Hi Ron, please tell us where you were born?
I was born in Nieuwegein, The Netherlands 30 April 1974,
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in small town in The Netherlands, called Nieuwegein. It’s a city near Utrecht which expanded quite a lot over the years, still there was a lot of nature and I enjoyed that a lot.
How did you first get into martial arts?
First of all I’m very very lucky I experienced the 80’s and early 90’s. These were the highlights of many good martial arts movies and compared to the movies from nowadays, these movies from back then had MOTIVATION.
When I was 12yo, I saw Karate Kid on a children’s party. I could identity with the main star who made himself stronger by training. After the movie we decided to join karate school. But I was the only one who went for real. We had a local karate school ‘De Voltreffer’ with my master Ron Calmer. And he looked exactly like Mr. Miyagi from karate kid. He was tough and mysterious.
At the same time Jackie Chan was on TV, Rocky 4 came out and we had a super cool Nina series on TV called ‘The master’. Kids were making ninja stars at that time, we were creative and active outdoors.
How did you get into films?
When Jean Claude van Damme entered the action movie industry something changed in me. I wanted to kick like him. My sister who did gymnastics taught me how to do the splits, and I started to kick higher and higher and was obsessed by it.
Me and my karate partner made up fight scenes from movies and started to give demo’s, first at our karate school with the school and later on events. Movie fights on music and free style forms on Eye of the Tiger. Every beat a kick or punch.
I won the contest highest kick at the postcode loterij show in 1997 with a height of 11 feet (3m30cm). I also started to do freefight with Oscar can der Veen and it were the early days of MMA – It made me complete
One of my friends told me I fought in tournaments like a movie star using these high kicks and I will become be a next van Damme. He showed off with me visiting local gangs and let me perform in front of them, splits, leg holding with the leg 180 degrees up and jumpkicks. My friend had a lot of fantasy but I started to believe it. The others called me crazy and a dreamer.
One day when I was at the office at 23 year old my boss told me Jackie Chan came to The Netherlands to shoot ‘Who am I?’. I asked my boss if I could get a day off and send my materials to the casting office in Rotterdam who already got 3000 applications submitted.
I called them crazy and managed to get on set as an extra (business man for 3 days)
Actually this is seen in the movie ‘Who am I?’, when a big Limo enters the Nedloyd building I step out as a business man. I told casting that I just got the record highest kick and did movie fights. The local stuntguys told me off and literally were laughing at me. Then I asked one of Jackies stuntman and he told me to make a video demo. Late that night I made it and because I was a graphic designer I made a cover with a nice kick on it, like I was already a movie star. Jackie saw the video the next day and asked me to do live in front of him what I did in the video.
The had a small meeting after and told me I was the best doing audition out of 20 guys worldwide doing audition for the final fight of the movie – 5 minutes later they started to measure my sizes for the suit in the scene.
Please tell us about your experience working on Who Am I? and working with Jackie Chan.
Jackie is demanding to be honest and it was hard for me to get his timing as he fights in rhythms and counts, I never did any real action movies and fighting with the master himself would be an insult if it was easy. It was pressure. The combos were long and on the spot so you learn a choreo and have to memorize, perform in full speed vs Jackie Chan 5 minutes after. But I did pick it up halfway the fight and got his rhythm.
The good thing with Jackie is he really let me show all my best moves and kicks while he takes the hits. I was totally optimized. Overstretched that I couldn’t walk anymore.
The team comes up with ideas on the spot. Jackie is a real master and I was really lucky to fight him in his younger years (That time he was 44 years old)
I learned a lot from the pressure and the way they shoot movies how to punch and kick for movies is also different then in real fights. The good thing is also what saved me was my leg control- I could stop a kick 1cm in front of him and never really hit him. Jackie is a true legend.
What was it like working on in and around Rotterdam on this film?
I always walked all the way from the Rotterdam Train station to the Nedloyd building and I enjoyed it, it felt international as I came from a small town. I loved the view from the building over the city, the river and the Erasmus bridge where Jackie also filmed. We were even fighting on the very EDGE of the Nedloyd building on the rooftop which was scary and dangerous as I didn’t have wires on me and Jackie took my leg over the edge.
Please tell us about the other projects you have worked on?
I knew I had to move to Asia and gave up my job to try it in Hong Kong and managed to play in 3 movies in 2 months of time. But the Hong Kong action movie business was dying then I went to Thailand where Tony Jaa came up. Rising action star at the time. I played in ‘Warrior King’. I had to rebuild my career again and Thailand is a backdoor of hollywood where a lot of action stars shoot. I worked/fought with Tony Jaa, Donnie Yen (Der Puma), Scott Adkins (Ninja 2), Gary Daniels (Hitman in London), Jean Claude van damme himself (Eagle Path), Steven Seagal (General commander) and many many more, action starts from India and China as well.
Basically I wanted to gain more experience in movie fighting fighting all these action stars is s dream. But one thing was lacking… I could never shine like in Who am I? anymore with a fight scene like that and was a little in the shadows of the other action stars. I also got injuries in my knee.
I decided to make my own action style called RECHARGE – a fighting style with moves bouncing of each other like chain lightning. It’s the 8th year now and that is leading me to my next path.
And what projects are you working on at present?
I get really good parts right now. One part in Crooks 2 (Netflix) with major role in there also able to use my fighting style and likewise for another Netflix project (Lady Chang) which is Just finished shooting. Sub lead roles with lots of acting an fighting in my own style. That’s how Bruce lee did it, he had Jeet kune do and that was the game changer.
This all leads to the final steps to be the lead in an action movie as the good guy and that’s happening this year (Fingers crossed). Then finally I got my own movie project which is really my ultimate goal .
What do you like best about Rotterdam?
I like the city center near the river, I worked as a coordinator for Luifel and Luifel and that was in a very nice industrial area from back in the past. Maybe one of the few buildings left after the war. The vibe is good in Rotterdam.
Which places would you recommend for those visiting Rotterdam?
Definitely the places where Jackie Fought – like on the rooftop of the Nedloyd building the block houses below there, and even some place in the building where hr shot the scenes all the way upwards towards the rooftop. That could be a trip on its own – like how Jackie did it in the movie. That’s path – I remember in the move Who am I he also made phonecall from a restaurant in front of the Nedloyd building I hope its still there.
