Tony Leung is one of Asia's most successful and internationally recognised actors, so Marvel Studios convincing him to play Wenwu (a.k.a. The Mandarin) in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a big deal.
With a grounded, respectful take on the Iron Man villain, Wenwu proved a complex, formidable foil for Shang-Chi. It was a one-off role for Leung, and one it turns out he was at least a little dissatisfied with.
While he seemed to enjoy his time working on a major Hollywood production, Leung was disappointed when filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton dismissed his ideas for how Wenwu's fighting skills should be portrayed.
"The production was much bigger than what I had experienced before, and the people were very professional, and we had to finish everything on time every day," he shared. "It’s very efficient, but you can’t improvise. You can’t change even a word."
"At the very beginning, I argued with the director: 'If a guy comes from a thousand years ago, the way he fights must be a combination of all martial arts, like MMA today, because he lived through all that time.' And the director said no," Leung recalled. "I said, 'Why not? Why just typical kung fu in the '70s?' He said, 'This is Marvel.' I said, 'Okay,' and I didn’t argue anymore."
"This is Marvel" could mean a lot of things, ranging from the studio having a very specific approach to action to that kind of creativity being off the table. Leung's point was a valid one, though Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' fight scenes were still widely praised.
When it was put to the actor that it was still a "romantic part," he said, "I remember one day the director suddenly asked me a question when I just passed by: 'Do you love your kids?' I said, 'Yes, but I don’t know how.' So that’s the relationship between me and my kids in the film. Because I immersed myself with the death of my wife."
"I don’t care about any other thing. So maybe that brings the romance of that character. He is always living in the past," Leung added.
Despite kicking its way into theaters when moviegoers were still wary about heading to multiplexes, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings grossed an impressive $432.2 million in 2021.
Half a decade later, and we're still waiting to see Shang-Chi in action again. Fortunately, Simu Liu has been confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday, but there was a time when it looked like the character would have a much bigger role in the Multiverse Saga.
The hero was reportedly being lined up to take centre stage in Shang-Chi and the Wreckage of Time (a movie we expected Marvel Studios to announce at 2022's San Diego Comic-Con) and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Plans changed, and Shang-Chi's Ten Rings likely no longer have ties to Kang. Still, that's an easy "retcon" when they hail from Kakaranthara (the home of Fin Fang Foom) in the comics.
Let us know your thoughts on Leung's comments in the usual place.