A lot of my martial arts friends dream of making it in the movies. I don’t even know how many. A LOT. So when Philip Ng told me he was going to Hong Kong with the intention of breaking into the movie business there, I wished him the best of luck just like I do with all my film aspiring friends.

But Philip is different. He made it. And he made it looking good.

I knew Phil from the U.S. tournament circuit. He had written a few pieces for our print magazine including an interview piece ”Shaolin Soccer’s Stephen Chow: Master of Big Screen Mayhem” in our May+June 2003, and one of my favorite articles about stage combat, “Punching to Miss” in July+August 2005. At that time, Phil had already begun his Hong Kong movie star journey. His earliest film credits were in 2003.

Phil has worked steadily in films and on TV since then. He’s got around 40 films to his credit at this writing plus 10 TV shows. Phil had a big year in 2016. He realized every martial artist’s dream to play Bruce Lee in the China/Hollywood co-production BIRTH OF THE DRAGON. I took that opportunity to put him on the cover for that in our NOV+DEC 2016 issue. Along with the cover story “Birth of the Dragon: A Kung Fu Nerd Becomes Bruce Lee”, we ran two more exclusive interviews on KungFuMagazine: Philip Ng on Making it in Martial Arts Movies and Philip Ng on Working on Martial Arts Movies in Hong Kong. What’s more, Phil also starred in one of my personal favorite Kung Fu TV shows in 2016 A FIST WITHIN FOUR WALLS.

Although Philip was born in Hong Kong, he was raised in Chicago and speaks perfect English. He speaks with no outstanding accent, not even a Chicago one. With Hollywood’s recent attempt to diversify, especially to include Asian actors, Phil has got the stuff. He’s already proven himself in a wide assortment of roles and is well-established as a Chinese celebrity. He’s got the looks (those dimples!) and mad Kung Fu skills.

Listen up, Hollywood. If anyone has Pacific crossover potential, it’s Phil.

One of Philip’s recent films, UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN, is getting North American distribution now. It’s another dream project, his own production, and it’s packed with rollicking high-impact fight scenes. The North American distributor, Well Go USA, describes it with the following synopsis: “While an elite cop is working undercover to infiltrate a notorious drug ring, his plan is compromised when a rival agency with a grudge attacks during a trade, killing the gang’s leader. Their cover blown, both teams are forced to unite and take to the high seas in an attempt to overthrow the ruthless smuggler behind it all.”

I caught up with Philip Ng for this exclusive interview.

GENE: UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN came out already in Asia, right? How is it for you to revisit it for the North American release?

PHILIP: Actually, I began shopping this project idea to producers in the early 2010s. Though I have been involved with numerous productions before and since, UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN will always have a very special place in my heart. Being a first-time producer, it was an admittedly arduous process working with the limited resources and time I was able to muster, but this production allowed me the most creative freedom I have had on a project up to that point. Plus the fact that I was able to create this project with some of my best friends makes revisiting this film each time it gets a release in a new region a joy and a privilege.

GENE: How was it to work with your old friends Van Ness Wu and Andy On again for UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN?

PHILIP: It's an interesting question, since I seem to always find myself working with at least one of them on projects before and since, but as stated before, this project will always hold a special place in my heart. Producing a film is an uphill battle from concept to product, but they were with me during the entire process, strengthening our brotherhood even more acutely.

GENE: I love the Hong Kong undercover gangster genre. What was the inspiration for UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN?

PHILIP:  Ever since Andy, Van, and I began working together in the early 2000s, we had always discussed our love of Hong Kong action cinema and how much it had influenced us, especially films from the 80s and 90s. Always wanting to create more than just participate, I started shopping around the idea of making an action movie reminiscent of those from 80s and 90s starring my two best friends and myself to different producers and investors. 

GENE: Van Ness’s character was hilarious. How much of that was scripted and how much was improv?

PHILIP: Given Van Ness's pop idol status in Asia, the roles normally offered to him differ quite a bit from the silly, slightly dim-witted, comic relief character he plays in this film. Van is an incredibly fun guy when the cameras aren't rolling and I wanted to show this side of him to the audience. He loved the idea and had a lot of input designing his character's look, mannerisms, dialogue, etc. On top of that, he chose the balisong as his character's weapon of choice as it was something that he had been practicing since he was a kid back in California and was something he wanted to expand upon in a film. All three of us had a lot of creative freedom to express what we wanted to express, making this production something very special in the continuing history of our careers.

GENE: Who else helped you in bringing UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN together?

PHILIP:  With this being my first time wearing a producer's hat, this film would not have come to fruition without the help of producers Gordon Chan and Charlie Wong. Charlie is an up-and-coming producer in Asia, and while working on one of his films as an actor, he learned that I was shopping around an idea for an action film with Andy, Van, and I as the primary characters. We got along well and wanted to continue working with each other, thus the impetus for us starting this project. During the process, we were able to get Gordon Chan aboard as another producer, lending the much-needed legitimacy for us to continue moving forward. I learned a lot while working with these two gentlemen and will always be grateful for their contributions.

GENE: In the screener I watched, UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN credits Joe Chu as the action director. What was your role in the fight choreography? I could see the Wing Chun and Choy Lay Fut underpinnings in some of the fights.

PHILIP:  I believe I am credited as the action director, while Joe is credited as the action choreographer.  Joe has been my second since my first gig as an action director/action choreographer and has worked for me on almost every project since. Being the action director, it is my task to design every single action sequence in the film while dictating camera angles, camera movement, and completing the final edit.After designing the sequences, I would then work closely with my choreography team to incorporate techniques and movements we feel best convey my ideas to the audience. Moviemaking is most definitely a team effort, but as the leader of the action team, I am blessed with the authority to place in elements specific to my own preferences and aesthetics.

As a sort of "Easter egg" for members of my father's Kung Fu academy back in Chicago, I always try to implement at least a bit of Ving Tsun and/or Choy Lay Fut in all my films (as those are the two methods we teach at our academy). Since I had pretty much full reign over designing the action for this film, I was able to implement Ving Tsun and Choy Lay Fut techniques in a more obvious manner.  

GENE: Seems like you’re performing more ground fighting and tricker kicks in this, yes?

PHILIP: My choreography team includes some of the best trickers in Hong Kong, while not my absolute forte, I still wanted to bring a bit of variety into the choreography. And as a long-time advocate of the grappling arts, I wanted to incorporate their fighting strategies in an aesthetically exciting way that flows into the striking sequences, complementing the pacing rather than hindering it (as incorporating grappling into fight sequences on film sometimes tend to do). To ensure authenticity, we were able to get consultation from the excellent instructors at Kowloon Jiu Jitsu (as credited in the end roller), a place I train at myself.  

GENE: Did you voice yourself for the English Dub of UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN?

PHILIP: All three of us did our own English dubbing. We made it a point to do so, even though that isn't an industry norm when films get localized (another advantage of being one of the producers). Growing up in the states watching localized Kung Fu films with their "stylistic" English-language dubbing, I felt it was something we had to do to ourselves in order to ultimately complete our homage to the films that influenced us so much.

GENE: UNDERCOVER PUNCH & GUN was long in the can before the pandemic hit, but how has the pandemic affected your work?

PHILIP: The film was released theatrically in Asia prior to the pandemic in 2019, so it was not affected by it. Though the world has changed quite a bit since the pandemic hit, the need for entertainment and escapism grows even more. Being able to adapt and understanding the prominent shift in focus from theatrical to streaming is what I believe will allow one not only to survive but thrive. 

GENE:  How is the martial arts community in Hong Kong today? How are the Hong Kong schools faring during the pandemic?

PHILIP: Same as with rest of the world. Quality traditional Kung Fu schools exists but are few and far between. Popular combat sports such as Kickboxing and BJJ have been taking prominence here for quite some time now, but when the pandemic hit, many of those gyms had to close down as well.  Definitely a tough time for people from every industry.

GENE:  How is your personal martial arts training nowadays?

PHILIP:  I still consistently hit the gym 5 to 6 days a week when my schedule allows. My training now mainly consists of maintaining and improving attributes, but whenever a project begins I would focus my training on the particular fighting method my character uses. For example, when I filmed the TVB television series CHINATOWN. I focused much of my technical training on Hung Gar as that was what my character practiced in the show.

GENE: You’ve been in the moviemaking business for 20 years now. What has changed for you?

PHILIP:  As my filmography grows, certain aspects of my job have definitely become easier while other aspects have become noticeably more difficult. I am very pleased with the increased creative freedom I have now, but it comes along with an exponential amount of responsibility.

GENE: Given the global shifts in the industry, any advice for martial artists looking to break into the moviemaking business today?

PHILIP:  Research and find those who can help you hone your craft. With the advent of the internet plus the affordable recording and editing technologies that exist today, it is exponentially easier now (then when I first entered in the industry) to experiment, create, and share your own content with others.Based on my experiences, perseverance, due diligence, and a proper mentality are the minimum requirements to advancing in any art form.

GENE:    What’s next for you?

PHILIP:  At the moment, a few of my previously completed projects are steadily being released in Asia, such as the recent ONCE UPON A TIME IN HONG KONG, on which I worked as the Action Director. In the meantime, my writing partner and I are in the process of developing several new projects and properties for both theatrical and streaming platforms, hopefully to begin production later this year.