Ever wondered what it's like for a foreign actor to dive into a Chinese film set? Irish actor Tom Fenton, who's been calling China home for eight years, spills the tea on his role in Dongji Rescue 🎬.
Dongji Rescue, released earlier this year (2025), tells the epic true story of how brave Chinese fishermen risked everything in 1942 to save 384 of the over 1,800 British prisoners of war aboard the Japanese troop ship Lisbon Maru when it was torpedoed off Dongji Island in Zhejiang Province 🌊🚢.
For Fenton, the jaw-dropper was the scale of the production. "It's really cool to be part of that kind of thing," he says, marveling at the massive sets, hundreds of crew members, and the attention to period detail. Think Hollywood-level spectacle with that signature Chinese blockbuster flair!
Here are his top takeaways from working on a Chinese epic:
- Grand sets that immerse you in 1940s Zhejiang 🇨🇳
- Massive crews—imagine coordinating 500+ people!
- Authentic local touches, from traditional fishing boats to regional dialect coaches 🎭
- A shared passion for storytelling that crosses borders 🌏❤️
Fenton's experience shows how global cinema is evolving—collaborations like these are bridging East and West, bringing historical tales to life with a fresh perspective. For young creatives in South and Southeast Asia, it's a reminder that boundaries blur when passion takes the lead.
Next time you catch Dongji Rescue on streaming, remember there's more than just action—it's a celebration of courage, collaboration, and the magic of cinema coming together on an epic scale.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
