved in a lot of productions, and there are still hidden politics that are undeniable. Over the years, I’ve developed a lot, and casting directors now approach me directly. I really built this step by step, because my acting wasn’t good enough back in the day.
I was once asked to do Rambo for a few days, but I had to leave for another project, Wandering Earth III in China with Michelle Yeoh, which I had already committed to.
How has your choreography evolved over time, and what has influenced you the most? Would you say you have a distinct style?
In 2009, I suffered a serious knee injury while attempting a flash kick (a somersault kick, similar to what Guile does in Street Fighter). One year after surgery, a graft popped out again, and my knee became very loose – it can move about 2 cm left and right. I tried to hide it while fighting many action stars, but in the choreography designed for me, I was never really allowed to kick much like I did in Who Am I? I felt like I was working in the shadows.
One well-known stuntman in Bangkok, someone I had helped a lot, once called me a “boxing bag,” and I went through a major mental downfall about 10 years ago. I started questioning who I had always wanted to be.
Then someone changed my perspective. In 2016, I fought Mark Stas in English Dogs in Bangkok – Alley Fight. He created “Wing Flow,” a style where movements continuously flow in smooth, effective transitions. He told me how much resistance he faced while developing his style. At that time, I was getting slower in my punches, dealing with a bad knee, and I felt like I was fading out and losing opportunities.
One day, after playing the video game Smite, I saw a character called Zeus. I literally saw the light—his chain lightning attacks bouncing from one target to another. Since I couldn’t copy Mark’s approach, my concept became about “bouncing off,” like lightning or a snooker table. I started experimenting with this idea using the karate techniques I already knew, and before long I had my first combinations. I tested them on students, who agreed to participate in exchange for a discount. I tried to apply economy of movement while staying tactical, and at the same time making the combinations look good on screen. A lot of ideas didn’t make the cut.
I named the style “RECHARGE,” because it literally recharged me, reinvented me, and optimized my movement. I worked around my knee problems by designing new and unique techniques, like the “coffee grinder kick,” which is a 720-degree back sweep into a breakdance-style armchair position.
So the setbacks in my career eventually became assets, and it made me become “different from the already different.”
At first, the established stunt community ridiculed RECHARGE, but I kept going. It started as a 2D model of simple combos, with moves branching into different options. Over time it evolved into something like a 3D system, where I could transition from one combo into another seamlessly. I still train and test new combinations every night, as it’s an ongoing development, and now I teach RECHARGE workshops worldwide, in the USA, Italy, Vietnam, Turkey, and the Netherlands.
Now that you’re over 50, how do you recover after film shoots and training? What would you recommend to others?
I always say: listen to your body. I feel better than I did at 26, more connected in a way. You can see this in the older kung fu masters, it all becomes one. I also recommend not giving up, because this age has a lot to offer. We have more life experience to bring to the audience.
And remember, at this age, if you can still do what younger guys can do, it actually becomes a bigger selling point, because you can add character to it.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned over time that you can share with newcomers trying to break into stunts and films?
- Realize who needs you in the movie business: casting directors, directors, producers. A lot of people write to actors asking for help in the industry. It won’t happen unless it’s a very rare case. It’s a very self-driven industry, and a barber doesn’t share his client list with the new barber next door.
- Always give more than you take. Bring good energy and value to a project. Be really focused on the job – put the phone away. Feel that you are a team working to make the movie the best it can be.
- Realize that you get what you can carry. The better you can act and fight, the bigger the roles you get, so work on yourself. (I know many “beta males” try to manipulate the business to get jobs, but eventually it has limits.)
- If you want productions to fly you over, you have to be different from the already different – to make a real difference. There are many local stunt teams, so why would they hire you? You need that unique flavor. Be exceptional. Be creative, not a copycat.
- Make it fun. Don’t be stressed about not having big parts yet – instead enjoy the journey, every small step, training with good music. It’s a competition with yourself. Growth is being alive.
- To achieve something, you need three things, and the third factor is the key one that stops many people. There’s passion, devotion, and… sacrifice. That last one is what many people can’t do. Ask yourself: can you sacrifice a relationship, a job, stability, family expectations—everything—for a dream that isn’t guaranteed?
- Don’t take shortcuts in the business – don’t walk over people, don’t bend over, don’t cheat or disrespect others. The industry is small. Building a solid foundation takes time.
- “Life is action” (my quote). Action is always better than words. Say what you do, but also do what you say.
- You need failures to grow, and pain to grow as well. All the people who hurt you and the setbacks you experienced were needed to take you to the next level.
- Understand the principle of Yin and Yang – whenever something great is happening, there will always be a price or sacrifice attached to it. And it can also work the other way: if you face a lot of resistance and bad luck, it often means you’re onto something important, and something good is about to happen. One side creates the other. Expect it.
What are your top three favorite martial arts films of all time?
- Bloodsport
- No Retreat No Surrender
- Rocky 4 if that doesn’t count as a martial arts movie I would say Drunken Master 2.
What are your two favorite fight scenes in film history?
- Fist of Fury – from Martial Club
- No Retreat No Surrender – Final Fight
Which three recent action movies would you recommend watching?
- Undisputed III
- The Raid
- Fist of Fury – from Martial Club
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