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EXCLUSIVE: Jean Paul Ly gets his ‘Break’…

Jail Break

In the second of our exclusive interviews we look at the forthcoming ‘Jail Break’ as it begins shooting in Cambodia and talk with fight choreographer Jean-Paul Ly…


As the shooting starts in Cambodia’s first real action movie Jail Break, Impact’s Far Eastern Editor Mike Leeder catches up with the films leading man and primary fight choreographer Jean-Paul Ly. A solid martial artist with an impressive collection of credits as an actor and stuntman/fighter on everything from web movies and self promotional shorts to his James Bond inspired fight reel, and projects like 24, Doctor Strange and Now You See Me 2. We see what Jailbreak will involve…

IMPACT: Can you begin by introducing yourself and telling us a little bit about yourself, your martial arts background and how you got involved with film, and some of the projects you’ve been involved in?

JP: My name is Jean-Paul Ly, I am an actor and action performer based in the UK. I have been practicing martial arts in various disciplines (Duk Moo Kwan Hapkido for eight years in Paris, and also Capoeira, Tricking, Shotokan Karate, Boxing etc). As an actor, I am currently represented by the reknown agency IAG-London.

Some of my work includes fight and stunt performance on feature films and TV shows such as Lucy, Now You See Me 2, the upcoming Marvel’ Doctor Strange (for which I was part of the fight team) 24 Live Another Day, Cuckoo etc

I had quit my previous career in business in order to work as a stuntman – then as an actor – and decided to move to London exactly three years ago. I wanted to follow my instinct and to ‘live the dream” by being on screen rather than just watching it. It was all purely by passion!

Jean-Paul LyHow did you first get involved with the Jail Break project? How does it feel to be starring in what is pretty much the first full blooded Cambodian action martial arts movie?

JP: I was in contact with the producer Loy Te and director Jimmy Henderson during its early stage, I had to come and meet the production a year ago and now, we’re about to finally start shooting! Working on Jail Break means a lot for the country and its film-making industry, it is the occasion to put Cambodia on the map, like Indonesia and Thailand did previously. It will showcase the national martial art, the Bokator for the very first time. I am personally honored to be part of it, as we will be the first in history to mark the event !

Now you’re not only working on the film in front of the camera, you’re also working on the choreography and stunt coordinating for the movie, how have you found the Cambodian stunt guys and some of the martial artists you’re working with on this project? Have they been able to adapt their style of fighting to film-fighting?

JP: I was very interested in working on Jail Break as it is a small production size project, meaning that more freedom is provided on many levels. Most of the stunt guys are fighters and athletes, so we took a necessary time to teach them how it works and adapt it for the camera, in terms of safety, timing and process. As the action movie industry is new here, I had to start from the very basics and fundamentals of stunt training, working on falls, reactions and acting. I am also introducing stunts to non-martial artists, starting from seven people to more than 60 today and attending every week end. It is encouraging, we are getting there slowly but i do have faith that all great things take time and preparation.

What can we look forward to with the movie? What can you tell us about the project to get our readers excited?

JP: The main idea is to bring a fresh content with several distinct styles of fights and action in one homogeneous spirit, that would all rightly fit in one content. We will not hold back… and unleash all that we have, in hoping to bring some memorable fight scenes and contribute to expand the martial art genre that is so less represented nowadays. I am also very excited for the audience to watch the Bokator on screen and introducing its amazing athletes !

The film features a lot of new faces to the action movie world, although many of them come from solid martial arts background, can you tell us a little about them?

JP: I have the opportunity to work alongside Dara Our and Oum Tharoth, both co-stars of Jail Break and representing the Bokator at the NOCC (National Olympic Comittee of Cambodia). Dara Our has starred in films Hanuman, Father Treasure, Forest Whisper and Before the Fall. Oum Tharoth is a female Bokator Champion and actress in the upcoming Angelina Jolie’ First they Killed my Father movie. They have both great potential as actors and screen fighters, and they are completely dedicated to training, day and night as their daily job. I believe that this movie will give them and their art justice.

The film will also see the full fledged action debut of Celine Tran. How have you found working with her, and what can we expect to see from her?

JP: She is really dedicated to training and learned quite fast all the complicated choreography I am throwing at her ! I do not want to spoil too much but you will see her performing some advanced techniques that are very different from all her past action short films. I wanted her to surpass herself and get out of her comfort zone, and I believe she did, as she improved a lot since she joined us. I am very proud of what we achieved.

A lot of people are already comparing the movie to The Raid. What do you feel about this kind of comparison, and how would you describe your approach to the action for this movie….

I believe that the comparison is mostly based on the high-octane action-rhythm than its spirit, as Jail Break remains an action comedy so, in essence, quite different than The Raid. The Raid stands as a reference but we are definitely going in a different direction, for instance in terms of camera work and display of martial arts, as we decided to showcase many. And I also know that people could compare us as we do have similar way for processing, by pulling an action movie in a South East Asia country. Indeed a comparison of this kind is an honor, as The Raid remains one of my favorite action movies. I really hope to give them an homage !

Finally, what does the future hold for Jean-Paul Ly?

JP: I have decided to work more in front of the camera and focusing on acting rather than choreography – as both require a lot of dedication. I have some work planned on two independent feature films as an actor in the UK after Jail Break, and I plan to work more in Asia if possible, let’s see !

Jailbreak training:

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