In 2008, Jet Li was the first choice for the role of "Ip Man", but the salary was 100 million. Huang Baiming went to Jackie Chan, but he also asked for 70 million. Donnie Yen self-recommended: 3 million, I will act.
In 1986, Foshan, Guangdong, lived a local legend, Ip Man. He is proficient in Chinese Kung Fu, especially Wing Chun. But this kind of kung fu is not known to the younger generation and is gradually lost.
At the same time, Hong Kong is a city with an increasingly developed entertainment industry. Many film investors are present here. The most successful is Huang Baiming. He was born into an ordinary family. He entered the entertainment industry through self-education and invested in many blockbusters. 。
With a keen insight into the market, Wong understands the interest of mainland audiences in traditional culture and martial arts.
In 2008, Huang Baiming decided to invest in a film that tells the story of the life of the Foshan master. In order to make the film more vivid and realistic, he conducted a lot of research and even sent people to Foshan for interviews.
But the most difficult thing is to choose the main cast. At first, Huang Baiming thought of stars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li, but considering the excessively high salary, this is unrealistic.
At this time, an actor named Donnie Yen came to the door and offered to play the role. Born in Shanghai, Donnie Yen has loved kung fu since childhood, but has never had the opportunity to stand out.
When he saw Huang Baiming investing in this film, he took the initiative to reduce his salary to 3 million, and finally got this opportunity. In order to play the thin Ip Man, Donnie Yen began to practice Wing Chun hard, eating only one meal a day to control his weight.
After the film, the audience responded enthusiastically. For Huang Baiming and Donnie Yen, this is a step forward. Huang Baiming is optimistic about the market and continues to invest in the movies "Ip Man 2" and "Ip Man 3". The box office and word of mouth are very good.
Donnie Yen has also become a new generation of kung fu stars, and his salary has increased to 30 million. They became good friends and partners.
Ten years later, Huang Baiming continued to prepare for filming. This time, he offered Donnie Yen a salary of 50 million yuan. Unexpectedly, Donnie Yen directly asked for 100 million yuan, which surprised Huang Baiming.
But considering Donnie Yen's status in the minds of the audience, it is difficult to find a suitable candidate, so Huang Baiming agreed to the asking price.
Ip Man 4 was still a huge success after its launch. In the end, the box office reached 1.2 billion, and both sides made a fortune. Someone from the outside world asked Huang Baiming, you discovered Donnie Yen first, but now you are talking about conditions but you are refusing to give in. What do you think?
Huang Baiming replied that artists must rely on their own efforts to achieve today's achievements. I just offered an opportunity. Now the audience says that Donnie Yen is Ip Man himself, and of course he is worthy of his price. We helped each other get to where we are today. With the success of the "Ip Man" series of films, Chinese kung fu has also been revitalized. More and more young people are learning this traditional skill, and the name Ip Man has become synonymous with Chinese kung fu.
Donnie Yen and Huang Baiming both contributed, and the two worked closer and closer and became good friends. Although the issue of remuneration has caused some controversy, the cooperation between the two is rare.