Sammo Hung reflects on working with Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen

Hong Kong action legend Sammo Hung reflected on his seven-decade career during a masterclass he delivered at the Tokyo International Film Festival following a screening of his 2016 film “My Beloved Bodyguard” on Nov. 1.

The 72-year-old star fondly remembered working with Bruce Lee on “Enter the Dragon,” noting that when “he died at such a young age, I was heartbroken.” He discussed his friendly rivalry with Jackie Chan, which fueled the development of the comedy-kung fu genre. He spoke about collaborating with Donnie Yen on the “Ip Man” series, praising Yen’s skill and athleticism while playfully asserting his own superior abilities.

Hung, who broke ground as one of the first East Asian leads on American television with the CBS series “Martial Law,” also reflected on the current trend of CGI use in filmmaking: “I want Hong Kong movies to maintain the kind of energy that made them great during the old days. But there doesn’t seem to be as big an audience as there used to be, and that’s unfortunate.”