Latest news with #BigTroubleinLittleChina
USA Today
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
From 'Countdown' to 'The Boys,' Jensen Ackles loves being a throwback tough guy
The conversation gets passionate when Jensen Ackles opens up about his favorite childhood action movies and TV shows. How he'd watch Kurt Russell in 'Big Trouble in Little China' to 'recalibrate' while playing demon-hunting Dean Winchester for 15 seasons on CW's 'Supernatural." Or how Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard' and Mel Gibson in 'Lethal Weapon' influenced his character in Amazon's new crime drama 'Countdown' (streaming now on Prime Video). Ackles really lights up, however, when you say the magic word: 'Airwolf.' Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox 'Dude, I loved that show. Not many people remember that," he says of CBS' 1984-86 drama. "It was a sleeper hit. Ernest Borgnine, come on!' he says excitedly. Throw in the above heroes, plus Indiana Jones and MacGyver, and 'I've got all those characters swimming around in my head. Those were the guys that I was like, 'That's what I want to be when I grow up.' And now I feel like I'm getting to play some of those guys.' Ackles stars in 'Countdown' as LAPD cop Mark Meachum, who's recruited for a secret task force of undercover operatives from various branches of law enforcement. Their mission: to uncover a terrorist plot and save the city. And like Ackles' best characters, Meachum's rough around the edges – which rankles his teammates, especially DEA agent Amber Oliveras (Jessica Camacho) – though there's a good reason behind his reckless nature. The 47-year-old actor next reprises his role as throwback antagonist Soldier Boy and in the upcoming fifth and final season of Amazon's 'The Boys' as well as prequel spinoff 'Vought Rising,' which begins production in August. Ackles chats with USA TODAY about 'Countdown,' some old-school inspirations and his upcoming 'Supernatural' reunion. Question: There's a ticking-clock aspect involved with Meachum as an action hero. How did you approach him? Jensen Ackles: The everyday man who is put to the test and rises above, I know this guy. But there was the caveat of, well, this guy's actually diagnosed with a terminal illness and he doesn't have much time left. How does that change things? He's going to want to take out as many bad guys as he can. Almost a kamikaze kind of a run. I liked that uncertainty, because it also plays into the other characters going, "Can we trust this guy? He's a loose cannon." But the audience knows. Even the doctor says, "Just go lay on a beach somewhere." He's like, "Nah, I'm going down in flames." That makes him a little unpredictable, and maybe even a little scary at times. Meachum has quite the relationship with Oliveras. He needles her, she can't stand him, but they settle into an intriguing dynamic. After being paired mainly with dudes in TV roles, was that a fun switchup for you? I do work mostly with guys. I'm used to finding that buddy-cop kind of a situation where it just lends itself to a lot more comedy or friction with two alphas trying to be like, "Hey, I got this." "No, I got this." "No, no, no. Sit down." What Jess brought to the table, I couldn't have wished for a better bag of tricks. She came in and effectively played it like a tough guy. And she's a badass, in real life and onscreen. It was an easy transition for me. She brought the heat. So if Dean and Meachum were inspired by 1980s influences, who was your inspiration for Soldier Boy? Soldier Boy, I had to dig a little deeper. I had to dig into my dad's (childhood). It was a lot of Lee Marvin and some Sean Connery in there. I wouldn't just go back and watch some of their old movies. I would go back and watch their old interviews – how they handled themselves as men in that time kind of gave me a bit of a North Star for Soldier Boy. If you took Lee Marvin from the 1960s and you transported him to 2025, what would he be like? Soldier Boy had a surprise appearance in the after-credits scene of 'The Boys' Season 4 finale. Will he be a chaos agent in Season 5, or something we haven't seen before? It's something you haven't seen before, and it's probably a teamup that you're going to be like, "Oh no. This is not good." For him, he's like, "I don't give a (expletive). Whatever gets me from point A to point B." It definitely causes problems for a lot of people involved. Your 'Supernatural' buds Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins also join you in this final 'Boys' season. What's the best thing about getting the band back together? Probably the ease (of us working together). But also you've got to be careful not to let the reins too loose on us. Then we can fall into our old shtick. All of a sudden, now everybody's clowning around and no work is getting done. We were able to do 15 seasons on ("Supernatural") because we had a lot of fun doing it. We were coming in like, 'Alright, we got a ping-pong tournament at lunch, who's in?' When we needed to get serious, we got serious. But for the most part, it was the inmates running the prison, and we had a blast. There might've been a little fear getting three of us back onto a set that is a big monster show. I did sit down and have a little talk with them. I was like, "This is something I tell myself every time I step on that set, and it's something that I think you should tell yourself as well: I'm a guest in somebody else's house. Be respectful, read the room, be polite. Don't be a nuisance. Show up. Know your stuff. Hit your mark. Respect everybody. And that'll leave a great impression." And that's what they did.
Daily Tribune
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Tribune
Kate Hudson rejected stepdad Kurt Russell's movie Escape from LA to avoid nepotism accusations
Bang Showbiz | Los Angeles Kate Hudson turned down a role in her stepdad Kurt Russell's movie Escape from LA as she didn't want to be 'defined' by nepotism. The 46-year-old star has recalled how she declined the opportunity to star with Kurt in the 1996 film because she didn't want outsiders to think that she only got the part due to her family connections. Speaking at the Newport Beach TV Fest, Kate – whose mother is actress Goldie Hawn – said: 'I went in and auditioned and got that part, and I sort of realised, 'Oh, this is when you start to make choices that will define your career.' And, 'Do I want to be defined by being Kurt's daughter who got this part? No.' '(It doesn't) matter if I got it because I was good enough – it would never be what people would ever think. And I knew that and was like, 'No, I can't.' So I ended up saying no to that, too.' Kate revealed that she wanted to be an actress from a young age and detailed how her passion stemmed from being on her stepfather's movie sets as a child. The Running Point star said: 'My dad's sets were the fun sets. It was like Big Trouble in Little China and we had slides that would go down into rubber fish, and these amazing costumes. 'And the thing is, when you grow up on a movie set, it's not that fun. (There) is a lot of waiting around, so you realise you really love it when you don't want to get off the movie set.' Hudson added: 'Performing was always something I knew I was going to do. 'There was never a question, but really falling in love with the circus was something that I don't think all kids actually have when they're on a set.' While Kate got the acting bug at an early age, she is unsure whether her sons – Ryder, 21, and Bingham, 13, whom she has with former partners Chris Robinson and Matt Bellamy respectively – feel the same way, although matters are different for her daughter Rani, six, who she has with her fiance Danny Fujikawa.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kate Hudson rejected stepdad Kurt Russell's movie Escape from LA to avoid nepotism accusations
Kate Hudson turned down a role in her stepdad Kurt Russell's movie Escape from LA as she didn't want to be "defined" by nepotism. The 46-year-old star has recalled how she declined the opportunity to star with Kurt in the 1996 film because she didn't want outsiders to think that she only got the part due to her family connections. Speaking at the Newport Beach TV Fest, Kate – whose mother is actress Goldie Hawn – said: "I went in and auditioned and got that part, and I sort of realised, 'Oh, this is when you start to make choices that will define your career.' And, 'Do I want to be defined by being Kurt's daughter who got this part? No.' "(It doesn't) matter if I got it because I was good enough – it would never be what people would ever think. And I knew that and was like, 'No, I can't.' So I ended up saying no to that, too." Kate revealed that she wanted to be an actress from a young age and detailed how her passion stemmed from being on her stepfather's movie sets as a child. The Running Point star said: "My dad's sets were the fun sets. It was like Big Trouble in Little China and we had slides that would go down into rubber fish, and these amazing costumes. "And the thing is, when you grow up on a movie set, it's not that fun. (There) is a lot of waiting around, so you realise you really love it when you don't want to get off the movie set." Hudson added: "Performing was always something I knew I was going to do. "There was never a question, but really falling in love with the circus was something that I don't think all kids actually have when they're on a set." While Kate got the acting bug at an early age, she is unsure whether her sons – Ryder, 21, and Bingham, 13, whom she has with former partners Chris Robinson and Matt Bellamy respectively – feel the same way, although matters are different for her daughter Rani, six, who she has with her fiance Danny Fujikawa. She explained: "I see my kids and they're kind of bored when they go on movie sets; they don't really want to be there. But then I see Rani and she's like (excited whisper) 'What is this place?' And I'm like, 'Oh, she's going to get the bug.'"
Scottish Sun
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Peter Kwong dead at 73: Big Trouble in Little China movie star, martial arts expert & acting veteran dies in his sleep
The star started his career as a TV actor in the 1970s STAR GONE Peter Kwong dead at 73: Big Trouble in Little China movie star, martial arts expert & acting veteran dies in his sleep Peter Kwong, the movie star, martial arts expert and acting veteran has died, aged 73. Kwong died in his sleep on Tuesday night, according to one of his representatives. Advertisement 3 The actor starred in nearly 90 film and television roles Credit: Splash 3 One of his most well known roles was in the classic Big Trouble in Little China Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 3 Kwong died in his sleep aged 73 Credit: Shutterstock Editorial The actor played Rain in John Carpenter's 1986 action classic Big Trouble in Little China. Kwong starred in nearly 90 film and television roles over the course of his career. He began as a TV actor in the late 1970s and 1980s in shows such as The A-Team, Wonder Woman, Little House on the Prairie and Miami Vice. His first film role came in 1977 in the drama Panic in Echo Park. Advertisement In 1986, Kwong took up one of his most famous roles as Tommy Tong in Eddie Murphy's comedy-adventure The Golden Child. That same year Kwong appeared in perhaps his most famous movie role in Big Trouble in Little China where he played Rain, one of the three super-powered martial artists. He starred alongside Kim Cattrall and Kurt Russell. The film has emerged as a cult classic over time despite failing at the box office at the time of release. Advertisement The 1990s saw Kwong appear in a range of other TV shows, in both drama and comedy, including Renegade, Malcolm & Eddie, The District, My Wife and Kids, JAG and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He also appeared in other film roles including The Presidio, Gleaming the Cube, I'll Do Anything, Paper Dragons and Cooties. His final role was the voice of Mike in the comedy series Pepito's Mamadas. In addition to being a film star, Kwong was also a martial arts expert. Advertisement He worked in Northern Shaolin kung fu, Chinese kata and a range of weapons including swords, staffs, spears, and nunchaku. Kwong was also a professional dancer which included ballroom, martial arts fusion, disco and breaking. Outside of Hollywood, he was on the SAG National Board of Directors for more than a decade and was also a member of the AFTRA National Board of Directors. He also served on the Television Academy Board of Governors and the Actors Branch Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Perth Now
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
‘Big Trouble in Little China' actor Peter Kwong dead aged 73
Peter Kwong has died aged 73. The actor, best known for his role in John Carpenter's cult classic 'Big Trouble in Little China', passed away in his sleep on Tuesday (28.05.25), according to a statement from his team. Deadline, which first reported his passing, said: 'His reps told Deadline that Kwong died overnight Tuesday in his sleep.' Over a career spanning more than four decades, Peter appeared in nearly 90 film and television roles and was widely respected for his contributions to the screen and the acting community through his work in industry organisations. Born in Los Angeles in 1950, Peter began his acting career on television in the late 1970s, landing roles in series such as 'Wonder Woman', 'Little House on the Prairie', 'Miami Vice' and 'The A-Team'. His first appearance in film came in the 1977 drama 'Panic in Echo Park'. In 1986, Peter landed two of his most notable roles. He portrayed Tommy Tong opposite Eddie Murphy in the fantasy comedy-adventure 'The Golden Child', and Rain, one of the three elemental martial artists in 'Big Trouble in Little China'. The latter, which also starred Kim Cattrall and Kurt Russell, was a commercial disappointment upon release but has since grown into a cult classic. Speaking about his role in the Carpenter-directed film, Peter once said: 'The character of Rain was something special. The fight choreography, the costume – it all came together in a way that stuck with people. 'Even decades later, fans still come up to me and talk about it.' That same year, he also appeared in 'Never Too Young to Die'. Beyond his on-screen work, Petr was active in promoting representation and supporting actors' rights in the industry. He served on the Screen Actors Guild's National Board of Directors for more than 10 years and was a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' National Board. The actor and martial artist also held positions on the Television Academy's Board of Governors and the Actors Branch Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
