Donnie Yen on Star Wars casting news: “No comment”

Photos: Tammi Tan
Video: Lye Yuk Sing

Donnie Yen went from flashing his fists on the silver screen to flashing his wrist at the grand opening of Hublot’s pop-up store, which commemorates Singapore’s 50th birthday and the 10th anniversary of the luxury watch brand’s signature Big Bang model.

The martial arts superstar graced Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza for the gala dinner with his wife Cecilia Wang last night (August 15), but not before he spared five minutes – a fraction of the promised 20 minutes – to meet with local and regional press.

Unsurprisingly, the very first question that came from the floor addressed his widely reported casting in the Star Wars saga, namely the prequel spinoff Rogue One. “At the moment, I can’t say too much about it because the project is still very secretive,” he said, adding, “I’ll leave it to the company to make an official statement (but as of right now), no comment. (smiles)”

What he could talk about, albeit briefly, was the time he fractured boxing legend Mike Tyson’s finger (with his elbow) while filming Ip Man 3. “It was a complete accident. We still became very good friends on set!”

The topic quickly found its way back to watches. As one of the highest-earning actors in Hong Kong and Asia, it’s no surprise that the most expensive item in his personal timepiece collection is, as he simply and straightforwardly put, “all of them”. Although he did not specify any figures, the fact that the posh chronograph he sported last night is worth over $56,000 should probably give some ideas.

However, while millions can buy fancy time tellers, it can’t buy time itself. When we asked what Donnie would do if he had the power to control time, the renowned family man’s thoughts went to his wife and their children, 11-year-old Jasmine and eight-year-old James. “I would prolong all the beautiful moments with my family. This question should remind us of how important our loved ones are.”

Also present at the event was MediaCorp artiste Tay Ping Hui, who took the opportunity to give a shout-out to his never-ending string of upcoming projects, namely Channel 8’s Crescendo, Channel 5’s Tanglin, as well as a new directing gig. Speaking on a “big bang” moment in his life, he recalled the time he went to France to drive an F1 racing car. “The adrenaline rush is incredible,” he gushed.

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