Will Yun Lee: The Call That Changed Everything & Fighting for His Son's Life | AJ Buckley Show

What happens when a father gets a phone call that changes everything? This week on The AJ Buckley Show, AJ sits down with Will Yun Lee, the actor who has fought James Bond, Wolverine, and some of the biggest names in Hollywood, but nothing prepared him for the fight of his life when his three year old son had a massive stroke thousands of miles away from home. Will opens up about being born in Virginia, his father being one of the first taekwondo masters to come to the United States, his parents getting divorced when he was five, and spending six years moving from family to family while his dad tried to figure out life. He shares the story of moving to Hawaii at 10 years old, living in a motel where the kitchen and bathroom were the same, his dad driving taxis, and getting beat up constantly until he finally asked his father to teach him martial arts. Will talks about putting on his first white belt at 13, training six hours a day, becoming obsessed with Bruce Lee, and setting his sights on the Olympics after Taekwondo was introduced in 1988. AJ and Will dive deep into what it was like moving 23 different schools growing up, always being the scared kid walking into a new place, and how college became his first real home because it was the first time he didn't move within 12 months. Will reflects on taking over his dad's martial arts schools, building them up to 1200 students, and the moment he realized if he was going to be broke, he might as well chase acting. He shares how Jason Scott Lee in the Bruce Lee story inspired him as the first Asian American he saw on screen who was cool, how he packed up a Jeep Wrangler with a thousand bucks and a boom box and moved to LA, and why he knew he had to become a white belt all over again. Will takes AJ through his journey of turning down every martial arts audition for three years because he needed to learn how to act, the moment he auditioned for Die Another Day with Pierce Brosnan, and what it was like shooting the opening sequence of a James Bond movie at Pinewood Studios. He talks about working with David Leitch and the 8711 stunt team, learning choreography through repetition and forms, and why he loves the language of understanding camera and action at the same time. Will also opens up about working with Ben Stiller, watching masters like Chad Stahelski obsess over every frame of fighting, and why Bruce Lee will always be the GOAT for shooting fight strategy on film in the 1970s. Then comes the story that will break you. Will shares the phone call he got while shooting Falling Water in New York, his wife telling him their three year old son Cash was in the emergency room, his whole right side of his body not working, and the devastating diagnosis of Moya Moya, a rare brain disease that left Cash with only three pipes carrying blood to his brain instead of a thousand. Will walks AJ through the four year dark tunnel with no light, the misdiagnosis, the chemotherapy Cash didn't need, the 11 hour drips every other week, and the three massive strokes that should have ended his life. He talks about his wife wrapping 12 gifts on Sunday nights to get through 12 hour chemo days, the moment he asked why us, and how faith and thousands of prayers saved his son's life. Today, Cash is 13 years old, training at Nike camp, competing in tennis tournaments, and defying every piece of paper that says he shouldn't be able to walk or talk. Will also opens up about what that journey taught him about his wife, how marriages can go left or right during trauma, and why he picked the right one who became stronger because of the mission. He reflects on his father never giving speeches but teaching through how he greeted people, how his eyes sparkled around kids, and why his North Star is still the man who left an imprint on his soul. Will also shares what it was like shooting The Odyssey with Christopher Nolan for seven months, hiking 45 minutes up mountains in 40 pounds of gear, no trailers, no food, just pure filmmaking, and why Nolan is a master who somehow makes the weather bend to his will. Follow Will Yun Lee IG: https://www.instagram.com/willyunlee/ Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WillYunLeeOfficial/) Follow AJ Buckley IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbuckley/ Fb: https://www.facebook.com/AJBuckleyOfficialPage TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajbuckleyofficial Follow AJ Buckley Show IG: https://www.instagram.com/ajbuckleyshow/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/ajbuckleyshow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ajbuckleyofficial Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aj-buckley-show/id1885802753 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Em0btYFt8QNKJPX2tFJhq https://www.ajbuckley.com Sponsors: http://www.ghostbed.com/buckley Code word Buckley for 10% off http://aj.purerx.co write "Time to shine" In notes http://www.bornofdiscipline.com http://www.coretrex.com