Extraordinary Health Magazine Extraordinary Health Vol 31 | Page 53

ON SECURITY
Never has this diligence been more clear than in Cung’s role as
Dead Eyes in the upcoming film, Security. In his everyday life, Cung
has lived as a “good, honorable martial artist,” who “trains, wins
and loses like a champion.” As Dead Eyes, he gets to experiment
while playing the villain, opposite Antonio Banderas. Even on set,
he still champions basic gun safety, reminding Banderas when
his finger should be off the trigger, and reminding stuntmen not
to “flag” each other by inadvertently pointing unloaded guns at
each other as they walked by. Cung’s commitment to excellence
extends to his co-stars, giving each scene that extra layer of polish.
When asked about it, Cung said “My coming on set and being
friends with a lot of military guys gives me additional insight.
Gun safety is always number one.”
ON SAVAGE DOG
His training regimen for Savage Dog was no different than his
normal routine, as he lives and breathes good fitness. Cung
prepares for each role “like it was a world title fight,” with morning
and evening training sessions, and an optional afternoon program.
He always trains in the evenings, to adapt to filming in different
locales and time zones around the world. What he enjoys about
preparing for a new role, such as the stoic character Boon, is
“training to be that character, in the scene, how they’d think and
engage in the moment.” Boon was very much “a man only doing
his job, with a calm, quiet-before-the-storm aura,” which was
a departure from the strictly good and evil characters most roles
require. In fact, preparing the choreography for the action-packed
showdown against Scott Adkins was quickly sorted over lunch,
without rehearsal, as the two expert fighters were well-versed
in visually thrilling moves.
“I make it as safe as possible for whoever I’m wielding the sword,
punching or kicking, or fighting against,” he noted.
ON FIGHT OR FLIGHT
Cung demonstrates how having good health has practical,
real-world applications on his upcoming series Fight or Flight.
Producing the series alongside special ops soldier & military
specialist Tu Lam, Cung demonstrates self-defense and survival
techniques in a variety of harrowing situations. He hopes to
help people become conscious of the potential pitfalls around
them, and pursue a healthy and strong lifestyle, because in any
emergency situation, “the first responder is you.” When asked
what inspired him to start this program, he said “People actually
aren’t conscious of these things. The world isn’t getting any safer.
It’s all about making yourself a hard target.”
ON HEALTHY LIVING
With Cung’s busy schedule, it would
be easy to slip into unhealthy eating
habits, but at age 45 he is still running
circles around most of the younger,
up-and-coming actors. He attributes
his physical prowess to mindset
and discipline, along with a suitcase
filled with Garden of Life ® products
whenever he travels. He uses the
Raw Organic Perfect Food or SPORT Chocolate Organic Plant-Based
Protein within juice, shakes and smoothies for an easy three-minute
breakfast. Occasionally, he indulges with Garden of Life SPORT
Chocolate Peanut Butter Performance Protein Bars. “With 20 grams
of protein, they remind me of chocolate peanut butter cups.”
ON INTO THE BADLANDS SUMMING IT UP
Complex characters come to life with Cung at the helm, especially
the Abbot in Seasons 1 and 2 of Into the Badlands. The Abbot came
into conflict with Sunny, Daniel Wu’s character, with his mission to
“protect the world from kids who can’t control their dark chi energy.”
Cung had no difficulty preparing for the unusual setting of a post-
apocalyptic world with swords, as his martial arts training treats every
weapon as an extension of his body, whether it’s a sword or a stick. Cung’s advice to those who want to get healthy through martial
arts is clear. “Start slow, don’t jump in and kill yourself. Listen to
your body, eat clean and get your vitamins through Garden of Life
food based vitamins, or vitamin sprays when on-the-go. Go slow
and be consistent, and add bit-by-bit to make genuine progress.”
Vol 31 • Extraordinary Health ™ 51