1- Hello Mr. McClung. First question, what’s your current project and what’s your next project?
Haha - Seems like my projects are never done! I just finished post production on the feature film ALTERED, a seriously twisted thriller. My investor recently died, so the film is currently tied up with the settling of his estate. The film I did before this was KERBEROS - bad cops and bad robbers! A lot of action and intense scenes, the world record I think for curse words, and there are a couple really bad-ass fights. We just released Kerberos on Vimeo and the response has been great!
2- How did you get approached for your part in
American Ninja 4? Any interesting story to tell about your casting?
I was actually
'discovered' by martial arts legend Mike Stone. From what I know, Van Damme was
making the leap to bigger films and radically bigger budgets, so they were
fighting over his contracts. Mike Stone, almost as known for his time as
Elvis's bodyguard and his affair with Priscilla Presley as his films, actually
wrote and starred in the first of the western ninja films, "Return of the
Ninja." Interesting for me that I later worked with his star, Franco Nero,
when they made a film on the murder of Gianni Versace.
I had just won the International Full Contact Stickfighting Championship and was invited to audition for Mike who had been hired to travel the world in hopes of finding the next big thing... I guess they settled on me. By the time I had auditions and screen tests and meetings, Van Damme had settled his differences and so I was left on the outside. Mike offered to take me to South Africa as his assistant choreographer and as a utility stuntman - basically filling in for anything they wanted me for. They ended up moving me into the role of the martial arts villain, "Super Ninja." I was also able to train with the dozens of South African martial artists and stuntmen, then double Michael Dudikoff as well as fill in for David Bradley on a couple tricky sequences.
As the movie got delayed several times, it was cheaper to keep me in S.A. and so I ended up with a fairly extensive education as a stunt fighter. I was able to watch every part of the actual production so that I had a taste of the editing rooms, the sound departments, and camera. Basically, I was "the American," so I took advantage of it to learn everything I could about everything involved in the film making process.
3- Super Ninja seems to be one of the most fascinating and mysterious villains in all five American Ninja movies. He’s not Japanese, of course. Have you been given a background of some sort for your character or you came up with some story on your own, back in the time?
Not so much a detailed back story; I was too new and green to understand how that could of helped me. I did have a few long talks with James Booth, who played in and wrote the film. We decided, just like in most of my real life martial arts training, that I was an outsider from both camps - the good guys and the bad guys. As 'Super Ninja', I considered myself the baddest guy around, and so joined the 'dark side' for the opportunities in proving my skills.
There were some really talented young martial artists in that film, so our spare time was in doing just that - constant, mostly friendly competition. Since I was known for my weapons work and had just won the Championship in Full Contact Stickfighting (Kali), it was also fun to go full blast against some of the Zulu stick fighters I met in South Africa. Tough guys, but I was at the top of my game at that time.
4- Michael Dudikoff and David Bradley. How was it like to work with two “cult” martial artist stars of the eighties?
Both are talented actors, though again, I was so new to it all, I really didn't appreciate what that meant or what was really involved. David was a more accomplished martial artist than Michael, a seriously great 'kicker'. Michael was the more experienced actor and though he wasn't actually as strong a fighter as David at that time, he took direction really well. He allowed me to double him on anything he couldn't do well, and of course Michael had a 'presence' that translated well to screen and made him a star. There was a lot of tension between the two guys, but that was mostly coming from the studio pitting them against each other for their own reasons. They later did the same thing between me and Mike Stone and then me and Bradley. It made for some uncomfortable working conditions, but I was so excited to be immersed in it all; I was just happy to be there and take it all in. I definitely learned from both of them, as well as nearly everyone else in front of and behind the camera, and I still call both Michael and David friends. Mike Stone taught me an incredible amount about stunt fighting and gave me the foundations I still use today. I actually approached Dudikoff about starring in my horror/thriller ALTERED, but I think the subject matter and demands worried him a bit, and like many people, I think it was hard for him to readily accept me as a 'real director'. That, and it's not a very "American Ninja" kind of flick!
5- Who choreographed the final duel? I loved it, despite it didn’t seem long as it should be. You kicked ass in every scene, even…
I choreographed it. I was able to work a few of the things out with Ed Anders, who was the stunt coordinator for the film, and who sometimes stepped in for Michael during the fight. It would of been nice to have extended it; I was certainly up for it! Michael felt, somewhat rightly, that it diminished his character of Joe Armstrong to have such a challenge from one man. It was a very hard but fun day of shooting! I remember completely trashing a camera with a kick that was aimed at Michael's head. You have to remember that I was really at my best at that time! I was supposed to do a spin crescent kick at Michael's head; we rehearsed at half speed and then at 3/4's speed. They called "action" and I spun - at my best and fueled with the adrenalin of the moment, and somehow was able to realize as I spun and my foot was rocketing toward Michael's face, that he hadn't even registered that I'd moved yet. I was somehow able to pull the kick up even higher and over his head, but it slammed the cameraman and his camera who was filming from just past his shoulder. The cameraman and his rig went flying and I'm not sure Michael or most of the crew understood what happened. Fortunately, the director and the stunt coordinator knew exactly what had happened. Instead of being mad, they were thrilled that I had been able to 'save' the star! Cameras could be replaced but that kick would have had some serious effect on Michael. Then of course the production would have been shut down and they would have lost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is a production's primary concern.
I'm just glad I didn't have to have the fans hate me forever and that Michael and I could still be friends! The producers actually bought me a nice steak dinner that night in appreciation.
I had just won the International Full Contact Stickfighting Championship and was invited to audition for Mike who had been hired to travel the world in hopes of finding the next big thing... I guess they settled on me. By the time I had auditions and screen tests and meetings, Van Damme had settled his differences and so I was left on the outside. Mike offered to take me to South Africa as his assistant choreographer and as a utility stuntman - basically filling in for anything they wanted me for. They ended up moving me into the role of the martial arts villain, "Super Ninja." I was also able to train with the dozens of South African martial artists and stuntmen, then double Michael Dudikoff as well as fill in for David Bradley on a couple tricky sequences.
As the movie got delayed several times, it was cheaper to keep me in S.A. and so I ended up with a fairly extensive education as a stunt fighter. I was able to watch every part of the actual production so that I had a taste of the editing rooms, the sound departments, and camera. Basically, I was "the American," so I took advantage of it to learn everything I could about everything involved in the film making process.
3- Super Ninja seems to be one of the most fascinating and mysterious villains in all five American Ninja movies. He’s not Japanese, of course. Have you been given a background of some sort for your character or you came up with some story on your own, back in the time?
Not so much a detailed back story; I was too new and green to understand how that could of helped me. I did have a few long talks with James Booth, who played in and wrote the film. We decided, just like in most of my real life martial arts training, that I was an outsider from both camps - the good guys and the bad guys. As 'Super Ninja', I considered myself the baddest guy around, and so joined the 'dark side' for the opportunities in proving my skills.
There were some really talented young martial artists in that film, so our spare time was in doing just that - constant, mostly friendly competition. Since I was known for my weapons work and had just won the Championship in Full Contact Stickfighting (Kali), it was also fun to go full blast against some of the Zulu stick fighters I met in South Africa. Tough guys, but I was at the top of my game at that time.
4- Michael Dudikoff and David Bradley. How was it like to work with two “cult” martial artist stars of the eighties?
Both are talented actors, though again, I was so new to it all, I really didn't appreciate what that meant or what was really involved. David was a more accomplished martial artist than Michael, a seriously great 'kicker'. Michael was the more experienced actor and though he wasn't actually as strong a fighter as David at that time, he took direction really well. He allowed me to double him on anything he couldn't do well, and of course Michael had a 'presence' that translated well to screen and made him a star. There was a lot of tension between the two guys, but that was mostly coming from the studio pitting them against each other for their own reasons. They later did the same thing between me and Mike Stone and then me and Bradley. It made for some uncomfortable working conditions, but I was so excited to be immersed in it all; I was just happy to be there and take it all in. I definitely learned from both of them, as well as nearly everyone else in front of and behind the camera, and I still call both Michael and David friends. Mike Stone taught me an incredible amount about stunt fighting and gave me the foundations I still use today. I actually approached Dudikoff about starring in my horror/thriller ALTERED, but I think the subject matter and demands worried him a bit, and like many people, I think it was hard for him to readily accept me as a 'real director'. That, and it's not a very "American Ninja" kind of flick!
5- Who choreographed the final duel? I loved it, despite it didn’t seem long as it should be. You kicked ass in every scene, even…
I choreographed it. I was able to work a few of the things out with Ed Anders, who was the stunt coordinator for the film, and who sometimes stepped in for Michael during the fight. It would of been nice to have extended it; I was certainly up for it! Michael felt, somewhat rightly, that it diminished his character of Joe Armstrong to have such a challenge from one man. It was a very hard but fun day of shooting! I remember completely trashing a camera with a kick that was aimed at Michael's head. You have to remember that I was really at my best at that time! I was supposed to do a spin crescent kick at Michael's head; we rehearsed at half speed and then at 3/4's speed. They called "action" and I spun - at my best and fueled with the adrenalin of the moment, and somehow was able to realize as I spun and my foot was rocketing toward Michael's face, that he hadn't even registered that I'd moved yet. I was somehow able to pull the kick up even higher and over his head, but it slammed the cameraman and his camera who was filming from just past his shoulder. The cameraman and his rig went flying and I'm not sure Michael or most of the crew understood what happened. Fortunately, the director and the stunt coordinator knew exactly what had happened. Instead of being mad, they were thrilled that I had been able to 'save' the star! Cameras could be replaced but that kick would have had some serious effect on Michael. Then of course the production would have been shut down and they would have lost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is a production's primary concern.
I'm just glad I didn't have to have the fans hate me forever and that Michael and I could still be friends! The producers actually bought me a nice steak dinner that night in appreciation.
6- Did you like the final product?
It was more 'campy' than I wanted, but later as I learned more, I realized how difficult that is to pull off, and so I appreciate it so much more now than then. It was a tongue-in-cheek nod to the first three American Ninja films, but my education wasn't far enough along to understand that at the time. I also wanted to have a big fight with David. The script called for it and for me to win.. a real showcase for both of us! David was looking out for his future career and argued that it would diminish his role as the "American Ninja" in future projects (Ninja 5 was already in the works I think). From my end, I wanted the fight, and like the director and writer, I knew it would make Dudikoff's Joe Armstrong even stronger when he defeated me in the end.
There were a few heavy discussions and eventually the producers took David's side. Probably smart for the franchise, but frustrating for me!
7- Was it successful? American Ninja 3 wasn’t very successful and that’s why they coupled the two stars of the franchise (Dudikoff and Bradley) in order to have a hit…
Thus the underlying tension between the two stars. The producers also pitted me against David in hopes of pulling more out him. It put me in an awkward position as I had respect for them both; but I was brought there to do whatever was needed and just tried to take that in stride as well.
8- Anything interesting to tell us about the Super Ninja’s costume? It reminds me of a medieval knight in some way… it looks very cool and menacing.
We were in South Africa! Not the most practical of costumes in the heat, and very, very hard to move in. Since it had been designed for Mike Stone, they had originally made the eyepiece for the left eye. I have very, very bad vision in my right eye. The first real scene I shot as 'Super Ninja' was the obstacle course and they were making me do take after take with the eye patch covering the only eye I can see out of... not the way I wanted to run, walk across high beams, and flip around. They eventually, maybe quickly, realized that with the patch I literally blind and finally let me switch it.
9- Have you a message for the many American Ninja fans out there?
That they are
appreciated! I know I never forget my roots and foundations, in martial arts
and in the film business. I'm working toward getting some very strong action
and stories on screen, and dream of creating films with the longevity and
loyalty of the American Ninja fans. I have a really strong 'cops and robbers'
action movie, KERBEROS, that people can see and finally watch what I can really
do! (with just a small fraction of American Ninja budget!) We were lucky enough
to win awards around the world with it on the festival circuit and are excited
to finally be able to get it out there. It's not a martial arts movie per se,
but we love the strong characters, and it has one brutal, hard core fight
filled with much of the techniques I love to see on film! We hope it will
thrill most fans of 'bad-ass' fight scenes!
Our ALTERED
trailer has topped a million views and I'll be excited to freak some people out
with this really twisted thriller. The ALTERED movie trailer is on YouTube at:
And we're so
excited you can finally see some of my work - fights, acting, and directing in
the cops and robbers thriller KERBEROS!You can find the trailer and movie for KERBEROS at
http://vimeo.com/ondemand/kerberosdirectorcut
Thanks to all the fans around the world! Feel free to reach out and say hi on Facebook... I'll do my best to say hi back!
http://www.facebook.com/WilliamKelyMcClung
Thank you Kely for this fascinating insight into the world of American Ninja 4, and thank you for the exclusive pictures you provided us with.
