27. Jon Xue Zhang - It's not Rejection, it's Redirection

In this episode, I chat with Jon Xue Zhang about playing Blood Boots in The Brothers Sun and working with his hero, Michelle Yeoh. We also discuss his book, Martial Arts: The Way of Life, and how martial arts has shaped his philosophy. Jon shares stories from his time as a stunt double for Don Lee in Eternals, meeting Keanu Reeves on 47 Ronin, and even being a paranormal investigator. Instagram: @jonxuezhang Represented by IAG Talent Personal web site: www.xue-zhang.com The Martial Heart: https://amzn.eu/d/2OEHMXs CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Coming up 1:23 - Intro 2:46 - Martial Arts as a child 4:44 - The Martial Heart book 28:09 - Fight Like a Girl 34:14 - Think like an attacker 35:45 - Exercise control 37:11 - Best Martial Art 41:17 - Working Security 45:24 - Knife fight 48:59 - Getting into film industry 58:27 - Stay busy 1:05:24 - Keanu Reeves 1:08:20 - Cyberpunk 2077 1:12:06 - ETERNALS, Don Lee, Angelina Jolie 1:15:53 - Being productive 1:19:01 - The Brothers Sun 1:22:18 - Justin Chien 1:23:18 - Michelle Yeoh 1:25:29 - Cast & crew 1:27:22 - Acting vs Stunts 1:32:03 - Watching yourself on screen 1:33:52 - Message to actors 1:35:51 - Rejection 1:38:20 - Working behind camera 1:39:33 - Respect 1:41:11 - The Brothers Sun cancellation 1:44:07 - Counselling 1:46:36 - Paranormal investigator 1:58:55 - What's in the pipeline 2:00:12 - Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen 2:03:09 - BLITZ 2:06:09 - One Cool Thing 2:09:11 - The End Beyond Reel Talk is a podcast where I invite entertainment industry professionals to ask them about their journey, their professions, challenges and motivation. #beyondreeltalk #interview #podcast #videopodcast