LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The Last Dragon, returning to theaters Sunday via Iconic Events for its 40th anniversary, is a 1985 Motown martial arts movie produced by Berry Gordy. Martial artist Taimak made his acting debut in the film, but he remembers other future stars also auditioning.
In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Taimak looked back on The Last Dragon, which cast him as "Bruce" Leroy Green, a martial artist looking for a master in New York City.
"Everybody from Denzel Washington to Larry Fishburne, all these guys auditioned for the role," Taimak said. "You've got to understand, back in 1984, they didn't have people of my color doing these positive kind of characters."
In 1984, Washington was starring on the TV show St. Elsewhere, and Fishburne had not changed his name to Laurence yet. Taimak was invited to audition after winning the 1984 New York State Kickboxing Championship but did not make a strong first impression.
"They didn't want any katas," he said. "They wanted acting only and I did terrible. I was stiff as a board."
