Teen star of Ip Man 4 on filming with Donnie Yen, learning tai chi, rainforest mud baths, and her eco-warrior future
- Vanda Margraf is a nominee for the best new performer award at the Hong Kong Film Awards for her film debut opposite Donnie Yen in Ip Man 4: The Finale
- The German-Chinese 16-year-old talks about getting hurt on set, how Yen looked after her during filming, and growing up in a rainforest in subtropical Yunnan
To prepare for her role in last year’s Ip Man 4: The Finale, Vanda Margraf remembers taking up tai chi a month before filming started, and she fell in love with the ancient physical and spiritual practice.
“It helps train the body and mind,” says the 16-year-old, who suffered a nosebleed filming one scene in which her character gets bullied by a gang.
“It was the first time I’d had a nosebleed in my life. But the experience was worth it. What’s most important is whether the scene is done well. I love making movies, so I don’t think it’s harsh.”
Margraf plays Wan Ruonan, the daughter of a tai chi master who fell out with Ip Man when the Wing Chun master arrived in San Francisco in 1964. She was subsequently saved by her father’s nemesis from being bullied by the locals.
