10 Ways Star Wars Actors FIXED Scenes They Hated
6. Donnie Yen Made Chirrut Less Of A Stereotype - Rogue One
Donnie Yen proved to be a scene stealer in Rogue One with his performance as blind Jedi Chirrut Îmwe, yet he initially had some serious misgivings with the character as written, and insisted that he make some major changes to Chirrut's characterisation.
In an interview with GQ, Yen revealed that he told the filmmakers that Chirrut was written as a stereotype - a typical, humourless martial arts master.
Ultimately he not only suggested that Chirrut be blind, but fought for him to get a sense of humour and even improvised jokes during shooting - such as the memorable line, "Are you kidding me? I'm blind!"
Yen, an accomplished multi-hyphenate in his own right, insisted to director Gareth Edwards that he had far more to offer the film than merely acting, telling him, "When you hire me, you're not just getting an actor - you are getting a choreographer, a director."
And so, rather than simply grumble his way through an underwhelming part for the sake of a fat Disney paycheck, Yen spoke up and immeasurably improved the character, and in turn the film, in the process.