Episode 25 - Diana Lee Inosanto

Explicit content warning

03/19/18 • 60 min

Actor, stunt performer, filmmaker, teacher, activist - there's a lot more to Diana Lee Inosanto than just being the daughter of legendary Filipino-American martial artist Dan Inosanto, not to mention the goddaughter of the iconic Bruce Lee. Despite being only seven when the martial arts superstar passed away in 1973, she still has fond memories of "Uncle Bruce" and growing up with the Lee family, with whom she is still very close. She has continued to teach the philosophy and martial arts of her father, and is currently working on bringing his life story to the big screen. She is collaborating with the veteran Hollywood producer Mark Gordon (Saving Private Ryan) to tell the story of Dan Inosanto's secret martial arts training regime with the Dallas Cowboys, regarded as the catalyst for the team winning the Super Bowl in 1978. In this candid conversation, Diana speaks of her interest and appreciation of the martial arts, as well as her journey as an actor and stunt performer. Her credits include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Face/Off, Blade and Wild Wild West; she has also worked as a fight trainer for actors including Aaron Eckhart and Melissa McCarthy. We also talk about the sexual abuse claims which have rocked Hollywood, highlighted by the Me Too movement. Diana speaks of her own experiences of sexual harassment and how the industry can use this breakthrough moment to make positive changes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Episode 24 - Taimak / Daniel Lue

Star of the 1985 Motown-produced cult classic, The Last Dragon, we welcome Taimak to our first podcast of 2018. Taimak Guarriello was only 19 when he made his starring-role debut as the wise kung fu kid 'Bruce' Leroy Green in Berry Gordy's weird and wonderful action fantasy. It's a fun mix of martial arts and music, but the shoot wasn't always smooth, and Taimak explains some of the on-set disputes, rivalries and relationships which fuelled the production. He discusses working with legendary music mogul, Berry Gordy, and his co-stars Julius Carry and Vanity. But we also talk about his tough upbringing in New York and London, where his bohemian parents introduced him to many of the major celebrities of the time, including the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Andy Warhol and David Bowie. He was inspired by Bruce Lee and Shaw Brothers films, and even trained under the legendary 'Black Dragon' himself, Ron Van Clief. Taimak has remained true to the martial arts ever since, and he continues to train all the time as well as make his own movies, including a pseudo-sequel to The Last Dragon, called Master. You can read more about Master on the film's Indiegogo page. You can also keep up-to-date with all of Taimak's activities by following him on Instagram and Twitter.

Also on this episode, I spend a bit of time chatting to the actor, fitness trainer and filmmaker, Daniel Lue, who has just made his own kung fu movie, called Kung Fu Theatre. Its a zero-budget tribute to the old-school kung fu movies he loved in his youth, and you can watch it for free on Amazon.

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Next Episode

Episode 26 - Cung Le

Having retired from the world of mixed martial arts, Cung Le is channelling the same grit and determination which made him a champion fighter into his career as an actor in Hollywood and Asia. Over the past decade, the former UFC fighter, Strikeforce Middleweight Champion and highly decorated martial artist has balanced his professional fighting career with appearances in some superb martial arts movies, including Fighting, The Man with the Iron Fists, Bodyguards and Assassins, The Grandmaster and True Legend. Last year, he took on Antonio Banderas in Security and Scott Adkins in Savage Dog. And the movie roles keep rolling in; he will next be seen in Europe Raiders, the third in the Raiders trilogy, alongside Tony Leung and Kris Wu. Cung’s story is an inspiring one. He fled war-torn Vietnam as a child to settle in California, and overcame prejudice at high-school to become a medal-winning wrestling champ. He explains his journey as a multi-disciplined martial artist, culminating in his many appearances for the UFC, before his acrimonious split from the organisation amid accusations of doping. He continues to fight for the fair representation of fighters contracted to the organisation, and is very vocal about his opposition to how the company is run. We discuss this topic as well as geeking out about working with visionary director Wong Kar-wai, saving the world in Pandorum, and how to make that difficult leap from the cage to the screen.

LINKS

Follow Cung Le on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CungLe185

Follow Cung Le on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cungle185/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.