Privy member David No was recently interviewed in 10 Magazine

From the January issue of 10 magazine. Go out and pick up a copy, it's worth it! Fab photos!

Actor, Screenwriter, Director, Film Producer, Stuntman David No

Words by Lance Crayon

David No’s father left Korea for Australia in a time when no one had even heard of taekwondo. He became the father of Australian taekwondo opening the country’s first studio in 1965. No’s Australian mother was the first ever female black belt in the martial art on the island-continent and remains the highest ranked female to date. Fluent in Korean and Mandarin, she is also a Chinese medical practitioner, author and lecturer. David’s sister is a ballet dancer who toured with many European companies. Now residing in Munich, she has become an internationally renowned yoga instructor.

Coming from such an accomplished family could be a burden for some, but David has lived up to the task. He was a member of the Australian National Taekwondo team and the Australian National Judo team. He began acting while attending college and he developed his acting skills by attending Australia’s prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Arts.

Today his film credits include roles in Hollywood blockbusters like Jackie Chan’s “Mr. Nice Guy,” the Jet Li/Mel Gibson production “Invincible”, “The Matrix Reloaded” and the accompanying video game. But as ever, his accomplishments don’t just stop there. Among his many television credits are hit Korean dramas like “Sorry I Love You,” “Which Planet Are you from,” and “Lady of the Sun.” As a TV drama producer his credits include line-producer for the Australian leg of “Temptation of Wolves” and most recently the international portion of the drama “Worlds Within” starring Hae-gyo Song and Hyun Bin.

His production company Furious Films (furiousfilms.com.au) has since its inception in 1997 produced numerous projects, most notably among them is “Forged,” a multi-award winning short film which David wrote, directed, and starred in. At a time when many Korean actors and actresses strive for the shining lights of Hollywood, David No is using his background, expertise and Hollywood connections to develop a blockbuster project here in Korea.

10: Can you tell me a little bit about what inspired you to pursue a career in film?

No: I sort of fell into it. I was studying Physiotherapy in uni, when I met a film student who wanted to cast me and one thing led to another. We made a John Woo inspired film called “The Huntsman” which got some attention from industry publications and even notable film makers, including Woo himself. During the process I realized that the work suited me. It was an exciting time - we were doing something very much in the pioneering spirit-making genre films at a time when Australia had long stopped making them.

10: Could you tell us what some of your influences are?

No: I love great action, beautiful cinematography, strong narratives and compelling characters. Or I can dig a brainwaster or even a funkdified pop-culture flick. But after I saw a Korean film called “Shiri”, my attention turned back to my own heritage and the films over here.

10: What are some of the Korean martial arts films that you’ve been impressed by?

No: There was a great 1975 film that I used to watch as a kid called “Kill the Shogun” (Mujang Haeje). It was about two Korean Imperial guards who defy the Japanese during their occupation of Korea. The fighting style is uniquely Korean. Until this time the only martial arts films I had ever seen were from Hong Kong or Japan. I identified strongly with this film as a martial artist with Korean ancestry; imagine a kid with mixed ethnicity growing up in Australia, doing martial arts.

10: Besides your acting and martial arts ability, you are well known for your stunt work. What has been your most dangerous stunt to date?

No: I once had to jump an 18 foot gap, about 40 feet off the ground for a commercial. The distance wasn’t the problem, it was the fact they wanted me to just barely make it, slamming my body into the wall on the other side of the gap. That’s got to up there with sitting inside a burning troop carrier on “The Great Raid”. Or maybe being set on fire would be up there or perhaps surfing a sports car on a giant half-pipe ramp. Hard to say.

10: So what have you been working on in recently?

No: During the last year I have line produced several Korean TV dramas in Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia as well as the upcoming feature film “Marine Boy” in Cebu. I also starred in “The Meta Secret,” a teaser trailer for the upcoming sequel to cult phenomena, “The Secret”. But my biggest project of last year was without a doubt, my short film “Forged.” It was featured in many film festivals, taking many awards. Its success has made it possible for me to begin developing my next project, “The Power Within” which I will likely shoot this year.

10: First tell us what "Forged" about?

No: “Forged” is an Australian sword-fighting epic that illustrates the battle of egos and emotions that inadvertently lead to a father and son duel to the death.

10: How was it made?

No: I never divulge how I make a film, until after it’s been watched. Movies are about the emotions people feel while watching them – a magic that diminishes if mechanics and ingenuity is pulled apart. People can watch it at Indieflix.com and afterwards watch “The Making of Forged.” Thankfully it has done very well on the film festival circuit, winning awards at almost every festival. It has won “Best Director”, a couple of “Best Film” awards, “Best Kick-Ass Fight Scene”, “Best Costume Design” and a “Best Music” award.

10: What your next project, "The Power Within", about?

No: “Forged” was actually written after “The Power Within”. It’s an uncommon story and a powerful screenplay. I looked for directors, but decided that to truly realize my vision I would have to direct it myself. In order to make it myself, however, I knew I had to prove that I could direct a feature. That’s why I made “Forged” longer than an average short – I wanted it to feel like a feature. I wanted the audience to go on the journey and invest in the characters.

“The Power Within” is another journey that takes the viewer into many worlds – some they can identify with and some that are new to them. It brings the audience to Korea, into martial arts culture; it follows a rite of passage. Again, it has plenty of action – but it’s not the dominating ingredient. It is the characters, the story, and the music – all the traditional ingredients of a great film. My hope is to make a precedent setting Western film that shows Korea and its traditions to the world.

10: If we could just wrap by asking you what has been your biggest obstacle so far?

No: Hey, I look half-Asian, and in a world full of stereotypes, it means I don’t exactly fit the Asian or the Western mold. When I was a kid, I think I may have felt my ‘uniqueness’ was an issue. Apart from my siblings, I am still the only Australian-Korean I know – and of course not many kids I grew up with had martial arts instructors as parents. Now, however, I find great strength and confidence in my uniqueness.