While mainstream movie-goers may not instantly recognise the name Scott Adkins, if I had to stake my reputation on anyone becoming an action star to be reckoned with then Scott would definitely be the one.
Starting out in British television, Scott made the leap into movies when he was spotted by Stephen Tung Wai and selected to appear in the tournament fight movie ‘Extreme Challenge‘. From that point on, he has never looked back and has found himself flexing his fighting abilities against the likes of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, as well as being choreographed by the cream of the industry (Yuen Woo-Ping and Sammo Hung to name but two).
In his latest film, ‘Undisputed II: Last Man Standing’, Scott has finally been given the chance to let rip as the main villain and his fight scenes in the movie already have the fans on the internet foaming at the mouth. Far East Films caught up with Scott to talk about his past experiences and get his opinions on the industry in general.
FEF: Hi Scott, tell us a little about your martial arts background and how you became involved in acting.
Scott Adkins: I’ve trained mainly in Tae Kwon Do and Kickboxing, picking up different things along the way. I always wanted to get into the acting business and my first shot came when I met Tony Jordan, the writer of ‘Eastenders’, ‘Hustle’ and ‘Life On Mars’. I was teaching his kids kickboxing in Milton Keynes and he decided to write a role for me in ‘City Central’, that was ’99, I was 22. I then got spotted by Tung Wai, the director of ‘Extreme Challenge’ and got flown out to Hong Kong to work on it.
FEF: Who would you say has influenced you the most throughout your career?
SA: Acting-wise, Anthony Hopkins and Gary Oldman were who I aspired to be like. Martial Arts wise, Bruce Lee of course but Van Damme had a huge impact on my life and then Jackie Chan.
FEF: Having worked in British, American and Asian productions, what would you say are the pros and cons of each?
SA: British and American put too much emphasis on Health & Safety and Asian not enough. Just joking. Things seem to be less organized in an Asian film but at the same time this can allow for more creativity on the set. It has its good and bad sides. I’ve been involved in some pretty dangerous stuff in the East but in the West people are always too worried about me injuring myself.
FEF: Do you think the various industries are capable of learning from each other?
SA: I think they already have. The fights in American films are now much better executed and Asian films look much more slick and sophisticated. I don’t think Americans need to hire Hong Kong choreographers any more and Hong Kong don’t need to hire American special effect crews as the industry has gone much more global and more people can do each others jobs.
FEF: Focusing on your experiences in Hong Kong, how was it you became involved in ‘The Accidental Spy‘?
SA: After doing ‘Extreme Challenge’, the director, Tung Wai, was going to work on ‘The Accidental Spy’ as action co-coordinator, they needed some westerners so I got the job.
FEF: You’ve been lucky enough to appear alongside both Jackie Chan and Jet Li, how did you find them to work with?
SA: It was an amazing experience to get to work with two of the top martial arts stars of all time. As we well know, Jackie is a perfectionist and I was lucky enough to get to sit down on set one day on ‘The Medallion‘ and watch him perform 36 takes of the same movement. I think that sums him up to be honest, his attention to detail and perfectionism on what seemed like quite a throw away part of the scene.
What impressed me about Jet Li the most was how he picked up the choreography of the big empty swimming pool fight in ‘Danny The Dog‘ after only watching the stunt men do it a couple of times. He has a photographic memory when it comes to fight scenes; I guess that comes with experience.
FEF: ‘The Medallion’ proved to be quite a disappointment for a lot of fans. How aware are you of the overall quality of a film when shooting and what were your overall impressions of the production?
SA: It was a great production to work on. Compared to some of the other Hong Kong movies I’ve worked on the cast and crew were very well looked after. Whenever you’re making a film, whether you’re the lighting grip or the main star, everyone always has the best expectations for the film you’re working on, otherwise why bother. I don’t think it helped that they shot half the film in Ireland and then had a break in between the Hong Kong/Thailand shoot to let Jackie film ‘The Tuxedo‘.
FEF: What did you personally think of the finished film?
SA: My big problem with the film is who wants to see Jackie Chan using special effects, he is the special effect. He should stick to what makes him original and leave that to the actors who need it. I appreciate that he wanted to try something different though. But of course we all had high hopes for the action especially with Jackie being reunited with Sammo Hung as his fight director but that’s the way it goes.
FEF: Mike insisted I ask this one – who has hit you the hardest during the filming of a fight scene?
SA: Michael Jai White certainly has some power to him and I think it’s all there up on the screen to see so that’s great. I don’t mind contact at all, in fact, I ask for it. I don’t make romantic comedies so it comes with the territory. I think the accolade of who hit me hardest would have to go to Nikki Berwick who split my lip open with her high heels while working on the ‘Black Mask 2‘ teaser trailer. It’s easier for girls to get away with it.
FEF: And in the future, which action choreographer would you most like to work with?
SA: I’d like to work with Donnie Yen but I think I’ve pretty much worked with them all by now. I intend to get J.J Perry for everything I ever do again. He’s brilliant at what he does and a good friend.
FEF: Moving back to your Hollywood experiences, you had a small part in the recent Hollywood remake of ‘The Pink Panther’. Were you a fan of the originals and what did you think of the film?
SA: I found it very funny. It did exactly what it said on the tin. I’m a huge fan of the originals and I think you have to treat it as a completely different entity and not compare the two.
FEF: And recently, you’ve just completed work on ‘Undisputed II: Last Man Standing’, which is a direct-to-DVD sequel to the 2002 Wesley Snipes film. Tell us a little about the story and your role in the film.
SA: I play “Boyka”, the main villain of the piece. It’s a drastically different look for me in the film, I put on a lot of muscle because I would have looked too small next to Michael (Jai White) if I hadn’t. Mike plays the part that Ving Rhames played in the first film and he finds himself in a Russian prison this time trying not very successfully to stay out of trouble.
FEF: I’ve seen quite a few trailers for the film and it certainly looks the business. How do you think it turned out?
SA: It’s a film that I’m very proud of considering the budget and the time we had to get the thing shot. Of course I’m biased but I think it’s the best American made martial arts film for a long time and it’s got a great buzz surrounding it. New Line are backing the DVD’s release in a big way so it’ll be exciting to see it out there.
FEF: Any upcoming projects that you can tell us about?
SA: I wish I could but nothing is set in stone yet but I think it’s safe to say you can expect another Isaac Florentine film with myself in the lead role in the not-too-distant future.
‘Undisputed II: Last Man Standing’ is available to buy from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
Far East Films would like to thank Scott Adkins for taking the time to speak with us.
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