DATE: Thursday, May 8, 1997                 TAG: 9705080044

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E7   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Interview 

SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   84 lines

DIRECTOR VENTURES ONTO NEW GROUND WITH FILM

RONNY YU is not at all embarrassed to be directing a horde of kangaroos.

Yu, one of the more respected directors in China, was in charge of all the kung fu, kickeroo antics in ``Warriors of Virtue,'' currently in theaters.

``For me, is new,'' Yu said as he smiled broadly and marveled at the novelty of it all. ``Most of my films have been serious - much philosophy. This one has philosophy too, but more action. I had never worked with animatronics before. And to have $36 million to play around with? This is big challenge!''

Yu wants to make it clear that his high-kicking kangaroos are closer to the fantasy of ``The Neverending Story'' than to the violence of the ``Power Rangers'' flicks. ``Is not just kids' movie,'' he said emphatically. ``This movie is a fantasy - fun for adults, too.''

The director is known primarily for films back in his native land where his ``The Bride Wore White Hair'' and its sequel were big hits. Then came the nod from MGM to direct ``Warriors of Virtue,'' which was shot both in Beijing and Vancouver. The title characters are Roo Warriors, kangaroos who help a boy to fight Komodo, the force of evil in a mythical land called Tao.

From its inception, the film was different. It is produced by Dennis, Ronald, Christopher and Jeremy Law, four Denver doctors who are Hong Kong natives. Dennis is a vascular and thoracic surgeon. Ron is a cardiologist. Chris is a plastic surgeon and Jeremy is an orthopedic surgeon. The brothers went to movies as children in Hong Kong and always wanted to be involved. All of them wanted, most of all, to make ``Warriors of Virtue'' and were willing to put up their money - and put Yu in charge.

``The kangaroo idea, from the first, was that of the Law brothers,'' Yu said. ``It was very good to have four doctors on the set. There were some bumps and bruises - and one case of appendicitis.''

The director's interest was piqued by an identification with Ryan, the central character in the film. ``Like the boy in the movie, I didn't have a normal childhood,'' he said. ``I had polio at age 9. I always wanted to play soccer. My parents would say, `Ronny, sit there. Play chess. You are not normal.' I played by myself, and I fantasized. Mostly, I went to movies. I loved the movies of David Lean and John Ford. But my parents kept telling me, `But all this is not real, Ronny. This is all phony.' ''

Nonetheless, when it came time to go to college, young Ronny Yu pleaded to be sent to Southern California. The fact that the campus was near Hollywood was no small coincidence. His parents put a halt to this thinking. ``They said California is for playboys. Ohio is for proper study.''

Consequently, he got a degree in marketing from Ohio University. After that, he got a job with ABC-TV in New York. ``I would see Connie Chung pretty often,'' he admitted ``but I still a long way from Hollywood.

``When I wired my parents that I was going to Hollywood to get in movies, my father said, `What? Are you trying to kill me?' and he sent a one-way ticket back to Hong Kong.''

It was several years before he directed a movie, a surprise Hong Kong hit called ``The Servant.''

``I met a friend who was a cop,'' he said. ``This guy wanted to be the leading man in a movie. He and I became the producers of `The Servant' but we had no money to hire a director. He said to me, `You have to direct it because no one else would hire me as a leading man.' I suddenly realized that I was not qualified. I didn't even know where to put the camera, but I directed it anyway.''

For ``Warriors,'' he worked out a code with 12-year-old actor Mario Yedidia who had the all-important role of Ryan. ``Mario and I speak in sign language,'' he said. ``Actors his age are very good at taking direction. Much better than adults.''

He was more concerned with casting the villain, Komodo. ``I wanted a really good actor for it. I wanted Anthony Hopkins, but they told me we didn't have enough money for him.''

Angus Macfadyen, who was Robert the Bruce in ``Braveheart'' got the part. ``Angus come in and he showed me how to act really mean. He promised to lose 10 pounds, but, three months later, on the set, I find that he didn't. We had to make the costumes looser. But I love the guy. Angus came across as really threatening in a very funny way. It was Angus who wanted to add all the humor.''

Yu experienced no culture clash in bringing his entire cast and crew from China to Canada for the filming. ``Guys in kangaroo suits have to be really mobile, and active,'' he said. ``Very hot inside, they tell me. But everyone was happy because we got a hotel next door to the Hard Rock Cafe.'' ILLUSTRATION: MGM PHOTO

Director Ronny Yu, center, goes over a scene with two of his

costumed actors on the set of the fantasy adventure ``Warriors of

Virtue.''

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