‘Conor McGregor meets Bruce Lee’: HBO Warrior’s Jason Tobin on inspiration for Young Jun character

Hong Kong actor Jason Tobin says his inspiration for Young Jun, an heir apparent to a Chinatown tong, melds multiple influences

UFC superstar Conor McGregor, Bruce Lee and American acting legends Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro all find their way into his portrayal

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Hong Kong actor Jason Tobin, working out at Southpaw boxing gym in Central, brings Conor McGregor into the television show Warrior in his portrayal of Young Jun. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 8:00am, 2 Oct 2020Updated: 8:20am, 2 Oct 2020

Hong Kong actor Jason Tobin’s scene-stealing Young Jun in the television show Warrior, which premiers Oct. 3 on HBO Go and Cinemax, pulls from the past and present world of mixed martial arts into a modern day synergy.

Tobin, 46, plays Jun, the heir apparent to a Chinatown tong during the late 19th century in San Francisco. Decked out in braggadocios behaviour, a pompadour haircut and sailor mouth, Tobin said UFC fans might notice some Irish flair in his portrayal.

UFC superstar Conor McGregor, known for a similarly cocky demeanour, has his trademark “Billionaire Strut”, which comes from World Wrestling Entertainment’s Vince McMahon. The walk, chest out, arms swinging back and forth, has become a popular meme that various athletes and celebrities mimic. Tobin, an MMA fan himself, said there is definitely shades of “Notorious” in Jun.

“It’s in those moments, the walk, the swagger,” said Tobin, who has a background in martial arts and trained heavily for the role. “I cannot walk around like that in real life. If I walked around like that in Hong Kong people would think I was the biggest a******.”

Jason Tobin said he has pulled many influences into the role of Young Jun. Photo: Handout

Tobin said some of the earliest machinations of Jun came in simply finding out how the character moved around, and so he turned to the Dublin native.

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