As a martial arts actor and filmmaker I have learned a lot but I understand Don "The Dragon " Wilson. He is a man of integrity. He engages himself in what he believes in. Yes life is not always about making the money but leaving a legacy. Great interview
@@MaharlikaAWA You don't need to know me. I am just a black African doing movies in Cameroon. It's educative for me who lives in Africa. I am sorry if the fact I mentioned that I am filmmaker and martial artist annoyed you. Every country in the world deserves to have their actors, filmmakers and martial artists. Thank you for your understanding
Donny was too loyal to the wrong people. Chris Penn was a beautiful soul but built his life around drugs and it finnally killed him, and most likely sending dons brother to prison. Donny had to survive that. He is the most committed to family and beautiful person God put on this earth
@@aurelienhenryobama5434 dont listen to him man its good what you are doing, keep up the work. What you said was also true about Don, people just hate for no reasons
Don is a wonderful guy! I’ve had the pleasure of encountering him at events more than once and he’s supported me and my wife in our endeavors. So what if he didn’t become an A-list Actor? He still had a highly successful career as a professional fighter. Most of all he has integrity and that’s very rare in Hollywood. The one thing I admire about him the most is his honesty. I’m not an A-lister nor a B-lister, we’re all in the same business for the same purpose. For the ambition and to showcase what we can do on camera. And in the end of the day Don has managed to make a phenomenal reputation of himself. I hope I have the opportunity to work with him one day!
Regarding the comment about Chuck Norris at approx. 6:56 ... Norris was soundly beaten by Bruce Lee in the Way of the Dragon. It was not exactly the role that launched his carrer but neither did it hurt his profile. Hell, even Van Damme played a villain in No Retreat, No Surrender. These were all stepping stones to larger, more prominent roles.
Those Chuck and Van Damme roles were prominent. Chucks role lastes a few minutes but it was the climax 1 on 1 against Bruce. You noticed these actors. Don's missed roles seem to have been seconds on screen, no one would notice him
@@mrsam0496 True, but the point still stands ... A smaller role in a major blockbuster, under the patronage of producer of Joel Silver's caliber, could have led to leading roles later. If the part was effective enough, of course.
Don Wilson didn't have the charimsa or x factor of some of the other stars. His ethnicity is also a reason. I am from India and the first time I saw him I knew had some Mongloid genes. Later I looked up his ethnicity on the internet and found he was part Japanese. Hollywood mostly favors a Caucasian look. He might be a good fighter in real life but his physique or built was also not that appealing to the youngsters. Arnold or Stallone probably couldn't fight well in real life, but their built is appealing to general audience who knows nothing about the technicalities of fighting.
Hindsight is 20/20, of course. Hard to argue with some of those choices. The fact he was a kickboxing champion and was beginning to taste the limelight, good thing he never became a has-been drug addict. Great interview VS! Edit: With all respect to Don Wilson, the late Ron Popeil may have been the inventor of the infomercial.
Chuck Norris walk with great humility. (Which makes for a perfect martial artist). See most actors would not have settled for TV. By doing this he kept his career alive.
Fantastic Interview, Don Wilson is great. I always wonder why he never became a A list Action Star, I got my answer today. Thanks for posting my friend.
Awesome interviews w Don, I did a fun one with him after a Bellator before. Remind your friend Sly, that you have a buddy that stunt doubled him for a commercial. I'd love to reboot Assassin's, Cobra....Get Carter etc
First of all Viking, thanks for having Don in your channel. Secondly, I feel Don The Dragon Wilson is one of the best of all time. He;s one of the most underrated of all the Martial Arts Actors. Don was a real fighter back in his day. I watched most of his Kickboxing matches he was amazing. My favorite flim of his Red Sun Rising that he worked with James Lew and the Late Mako. BTW I feel half the people are too harsh on Don he may'ev not been an A-lister but he should'ev been. He;'s one of the most real and nice people in the world.
Lol. No matter what, I’d much rather do films and make less than the money they offer top fighters to save the brutal training and eventual brain trauma.
Looking back it now, Don Wilson would be a good fit in Lethal Weapon 4 (Not in Jet Li's role, but in a good role capacity) and especially in Romeo Must Die fighting against Jet Li. Regardless, The Dragon is a legend and his films was indeed entertaining to watch even today...Thank you VK for this video.
Great interview Viking. I’ve always wondered what happened to Don “The Dragon” and why he never blew up in the 90’s. Now it seems like he turned down many opportunities to make it big. Looking forward to part 2 of the interview.
I have a feeling that Lethal Weapon may have still starred Jet Li, but maybe instead of his brother just being some inmate, it would have been Don and there would be a different plot slightly with a lot more action.
I really respect him for his reasoning behind not endorsing that herbal supplement for prostate cancer. People will latch onto things that give them false confidence when it comes to health, as the pandemic has shown. Don seemed to be aware of this kind of thinking ahead of time, and I majorly respect him for that
I didn't watch anything of Don's until watching your last interview with Don and now Bloodfist and Blackbelt in!! such a shame he didn't make it up the ladder to A list movies! Sly needs to get him in an Expendables movie..
I first saw Don Wilson in Bloodfist 3 on Showtime when i was a kid in the 90s. I didn't know it was a sequel to a franchise. I didn't even know the title of the film I just saw the opening credits of a man practicing karate.
Funnily enough, towards the end of the 1980's Chuck Norris wanted to end his working relationship with Cannon films. Behind the scenes things were not all that rosy, especially while he was making Braddock: Missing In Action III (1988) for them. A Philippine Air Force helicopter on loan to the filmmakers crashed during production and it killed the four airmen onboard. Additionally, Cannon did not properly market the movie upon its release, hence it underperformed. Chuck almost took Cannon to court over this.
I grew up watching Don the dragon Wilson movies used to always look for him to rent at the video store but I hardly ever see him around anymore I don't know if all of them made it to DVD 📀 but I'd like to see all his movies again I didn't care that they were low budget 🎬 I think they were a lot better than some of the big budget movies 📼
I think the difference with Norris and Van Damme is that although they got their ass kicked in their first major role, they weren’t just an expendable stuntman. They were the worthy opponent to the main character. The Tong Po or Darth Vader. The equal evil force to our hero. That is something that guys like Adkins haven’t quite had.
Hello, Viking Samurai. Even though a A list star has tons of benefits and it's a great accomplishment, I think it really depends on what the person wants. Don "The Dragon" Wilson has his fame and status, based on his amazing, jaw dropping Kickboxing career, along with his awesome film career. Props to him, because he seems like a chill guy, maybe I might shake his hand one day. TERRANCE OUT
Hard to say for real, a number of factors involved no dought. Charisma, acting, fighting ability, right time - right place, what manager thinks?. I think he was suited at PM entertainment, could have done some films at Canon, not sure if would have been any good though.
Every January he is in Atlantic City the Action martial arts hall of fame Awards Hosted By Wingchun Master Alan Goldberg ✊ Don Is The Man he’s approachable, Professional, Highly Skilled Legendary 🙏
I'll say it, Don should have done Assassins. It did well, even catapulted Antonio Banderas to a higher standing in Hollywood. And Banderas was really good in that. A fight scene there would have been great for Don's acting career. Plus, 350K in two weeks for a simple fight scene against an Actor would have been easy money for Don Wilson. Really should have done it.
I like Don, although not sure he'd have made those breaks in Lethal Weapon 4 and The Matrix even with Assassins. He was well into his 40's. Jet Li was approached because he'd become probably second only to Jackie in HK action cinema and had a couple of films which had transitioned into the US markets. The Cannon thing probably would have come to Don after the Golan/Globus split, so in hindsight it was probably good he turned it down. He got steady work through Corman and then PM, whilst the two factions Cannon split into after Cyborg (I think), both dipped and went under by 94-95. He wouldn't have had anything like the run Chuck, Bronson or even Dudikoff had, nor the theatrical space afforded to those guys. Interestingly, a lot of these B stars had the chance to break the A list at that time, typically in smaller roles. Gary Daniel was offered Robin at one point, but ultimately they went a different direction. Cynthia was due to do a film by William Friedkin, starring opposite Stallone, which would have been huge for her. It fell through (but she made a decent amount of money from the advance). By 97, it was clear action stars even at the top end were losing their appeal, so studios more than likely wouldn't have gambled on the popularity of the video stalwarts. Then from around 2001-2, what essentially happened is that Dolph, Seagal, Van Damme and then a little later, Wesley, were now ruling the video market, and the lead roles dropped right off for Don, Gary, Cynthia etc, and the budgets plummeted. As a screenwriter and producer I'm hoping to do something with some of these stars in the next few years as I'd love to do a last hurrah, and something unexpected.
Don could have been so much more and choose to turn those roles down. Lethal weapon, assassins, batman, matrix waoooo, he could have been way bigger than what actually is
Wasn't there supposed to be some TV show with Van Damme years ago where they talked about there being like maybe a couple of different van dams one evil one good I'm certain that I remember some talk of that maybe 10 years ago or something...
Don seems like a cool guy. I never seen a movie of his. Im 39. Ill def go back and watch and see whaT i missed.. i have been going back and watching alot of thise lately..perfect weapon and nemesis etc. Listen u cant just take a script meant for denzel or keanu and think u gonna dtep in and do something better. We all know it bexame cheaper to hire a great actor like tom, keanu, denzel, liam, and then trained them on just those action scenes over and over.. and some take it to the next level, like keanu.. anyways don think chuck couldve done any of clint movies? Cmon. These guys have their lanes.. and dons wasnt lethal weapon 4 or matrix . Maybe as a secondary or third character.. but not a big role..but imma go check out this guys blu rays see what pops up
I can understand Don total. It's a different to play a character, who stands memorable, like Chuck in way of the Dragon, Van Damme in No retreat no surrender, or just to have a little fight scene and that's it....
A list or not. I've rather enjoyed alot of Don's films. Red Sun Rising is my personal favorite of his. Ring of Fire, the first 4 Bloodfists, I really enjoyed. Just because it's not A list doesn't mean it's not any good.
..don turned down Assasins?? That was a big movie in the 90s! Hard to believe that could have made him an a list actor! I think it was his pride or ego that held him back. I would have said yes to everything..even promote stupid products. Just show me the check!!!
14:24. Bruce Lee wrote “The Warrior” which was renamed “Kung Fu, and was supposed to Star in it, but Keradine was the star and Brandon Lee co-star as son of the warrior. instead I think he did two films with Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest. So, the answer is: It should’ve been Bruce Lee, but it was given to Keradine. I Don’t know if Bruce Lee was a star actor as a child.
It’s hard to argue with Don’s choices…I mean if all the martial arts action stars-he probably was the one that came with the MOST legit credentials as a martial artist..and to be in a movie where he just gets wasted as a henchman doesn’t seem to make any sense career wise
Don is a fantastic martial artist. But in all fairness, it was his lack of range as an actor that held him back. Not all martial artists are also great actors.
Well to be fair, Vin Diesel, Keanu Reeves, The Rock, Jason Statham and Mark Wahlberg don't have much range as actors either and look at their star status 🤷🏾♂️.
those movies with Don are cheapest shit from garbage can for 5 cents each cheap shit he is, if he accepted Assassins or any other bigger movies he would been star like van damme or lundgren or seagal but his movies Don Wilson aren't that great, i seen worst of worst movies with him lol
$350,000 for one fight scene back then and he turns it down. It was "arrogance" at the end of the day. Oh Don, that was a rookie mistake. I can understand about the relationships. Once you turn someone down and let them down, you pay the price forever. He should have done it as a favour. Don was NEVER going to be an A-list action star. The thing is there was so many actors doing the typical 1 dimensional fight scenes, kicking, punching etc that the audience had be smothered with. That's why Seagal slipped in and came in with something so unique and different. There was no kicking, punching, blocking. It was all dynamic, using the opponents force, joint locks redirecting the attack. Nobody had seen anything like it. Don didn't have the name, the look, the charisma, the voice. It's a blend of ingredients that all come together at the right time and the right place. Don has had a fabulous career doing something he enjoyed. 99% of people would never get close to where Don has got. What more could you ask for.
I don’t care if Don The Dragon Wilson never made any big budget Hollywood movies most of his movies by PM ENTERTAINMENT and NEW CONCORD were fucking excellent I mean non stop action, endless fight scenes and he was an Asian leading man in all his movies. Bruce Lee would be proud and not just him Cynthia Rothrock, Jeff Wincott, Jeff Speakman, Gary Daniels, Michael Worth, Lorenzo Lamas and so many others.
I'm not a fan of Don Wilson as an actor. Red Sun Rising might be the only pretty decent movie he did. His other work is too bad for words, and his one-dimensional fight choreography doesn't represent how good his fight skills are. But I'm a complete fanboy to Don Wilson the fighter, and the man. His personality and his presence are amazing. Can't watch his movies, but I can listen to the man all day.
Don can become A-list actor if Dux make martial arts choreography for his movie (like he did for Van Damme) but after all this sh*t Don told about Dux on your channel that will never happen. I still do have respect for him as a kickboxer and like his movies.
Best martial arts fight scenes were always Van Damme. Best fighter to watch in a real match; Don Wilson. Best, and most honest, unpretentious fighter to give interviews; Don Wilson. Bruce Lee was amazing in his fight scenes, Chuck Norris a distant follower, neither were so unscripted and willing to tell it like it is and tell all as Don Wilson. Angriest fighter in and off screen; Steven Segal?
Full props to him as a ring fighter. But as an actor, screen fighter, he sucked, hence the movies sucked. You can overcome low budget production if you have the goods.
These comments are awesome on both side 👍 Assassins debuted at No. 2 at the box office.[16] The film grossed $30.3 million in the US and another $53 million worldwide, for a total of $83.3 million.[3][4]
Don't inflate his ego anymore. He was never a good actor. Had he been casted in some of those mentioned I firmly believe he would have ruined the movie. Thank goodness we don't have to see more of his slow martial arts action on screen.
As a martial arts actor and filmmaker I have learned a lot but I understand Don "The Dragon " Wilson. He is a man of integrity. He engages himself in what he believes in. Yes life is not always about making the money but leaving a legacy. Great interview
Great way of putting it
Nobody knows who you are.
@@MaharlikaAWA You don't need to know me. I am just a black African doing movies in Cameroon. It's educative for me who lives in Africa. I am sorry if the fact I mentioned that I am filmmaker and martial artist annoyed you. Every country in the world deserves to have their actors, filmmakers and martial artists. Thank you for your understanding
Donny was too loyal to the wrong people. Chris Penn was a beautiful soul but built his life around drugs and it finnally killed him, and most likely sending dons brother to prison. Donny had to survive that. He is the most committed to family and beautiful person God put on this earth
@@aurelienhenryobama5434 dont listen to him man its good what you are doing, keep up the work. What you said was also true about Don, people just hate for no reasons
Don is a wonderful guy! I’ve had the pleasure of encountering him at events more than once and he’s supported me and my wife in our endeavors. So what if he didn’t become an A-list Actor? He still had a highly successful career as a professional fighter. Most of all he has integrity and that’s very rare in Hollywood. The one thing I admire about him the most is his honesty. I’m not an A-lister nor a B-lister, we’re all in the same business for the same purpose. For the ambition and to showcase what we can do on camera. And in the end of the day Don has managed to make a phenomenal reputation of himself. I hope I have the opportunity to work with him one day!
Regarding the comment about Chuck Norris at approx. 6:56 ... Norris was soundly beaten by Bruce Lee in the Way of the Dragon. It was not exactly the role that launched his carrer but neither did it hurt his profile. Hell, even Van Damme played a villain in No Retreat, No Surrender. These were all stepping stones to larger, more prominent roles.
Ah, I typed too fast ... I see that was adressed soon after :)
What? Dude without Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris wouldn't have never been in movies!
Those Chuck and Van Damme roles were prominent. Chucks role lastes a few minutes but it was the climax 1 on 1 against Bruce. You noticed these actors. Don's missed roles seem to have been seconds on screen, no one would notice him
@@mrsam0496 True, but the point still stands ... A smaller role in a major blockbuster, under the patronage of producer of Joel Silver's caliber, could have led to leading roles later. If the part was effective enough, of course.
Don Wilson didn't have the charimsa or x factor of some of the other stars. His ethnicity is also a reason. I am from India and the first time I saw him I knew had some Mongloid genes. Later I looked up his ethnicity on the internet and found he was part Japanese. Hollywood mostly favors a Caucasian look. He might be a good fighter in real life but his physique or built was also not that appealing to the youngsters. Arnold or Stallone probably couldn't fight well in real life, but their built is appealing to general audience who knows nothing about the technicalities of fighting.
Hindsight is 20/20, of course. Hard to argue with some of those choices.
The fact he was a kickboxing champion and was beginning to taste the limelight, good thing he never became a has-been drug addict.
Great interview VS!
Edit: With all respect to Don Wilson, the late Ron Popeil may have been the inventor of the infomercial.
The ab roller is actually a good device. Don seems like an expert black belt in missing out on good opportunities.
Viking you’re showing your age. I remember all of those infomercials including The Ginsu knives. Don’t forget the George Foreman grill
i think that was a big mistake for Don to turn a part down in Assassins. it would of been awesome to see Don take on Antonio Banderas.
you cant say no to a super producer like joel silver...you have to eat lima beans bc he will owe you one!
Chuck Norris walk with great humility. (Which makes for a perfect martial artist). See most actors would not have settled for TV. By doing this he kept his career alive.
Two words. 1. Danny 2. Trejo. He lost in a buttload of movies to just about everyone. Now he’s an icon.
Lanny Poffo also lost almost every match but he's still Randy Macho Man Savages little brother !! Oh Yeah !!!👍💪🤠
He's the exception, not the rule.
oh man... I loved watching Don's movies back in the day. I had so many of them on VHS. Good Times !!!
Fantastic Interview, Don Wilson is great. I always wonder why he never became a A list Action Star, I got my answer today. Thanks for posting my friend.
Awesome interviews w Don, I did a fun one with him after a Bellator before. Remind your friend Sly, that you have a buddy that stunt doubled him for a commercial. I'd love to reboot Assassin's, Cobra....Get Carter etc
Holy shit i had no idea that Wilson was in Batman Forever 🤣
Really insightful interview Viking.
First of all Viking, thanks for having Don in your channel. Secondly, I feel Don The Dragon Wilson is one of the best of all time. He;s one of the most underrated of all the Martial Arts Actors. Don was a real fighter back in his day. I watched most of his Kickboxing matches he was amazing. My favorite flim of his Red Sun Rising that he worked with James Lew and the Late Mako. BTW I feel half the people are too harsh on Don he may'ev not been an A-lister but he should'ev been. He;'s one of the most real and nice people in the world.
He is a cool guy, met him once at the Dragonfest martial arts convention, among other martial arts greats !😀
You should ask him did he make more money in his fighting career or his movie career
Lol. No matter what, I’d much rather do films and make less than the money they offer top fighters to save the brutal training and eventual brain trauma.
@@Garrett316 true I agreed I just wonder how much money he made from kickboxing
Looking back it now, Don Wilson would be a good fit in Lethal Weapon 4 (Not in Jet Li's role, but in a good role capacity) and especially in Romeo Must Die fighting against Jet Li. Regardless, The Dragon is a legend and his films was indeed entertaining to watch even today...Thank you VK for this video.
Don should’ve went to Hong Kong like the others did. He’d at least have one classic with good choreography
@@aquaticlibrary No doubt. He would of been popular in Hong Kong like other action stars in the martial arts genre.
Great interview Viking. I’ve always wondered what happened to Don “The Dragon” and why he never blew up in the 90’s. Now it seems like he turned down many opportunities to make it big. Looking forward to part 2 of the interview.
Great content. Don is an interesting guy. He's definitely got a fight record to tout and be proud of...... loving the content👍
I have a feeling that Lethal Weapon may have still starred Jet Li, but maybe instead of his brother just being some inmate, it would have been Don and there would be a different plot slightly with a lot more action.
Don's a very likeable guy. Great, unique interview 😊
What a great lesson on the value of relationships! Thank you for sharing! This lesson can work in every aspect of life: it's all about relationships.
Thank you for this video David. Don is a real legend in kickboxing and he had some entertaining films as well.
I really respect him for his reasoning behind not endorsing that herbal supplement for prostate cancer. People will latch onto things that give them false confidence when it comes to health, as the pandemic has shown. Don seemed to be aware of this kind of thinking ahead of time, and I majorly respect him for that
Great interview as always ❤
I didn't watch anything of Don's until watching your last interview with Don and now Bloodfist and Blackbelt in!! such a shame he didn't make it up the ladder to A list movies! Sly needs to get him in an Expendables movie..
Don knows to tell a story !
He 's a good storyteller !
Soon the third part ? I hope so !!!
Plan to post later today
I first saw Don Wilson in Bloodfist 3 on Showtime when i was a kid in the 90s. I didn't know it was a sequel to a franchise. I didn't even know the title of the film I just saw the opening credits of a man practicing karate.
Wow. What a revelation. Had he just done a 'favor' to Joel Silver more doors would've opened up 4 him. Damn!! Great interview.
Oh man I remember Assassin I was actually their when they recorded some parts in my Island Puerto Rico I was just a kid but i needed to see rocky 😂
I agree. Code Of Silence was Chuck Norris last A list movie then moved to Cannon and stood there.
Funnily enough, towards the end of the 1980's Chuck Norris wanted to end his working relationship with Cannon films. Behind the scenes things were not all that rosy, especially while he was making Braddock: Missing In Action III (1988) for them. A Philippine Air Force helicopter on loan to the filmmakers crashed during production and it killed the four airmen onboard. Additionally, Cannon did not properly market the movie upon its release, hence it underperformed. Chuck almost took Cannon to court over this.
Great guy. I met him in 1998 at a tournament called The Hollywood Classic. Awesome martial artist.
Almost sounded like Vincent Chase from Entourage😃
Great video
Don Wilson very interesting video on his career
Recently watched Batman Forever & he was good in his small role. For all it's flaws, it's an underappreciated Batman movie.
I grew up watching Don the dragon Wilson movies used to always look for him to rent at the video store but I hardly ever see him around anymore I don't know if all of them made it to DVD 📀 but I'd like to see all his movies again I didn't care that they were low budget 🎬 I think they were a lot better than some of the big budget movies 📼
Who says it is over Don? Ur still here. Still breathing. Sly still going.
Great channel.
Love your content. Your guests are legendary!
I think the difference with Norris and Van Damme is that although they got their ass kicked in their first major role, they weren’t just an expendable stuntman. They were the worthy opponent to the main character. The Tong Po or Darth Vader. The equal evil force to our hero. That is something that guys like Adkins haven’t quite had.
Clarence Gilyard Jr who played Trivette on Walker is a Professor of Drama here in Vegas at UNLV!
Awesome, I always liked his character!
That Ab wheel gadget is achually a really good bit of equipment
Don should have said yes a few more times 🤣
Who was his manager and talent agent?.
When you put up your finger I knew what you were thinking "Chuck Norris got beat up by Bruce Lee which gave him his start up"
I watched a lot of Wilson's movies in the 90s.
Did Wilson pass on the rubber hose infomercial that Carradine took? Haha
With all due respect to Wilson, The Perfect Weapon starring Jeff Soeakman, was a Paramount release.
Hello, Viking Samurai. Even though a A list star has tons of benefits and it's a great accomplishment, I think it really depends on what the person wants. Don "The Dragon" Wilson has his fame and status, based on his amazing, jaw dropping Kickboxing career, along with his awesome film career. Props to him, because he seems like a chill guy, maybe I might shake his hand one day.
TERRANCE OUT
Great video
Don should of done the ab wheel they work great...
Hard to say for real, a number of factors involved no dought. Charisma, acting, fighting ability, right time - right place, what manager thinks?. I think he was suited at PM entertainment, could have done some films at Canon, not sure if would have been any good though.
dude your cliffhanger endings are torture 😂
these are soo good man
He was also in Batman Forever
Every January he is in Atlantic City the Action martial arts hall of fame Awards Hosted By Wingchun Master Alan Goldberg ✊ Don Is The Man he’s approachable, Professional, Highly Skilled Legendary 🙏
Yes, I met him in person there, great guy, Alan is too!
I'll say it, Don should have done Assassins. It did well, even catapulted Antonio Banderas to a higher standing in Hollywood. And Banderas was really good in that.
A fight scene there would have been great for Don's acting career. Plus, 350K in two weeks for a simple fight scene against an Actor would have been easy money for Don Wilson. Really should have done it.
I can read Viking Samurais mind when he talks to Don Wilson: "let me speak!" 😂
Great interview though. I love Dons films.
I like Don, although not sure he'd have made those breaks in Lethal Weapon 4 and The Matrix even with Assassins. He was well into his 40's. Jet Li was approached because he'd become probably second only to Jackie in HK action cinema and had a couple of films which had transitioned into the US markets.
The Cannon thing probably would have come to Don after the Golan/Globus split, so in hindsight it was probably good he turned it down. He got steady work through Corman and then PM, whilst the two factions Cannon split into after Cyborg (I think), both dipped and went under by 94-95. He wouldn't have had anything like the run Chuck, Bronson or even Dudikoff had, nor the theatrical space afforded to those guys.
Interestingly, a lot of these B stars had the chance to break the A list at that time, typically in smaller roles. Gary Daniel was offered Robin at one point, but ultimately they went a different direction. Cynthia was due to do a film by William Friedkin, starring opposite Stallone, which would have been huge for her. It fell through (but she made a decent amount of money from the advance).
By 97, it was clear action stars even at the top end were losing their appeal, so studios more than likely wouldn't have gambled on the popularity of the video stalwarts. Then from around 2001-2, what essentially happened is that Dolph, Seagal, Van Damme and then a little later, Wesley, were now ruling the video market, and the lead roles dropped right off for Don, Gary, Cynthia etc, and the budgets plummeted. As a screenwriter and producer I'm hoping to do something with some of these stars in the next few years as I'd love to do a last hurrah, and something unexpected.
Red sun rising was my favorite of Don the Dragon Wilson
Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Lionheart are Cult Classics. Willson has no one movie who was close to this.
True.I saw Bloodfist 1 and 2,there was a martial arts tournament and his fights was real shitty.Van Damme in Bloodsport was outstanding.
Exactly, don just didn’t have that IT factor to become a star
@@213chewy I like Bloddfist 2 and the movie with Matthias Hues produced by Corman !
@@tinterorajr6029 that’s cool, it still doesn’t make him a star
Don could have been so much more and choose to turn those roles down. Lethal weapon, assassins, batman, matrix waoooo, he could have been way bigger than what actually is
Don was popular back in the day.
Harrington was in the first 2 seasons of Shark Tank.
Ah, that's why I didn't recognize that name.
Wasn't there supposed to be some TV show with Van Damme years ago where they talked about there being like maybe a couple of different van dams one evil one good I'm certain that I remember some talk of that maybe 10 years ago or something...
Don is just fantastic
Gotta be careful not to block your blessings
Don seems like a cool guy. I never seen a movie of his. Im 39. Ill def go back and watch and see whaT i missed.. i have been going back and watching alot of thise lately..perfect weapon and nemesis etc. Listen u cant just take a script meant for denzel or keanu and think u gonna dtep in and do something better. We all know it bexame cheaper to hire a great actor like tom, keanu, denzel, liam, and then trained them on just those action scenes over and over.. and some take it to the next level, like keanu.. anyways don think chuck couldve done any of clint movies? Cmon. These guys have their lanes.. and dons wasnt lethal weapon 4 or matrix . Maybe as a secondary or third character.. but not a big role..but imma go check out this guys blu rays see what pops up
They aren’t great films, but they are fun to watch. I recommend ‘Blood Fist’ one and two and ‘Black Belt’!
@mmartinez9802 def watch red sun rising, ring of fire and bloodfist
@Moe Howard don't forget red sun rising and ring of fire. All were great films
Wonder why chuck and don never did movie together
I wish Van Damme had accepted Don Wilson's challenge.
Like your theme song
I can understand Don total. It's a different to play a character, who stands memorable, like Chuck in way of the Dragon, Van Damme in No retreat no surrender, or just to have a little fight scene and that's it....
A list or not. I've rather enjoyed alot of Don's films. Red Sun Rising is my personal favorite of his. Ring of Fire, the first 4 Bloodfists, I really enjoyed. Just because it's not A list doesn't mean it's not any good.
..don turned down Assasins?? That was a big movie in the 90s! Hard to believe that could have made him an a list actor! I think it was his pride or ego that held him back. I would have said yes to everything..even promote stupid products. Just show me the check!!!
You always gotta check the EGO!!! No matter what it is, in life or any business in life. Note 2 self check your ego & always be humble!!
Remember don on ep Walker Texas rangers it call champion
Don turns down lethal weapon and Jet picks it up....... Then goes on to be in Expendables....... I bet he is slapping himself now
Don is the VCR king
Wow, the King of No! Talk about being your own worst enemy.
It maybe wasn't what you knew back then...it was who you knew!
Still today even
Hollyweird.
It's not who you know...
...but who you _blow!_
How do you think *Amber Turd* got a film career!
I'm a huge fan of DTDW and will defend him to this day. However I hate to say it. He needed to take some acting classes.
@Niles Turner who watches martial arts movies for acting? I dont
14:24. Bruce Lee wrote “The Warrior” which was renamed “Kung Fu, and was supposed to Star in it, but Keradine was the star and Brandon Lee co-star as son of the warrior. instead I think he did two films with Raymond Chow and Golden Harvest. So, the answer is: It should’ve been Bruce Lee, but it was given to Keradine. I Don’t know if Bruce Lee was a star actor as a child.
It’s hard to argue with Don’s choices…I mean if all the martial arts action stars-he probably was the one that came with the MOST legit credentials as a martial artist..and to be in a movie where he just gets wasted as a henchman doesn’t seem to make any sense career wise
Don Wilson still did well in hos own lane he was hurting to take anything no matter what they offered.
Don is a fantastic martial artist. But in all fairness, it was his lack of range as an actor that held him back. Not all martial artists are also great actors.
I mean... he had as much range as most of the big martial arts guys.
@@bloodofmyenemies charisma?
@@avoiceup3222 Yeah.
Well to be fair, Vin Diesel, Keanu Reeves, The Rock, Jason Statham and Mark Wahlberg don't have much range as actors either and look at their star status 🤷🏾♂️.
Don's movies may not have had big budgets, but I'd rather watch them than anything that's in the theatres right now.
those movies with Don are cheapest shit from garbage can for 5 cents each cheap shit he is, if he accepted Assassins or any other bigger movies he would been star like van damme or lundgren or seagal but his movies Don Wilson aren't that great, i seen worst of worst movies with him lol
His skills were real, but didnt look the best on screen. He was more impressive in the ring.
More martial artists and MMA fighters should have 'the Dragon' in their names.
Actually.. Bruce Lee did tv.. Green Hornet, Longstreet etc.
The difference is Billy invented his infomercial product
$350,000 for one fight scene back then and he turns it down. It was "arrogance" at the end of the day. Oh Don, that was a rookie mistake. I can understand about the relationships. Once you turn someone down and let them down, you pay the price forever. He should have done it as a favour. Don was NEVER going to be an A-list action star. The thing is there was so many actors doing the typical 1 dimensional fight scenes, kicking, punching etc that the audience had be smothered with. That's why Seagal slipped in and came in with something so unique and different. There was no kicking, punching, blocking. It was all dynamic, using the opponents force, joint locks redirecting the attack. Nobody had seen anything like it. Don didn't have the name, the look, the charisma, the voice. It's a blend of ingredients that all come together at the right time and the right place. Don has had a fabulous career doing something he enjoyed. 99% of people would never get close to where Don has got. What more could you ask for.
I don’t care if Don The Dragon Wilson never made any big budget Hollywood movies most of his movies by PM ENTERTAINMENT and NEW CONCORD were fucking excellent I mean non stop action, endless fight scenes and he was an Asian leading man in all his movies. Bruce Lee would be proud and not just him Cynthia Rothrock, Jeff Wincott, Jeff Speakman, Gary Daniels, Michael Worth, Lorenzo Lamas and so many others.
I've been offered the part of Thor in the MCU i just decline it
Thanks for these interviews Viking! Big fan of Don. Might not have anything as good as Van Damme's top 5, but love all of his movies
You can't keep turning stuff down and then wonder why your not working or the phone calls stop. Wilson is not Pacino....🤨
@bWWd I know.look at van damme with no retreat no surrender. He was a,cameo and lost and made him a star
I'm not a fan of Don Wilson as an actor. Red Sun Rising might be the only pretty decent movie he did. His other work is too bad for words, and his one-dimensional fight choreography doesn't represent how good his fight skills are. But I'm a complete fanboy to Don Wilson the fighter, and the man. His personality and his presence are amazing. Can't watch his movies, but I can listen to the man all day.
Basically he is not an A-list martial arts movie actor because of his own bad decisions.
Don can become A-list actor if Dux make martial arts choreography for his movie (like he did for Van Damme) but after all this sh*t Don told about Dux on your channel that will never happen. I still do have respect for him as a kickboxer and like his movies.
Best martial arts fight scenes were
always Van Damme. Best fighter
to watch in a real match; Don Wilson.
Best, and most honest, unpretentious
fighter to give interviews; Don Wilson.
Bruce Lee was amazing in his fight
scenes, Chuck Norris a distant follower,
neither were so unscripted and willing
to tell it like it is and tell all as Don Wilson.
Angriest fighter in and off screen;
Steven Segal?
Full props to him as a ring fighter. But as an actor, screen fighter, he sucked, hence the movies sucked. You can overcome low budget production if you have the goods.
These comments are awesome on both side 👍 Assassins debuted at No. 2 at the box office.[16] The film grossed $30.3 million in the US and another $53 million worldwide, for a total of $83.3 million.[3][4]
I still believe in Don the Dragon Wilson. I think he should do another martial arts film series starting today! May 2022!!!!!
Don't inflate his ego anymore. He was never a good actor. Had he been casted in some of those mentioned I firmly believe he would have ruined the movie. Thank goodness we don't have to see more of his slow martial arts action on screen.