Citazioni

"I am the Fred Astaire of karate".

In an action film you act in the action. If it's a dramatic film you act in the drama.

I've become 40, my audience is partly the same age.

God gave me a great body and it's my duty to take care of my physical temple.

What is a movie star? It is an illusion. It was everything I ever wanted to be, but it became a kind of shell, non? It was what made me famous and got me women. But it wasn't real.

I took his (Alex Van Damme) name, in fact from his father because his father sent me for the first time in Hong Kong to be a picture model. I'm not enough tall to be a catwalk model, plus too big for that, and we became very good friends and I took his name as an honor. Because my name, by the way, is too complicated, it's Van Veren Berg, so in America it sounds like "Van Varen Berg" (said with American accent). So Van Damme it's punchy, short, and clear. - [on adopting the name 'Van Damme']

[on his famous films sequels] Timecop - Indagine dal futuro (1994) could have been a very profitable franchise, but those idiots chose instead to sell the rights to television. That could have also been the case with Senza esclusione di colpi (1988), but they settled instead on second-rate kick-boxers for the sequels.

An action hero has to be always in shape mentally and physically. People, sometimes they believe Sly, Arnold, myself, we're athletes, you cannot make mistakes. But Hollywood forgives, I guess.

Ten, 15 years ago, Sly, Arnold, those guys, were well-built; of course, they had to act and find good scripts, but today action heroes don't have to be Mr. Muscles. What really helps a guy to become an action hero today is the directing of the movie. All those fast cuts.

[His response to being asked what he thinks of his nickname 'Muscles from Brussels]: "It's better than being called 'The Idiot from Brussels'."

I'm one of the most sensitive human beings on Earth -- and I know it.

My dreams came true in America. It's not possible in Belgium. I grew up sadly. Skinny kid. Big, thick glasses. Everything I've done is a miracle.

I love challenges. If you don't have any and can do whatever you want, then it's probably time to die.

I liked the movement, technique and philosophy and I was training to be the best. Karate's a very boring sport, but when you know the technique you can go further and further. You need at least six or seven years to understand the philosophy and concentration of karate to know to clean your spirit of everything and dedicate your mind and body to the sport. I also use it for concentration before acting scenes.

I love playing the villain, but a villain with class.

(2008) I see dogs on the street, and I adopt them. I took seven dogs from Thailand, and a few of them are paralyzed. One has three paws instead of four. One is limping, so we bought him a wheelchair. I spent my own money to fly them back by private jet. In commercial, they can have heart attacks because of stress - it's dark and icy cold. I love animals. I have nine dogs and a kitty. My biggest orgasm - not in a sexual way - is to walk with my dogs on the beach. In Belgium we have these wide sidewalks. You feel like you're on the Planet Moon, and I can make them feel like movie stars.

[on rejecting Sylvester Stallone's offer of a part in I mercenari - The Expendables (2010)] Stallone gave me a part in his next movie, but I ask him about the subject, about the story. He said, 'You're gonna make lots of money.' I don't want to hear that, I want to hear what was my character. He was unable to tell what it's going to be. [Stallone said:] 'You know, uh, well, the fighting will be good.' [So I said:] 'Syl, what is my character?' So I didn't do the movie.

[on Timecop - Indagine dal futuro (1994) director Peter Hyams] He was the only one who visited me in the clinic when I was there years ago. All the agents and managers who made a fortune with me never came.

[circa 1992] You have to have a dream, the passion to make it, to make it, to really, really make it.

Senza tregua (1993) was a bad script, but we had some great action scenes, and John Woo made me look like a samurai with greasy hair.

I am very proud of that film. I am persuaded that here, in the United States, it would have been a great success in theaters. And if you ask me why I am so proud of The Replicant (2001), it is because we succeeded in making a big film with very reduced budgets.

I have lots of respect for Christopher Walken. Did you see him in King of New York (1990)? Steve McQueen, and Paul Newman are terrific. I feel their movies have quality. Rocky and Rambo were filled with drama and passion. Arnold doesn't move me. I like movies like Il padrino (1972) and Il cacciatore (1978). These are films with real solid acting, real talent.

[on Kickboxer 2 - Vendetta per un angelo (1991)] I refused a sequel. I wasn't offered enough money. Instead, we did a new film, Double Impact - La vendetta finale (1991), rather than just make Kickboxer 2.

[on who should play the villain in I mercenari 3 (2014)] I think Steven Seagal has such a good presence. And he should lose some weight, which isn't that difficult. I think he has lots of charisma. Even though he speaks bad about me sometimes, I think it's all bullshit. He's a nice guy. I think he has his own type of temper, vision, character. But he would be great in Expendables as a bad guy.

Quant on fait de la drogue, on ne sait plus quelle voiture c'est et a quel mec on a parlé, y'a un truc qui se passe, là.

Stallone told me on The Expendables that he'd like to die on set.

With every movie you make, you always hope it will find its way in the jungle

I'm actually quite shy and I'm not sure about the term legend. I'm just a normal guy, but the media can elevate you to a position where you look like a legend. So I'm trying to be as close to possible to that word legend.

I owe everything to my parents: they always believed in me and in whatever I did.

Lots of my fans are simple people, blue-collar, go to the factory, they're waiting for the next Van Damme movie, and they go and they have a beer. That's my audience, and those people are great