“Not only do I get to be a part of the Ip Man franchise, but I’m also part of the S.P.L. franchise. In terms of straight-up Hong Kong action, these two franchises are the biggest and best of what we have to offer.”
When ex-US Marine and martial arts instructor Chris Collins took his Wing Chun pupils to see the film Ip Man 3 in 2015, he joked that he would be appearing in the next film in the Ip Man series – if another sequel was ever made. Fast-forward several months and Chris is sitting in front of director Wilson Yip, who is offering him a role in the fourth and final instalment of the hit kung fu movie series starring Donnie Yen. Chris, who plays one of the villains in the film, says his rapid rise in the Hong Kong film industry is because of his intense focus and determination to achieve his goals, honed after serving nine years in the US Marine Corps. As a combat specialist, Chris toured the globe learning the fighting arts from some of the world’s toughest martial artists, using this knowledge to inform the marine training programme. He still teaches martial arts to this day from his base in Hong Kong and his satellite schools around the world, instructing in mostly boxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, Filipino weapons systems and Wing Chun. It was his role as a fight trainer, stunt performer and choreographer which eventually saw him befriend and work with some of the Hong Kong film industry’s top talent.
On this episode, listen to Chris share his fascinating life story; from being the bullied son of Chinese-American parents growing up in a predominantly white neighbourhood in Ohio and Florida, to joining the army and fighting in some of the US military’s most intense conflicts. We also discuss his love of Hong Kong, and how the movies saved him after he stepped away from the competitive fighting circuit; a career decision which has seen him work with the likes of Tony Jaa and Sammo Hung in 2017’s Paradox, and Donnie Yen and Scott Adkins in 2019’s Ip Man 4. We also highlight his many upcoming projects, one of which is Benny Chan’s Raging Fire, which also stars Donnie Yen. Ip Man 4 will be released on 20 December in China and 25 December in the USA, courtesy of Well Go USA. Find out more about Chris Collins via the website, chriscollinsaction.com, and on Twitter, Instagram. or Facebook.
Update (20 January 2021): Some of the details discussed in this conversation have since been revealed to contain falsehoods. The details in question relate to Chris Collins’ time in the military. Chris has further clarified the details relating to his military record in two Instagram posts, both dated 23 December 2020. You can read the posts in full on Chris Collins’ Instagram page, @chriscollinsaction, and by using the following links: post #1, post #2. I have made the decision to add a message to the start of this episode in the interests of providing full disclosure and to provide additional context to anyone listening to this episode for the first time.
Chris Collins’ character poster for Ip Man 4 (2019).
Chris with Donnie Yen. Photo via Twitter/@ChrisCollinsWT .
Chris with Scott Adkins. Photo via IMDb.
Chris Collins. Photo via Wing Chun Illustrated.
