Casting Yueh Wah in ‘Australia’

KUNG FU HUSTLE star and Bruce Lee stunt double Yuen Wah made his English-language film debut this year as a Chinese cook in Baz Luhrmann’s epic prestige film, AUSTRALIA, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Hong Kong-based casting director and action film guru Mike Leeder recently blogged about his part in getting Yuen cast.

Leeder mentions that he picked Yuen based on his dramatic acting potential. The actor was surprised when told of the English-speaking role because he doesn’t speak much English on his own.

“We discussed the character and he agreed to do a casting,” Leeder wrote, “and a few days later he came in and read for the role, where he really brought the character to life. We sent the reel over to Baz’s office in Australia, and a few days later we got the call that the part was his.”

Yuen Wah became known internationally for his memorable comedic performance as the “Landlord” in Stephen Chow’s KUNG FU HUSTLE. Previous career highlights include colorfully villainous roles in ’80s action classics EASTERN CONDORS, THE ICEMAN COMETH and DRAGONS FOREVER. He spent much of the previous decade as a supporting actor and stuntman in period kung fu and wuxia movies. Over these many years, Yuen stands out among his stunt peers, not only for his acrobatics during his physical prime but also for possessing a colorful screen presence and knack for portraying unusual characters that can be serious, humorous or anywhere in between.

In addition to his job as a casting director, Mike Leeder is also an occasional actor, editor for IMPACT magazine and a film and television producer. His latest project is BODYGUARD: A NEW BEGINNING, a British-produced indie actioner starring Vincent Sze, Richard Ng, Cary Tagawa, and Mark Strange. His is also co-producer on 10 DEAD MEN, another British indie actioner coming to the U.S. on DVD January 27 courtesy of MTI Home Video.

You can read more about Leeder’s experience with casting Yuen Wah, as well as updates on his current action film projects by visiting his blog at alivenotdead.com.