That Jean-Claude Still Wants To Get His Kicks Don't call him washed up—at 48, Jean-Claude Van Damme is back with a new indy film called "JCVD," about … himself. He's passionate about it, and about so much else. He spoke to Sarah Ball: What are you doing in Thailand? I've been in the cutting room all night, working on a new film I'm directing called "Full Love." How ' s it coming? Good. You go through that certain depression because the actors are all leaving, but they're there now with me in the cutting room. Why did you want to make a film that comments on your own life? I made this just to show some of the internal side of J.C.V.D., in a way. He's a guy, a normal guy from Belgium with dreams, and I did well in that type of path. At the age of 47, to take chances and go back to Europe and be talking to some studios there, I'm showing them that I believe I'm good quality. There ' s a monologue in the film about being a washed-up action star. Did you improvise that? I like structure—like driving: go past the school on the street, stay on the right side, no hitting the car, go in right, you'll see a big church, stop and take a left, and you'll have it. By doing this I'm giving a structure of life, a path of light, and showing what happens between me and me, which is something very beautiful. Beautiful? Why? I really opened myself up in "JCVD." I peeled back the skin of the fruit, cut the pulp and then took that very hard seed. In this film I cut that hard seed, and inside that seed was a kind of liquid cream substance of the man I am, or the woman you are. OK — It was like being naked—I would love to be naked in front of you. Well, I — Not being naked being naked. I say such things in Hong Kong and they thought I was being a crazy Frenchman. Being naked of protection. So you ' ve no regrets at all? Believe me—I've done very good stuff and very crazy stuff, and I don't regret the crazy stuff. So are you in New York? Yes, I am. And are you 27, or 32? I ' m 22. Oh, f–––. That is very young. Will you come to the premiere? I don ' t know. When is it? I don't know. You will wear all black, a black dress and high heels? Uh — You can come find me, I will be the one with the very broad shoulders, dark hair and a simple suit. We can have some champagne, you and me
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Jean-Claude Van Damme (born 18 October 1960) is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action movies. His most successful films include Bloodsport (1988), Universal Soldier (1992), Hard Target (1993), and Timecop (1994). Due to his physique and his Belgian background, he is known as "The Muscles from Brussels."[1]
After studying martial arts intensively from the age of ten, Van Damme achieved national success in Belgium as a martial artist and bodybuilder, earning the "Mr. Belgium" bodybuilding title.[2] He emigrated to the United States in 1982 to pursue a career in film, and achieved breakout success with Bloodsport (1988), based on a story written by Frank Dux. He attained subsequent box office success with Timecop (1994), which grossed over $100 million worldwide[3] and became his most financially successful film.
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// [edit] Personal life
Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe (Brussels), Belgium, the son of Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, who was an accountant and owned a flower shop.[4][5] He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a Shotokan karate school.[6] His styles consist of kickboxing, Shotokan karate, Muay Thai, and Taekwondo.[7] He eventually earned his black belt in karate.[8] He started lifting weights to improve his physique, which eventually led to a Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title.[2]
At the age of 16 he took up ballet, which he studied for five years. According to Van Damme, ballet "is an art, but it's also one of the most difficult sports. If you can survive a ballet workout, you can survive a workout in any other sport."[9] In the French-speaking world, Van Damme is well known for the picaresque aphorisms that he delivers on a wide range of topics (personal well-being, the environment, etc.) in a sort of Zen franglais.[10] Most iconic and often quoted was his repeated use of the English word aware during an interview for a French channel, to convey the notion of self-awareness as a key to success.
In a 2009 interview in the British newspaper The Sun, promoting his film JCVD (of which Time magazine said "He deserves not a black belt, but an Oscar"), Van Damme indicated he experienced a period of homelessness "sleeping on the street and starving in L.A."[11]
Van Damme has been married five times, including two marriages with bodybuilder and fitness competitor Gladys Portugues. Van Damme is the father of three children: Kristopher (born 1987), Bianca (born 1990), and Nicholas (born 1995).
[edit] Health and addiction
Van Damme had troubles with cocaine that started during 1995. He entered a month-long rehabilitation program in 1996 but left it after only one week.[12] In 1996, he spent up to $10,000 a week on cocaine.[13] He is also reported to have experienced bipolar disorder.[12] A turning point in his health issues came in late 1997, after having signed divorce papers charging him with spousal abuse, and drug addiction.
After the filming of the 1998 movie Knock Off, Van Damme was diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar disorder after becoming suicidal and started treatment on the bi-polar medication sodium valproate to stabilize his mood.[12]
[edit] Fight career
At the age of 12, Van Damme joined the Centre National De Karate (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Claude Goetz in France. Van Damme trained for four years and he earned a spot in the Belgian Karate Team.[3]
Jean-Claude made his debut in 1976, at the age of 16.[14] Competing under his birth name of Jean Claude Van Varenberg, Jean-Claude was staggered by a round-house kick thrown by Toon Van Oostrum in Brussels, Belgium.[15] Van Damme was badly stunned, but came back to knockout Van Oostrum moments later.
In 1977, at the WAKO Open International in Belgium, Jean-Claude lost a decision to fellow team mate Patrick Teugels.[16] The experience left an impact on Claude Goetz and he felt that Jean-Claude needed more training before competing again.
After six months of intense training and sparring, Master Goetz decided to unleash his prized pupil on the European Full-Contact scene. Jean-Claude won his first tournament by scoring three knockout victories in one evening. However, in a 1978 match for the Belgium lightweight title, he again lost a decision to Patrick Teugels.[17][16] Once again, the loss left an impact on Claude Goetz and a few months later at Iseghem, Belgium, Van Damme came back and knocked out Emile Leibman in the first round. In 1979, Jean-Claude and the Belgium Team became European Team Champions.[18]
Next, Jean-Claude faced Sherman Bergman, a kick-boxer from Florida (USA) with a long string of knockout victories.[19] For the only time in his career, Jean-Claude was knocked to the canvas after absorbing a powerful left hook.[15] However, Jean-Claude climbed off the canvas and with a perfectly timed ax-kick, knocked Bergman out cold in 59 seconds of the first round. Van Damme ended 1979 with a stoppage of Gilberto (Gil) Diaz in one round[20].
In 1980, Jean-Claude Van Damme defeated former Great Britain karate champion Michael J. Heming. Next, Van Damme scored a knockout over France's Georges Verlugels in two rounds. After these victories, Jean-Claude caught the attention of the European martial arts community. Professional Karate Magazine publisher and editor Mike Anders, and multiple European champion Geet Lemmens tabbed Jean-Claude Van Damme as an upcoming prospect. However, Jean-Claude's ambitions now focused in the direction of movie acting.
Van Damme ended his fight career at the Forest Nationals in Brussels. He knocked Patrick Teugels down and scored a first round technical knockout victory. Teugels suffered a nose injury and was unable to continue.
Following the victory, Van Damme retired from martial arts competition. His final fight record was 18–1, with all wins being knockouts and the loss being a decisions after two rounds.[21][22][23]
Van Damme will make a return to fighting and is scheduled to fight former boxing Olympic gold-medalist Somluck Kamsing in October 2010, Las Vegas.[24] The winner of that match will face current world champion Jeffrey "The Squasher" Sun.[25] At the prospect of being the first man over the age of 50 to fight professionally in Macau, Jean-Claude Van Damme stated that "it's kind of dangerous, but life is short."[26]
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Fight record [21] |
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Date |
Event |
Opponent |
Result |
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1976 |
European Karate Union |
Toon Van Oostrum |
Win, 1 round KO |
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1977 |
Netherlands Kick Boxing |
Maurice Devos |
Win, 1 round TKO |
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1978 |
European Karate Union |
Eric Bruno Strauss |
Win, 1 round KO[27] |
|
1978 |
European Karate Union |
Michel Juvillier |
Win, 1 round KO |
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1978 |
European Karate Union |
Orlando Lang |
Win, 1 round TKO |
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1978 |
World All Style |
Emile Leibman |
Win, 1 round KO |
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1978 |
World All Style |
Win, 1 round TKO |
|
|
1979 |
World All Style |
Andre Robaeys |
Win, 1 round KO |
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1979 |
World All Style |
Jacques Piniarski |
Win, 1 round KO |
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1979 |
World All Style |
Rolf Risberg |
Win, 1 round KO |
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1979 November |
World Full Contact |
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1979 November |
World Full Contact |
Win, 1 round TKO |
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1979 November |
World Full Contact |
Patrick Teugels |
Loss, 2 round decision |
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1980 March |
European Professional |
Mustapha-Ahmad Benamou |
Win, 1 round KO |
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1980 March |
European Professional |
Bekim-Moussa Muhammad |
Win, 1 round TKO |
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1980 March |
European Professional |
Win, 2 round TKO [7] |
|
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1980 March |
Professional Karate Assoc. |
Georges Verlugels |
Win, 2 round KO |
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1980 |
European Professional |
Andres Kovac |
Win, 2 round KO [28] |
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1980 |
Forest Nationals (Brussels) |
Win, 1 round TKO |
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[edit] Film career
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This section requires expansion. |
In 1982, Van Damme and childhood friend, Justin Slay, moved to America in the hope of becoming action stars.[29] They both were cast as extras in the film, Breakin'. After a small part in Missing In Action, Van Damme was next cast in the movie No Retreat, No Surrender, as the role of the villain, Justin the Russian. His breakout film was Bloodsport, based on the alleged true story of Frank Dux. Shot on a 1.5 million dollar budget, it became a U.S. box-office hit in the spring of 1988. He then starred in the higher budgeted movie Cyborg. His last role for 1989 was Kurt Sloane in the successful Kickboxer.
Double Impact featured Van Damme in the dual role of Alex and Chad Wagner, two brothers fighting to avenge the deaths of their parents. This movie reunited him with his former Bloodsport co-star, Bolo Yeung. He then starred opposite Dolph Lundgren in the action movie Universal Soldier. While it grossed $36,299,898 in the U.S., it was an even bigger success overseas, making over $65 million, well over its modest $20 million budget, making it Van Damme's highest grossing film at the time.
Van Damme followed Nowhere To Run and Hard Target with Timecop in 1994. The film was a huge success, grossing over $100 million worldwide. In the film, Van Damme played a time traveling cop, who tries to prevent the death of his wife. It remains his highest grossing movie to date.[3]
After his role in the poorly received Street Fighter, his projects started to fail at the box office. The Quest (1996), which he directed; Maximum Risk (1996) and Double Team (1997) were box-office flops.[3]
His last theatrical released movie was Universal Soldier: The Return. All his movies after this, up until 2008's JCVD, had been direct to video releases.
Van Damme had worked for director John McTiernan for the 1987 movie Predator as the titular alien, before being removed and replaced by Kevin Peter Hall.
In 2003, Van Damme employed his dancing training in the music video for Bob Sinclar's Kiss My Eyes.
Van Damme reprised his role as Luc Devereaux in the 2010 movie Universal Soldier: Regeneration.
Van Damme was offered a lead role in Sylvester Stallone's upcoming film The Expendables. Stallone called Van Damme personally to offer him the role, but Van Damme turned it down, citing that he "doesn't want his career going down that route."[30]
[edit] Filmography
Van Damme in 2007
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Year |
Title |
Role |
Director |
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Guy dancing in the background |
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Gay Karate Man |
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Ivan Krushensky |
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Andrei |
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Gibson Rickenbacker |
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Kurt Sloane |
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Louis Burke |
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Lyon Gaultier |
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Alex Wagner/Chad Wagner |
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Luc Deveraux/GR44 |
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Chance Boudreaux |
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Sam Gillen |
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Max Walker |
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Darren McCord |
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Alain Moreau/Mikhail Suverov |
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Christopher Dubois |
Jean-Claude Van Damme |
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Jack Quinn |
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Alain Lefevre |
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Marcus Ray |
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Luc Devereaux |
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Eddie Lomax |
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Rudy Cafmeyer/Charles Le Vaillant |
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Edward "The Torch" Garrotte/Replicant |
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Jacques Kristoff |
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Kyle LeBlanc |
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Ben Archer |
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Jean's Ghost by Lenny |
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Phillip Sauvage |
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Sam Keenan |
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Charles |
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Anthony Stowe |
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Jack Robideaux |
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Jean-Claude Van Damme (himself) |
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Luc Deveraux |
John Hyams |
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The Piston |
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Frenchy |
Jean-Claude Van Damme |
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2011 |
Master Croc |
Jennifer Yuh |
[edit] TV
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Year |
Title |
Episode |
Role |
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1996 |
Himself |
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2006 |
"Die Fast, Die Furious" |
Himself |
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2009 |
"Maurice Was Caught" |
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2010 |
"TV Nova" |
Head of Jury |
[edit] Dual roles
Van Damme has been cast in "dual roles" in a single film many times during his career. Most cases involve two distinct characters, but others (such as Timecop) involve the same character from different periods of time-travel. These scenes often necessitate special editing or blue-screen cinematography to have two versions of the actor interacting in the same scene.
Those "dual-role" movies to date are:
- Double Impact: Van Damme plays twin brothers separated at birth and raised in different countries.
- Timecop: Van Damme plays two versions of the same character overlapping in space-time continuum.
- Maximum Risk: Van Damme plays twin brothers separated at birth, one of which was murdered.
- The Order: Van Damme plays two different characters in different eras.
- Replicant: Van Damme plays a serial killer and his futuristic clone and mafioso rockstar Repli Gotti.
.
