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Lean—But Not So Mean—Fighting Machine

American Fitness, Jan, 2000 by Bonnie Siegler

Former 21 Jump Street actor Dustin Nguyen uses martial arts and a traditional diet to stay in shape for his role on TV's V.I.P.

For four seasons, he was the hunky co-star of Fox network's flagship show 21 Jump Street. Now, Dustin Nguyen (pronounced "Gwen") shows his stuff playing opposite Pamela Anderson Lee in V.I.P., the No. 1-rated syndicated series. Playing Johnny Loh, an action movie star who flees from Hong Kong to join forces with Vallery Irons Protection, the elite bodyguard agency headed by Lee's character, the South Vietnam native has established himself as one of America's few prominent Asian-American actors. Today, nursing a cold on a rare day off from the series, Nguyen has stocked his body with vitamin C and echinacea. "Otherwise, I normally don't take vitamins or herbal supplements," admits the 33-year-old actor, whose action-packed days are filled with kicks and jabs.

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So, of course, there's the inevitable question: What was it like joining forces with Pamela Anderson Lee? "It was very refreshing," laughs Nguyen. "I was a fan of the show anyway because it's one of those girl power series. Actually, Pam and I know each other from way back. We met in Vancouver, which is where she's from, when I was shooting 21 Jump Street. Through the years, we would run into each other here and there. Of course, she became `Pain,' but it was one of her ideas to get me on the show."

The 5' 8", 150-pound actor was first introduced to martial arts 18 years ago. Already finding personal excellence through martial arts, which he describes as "the first awakening of my soul," Nguyen says playing Loh isn't necessarily an extreme physical challenge. "My personal workout regimen is kickboxing and martial arts, which I've done for years now," he says. "The condition I was in was already conducive to so-called `fighting.' It takes the same amount of muscle and tendon strength to do what I do on the show. In fact, it's harder to do a screen fight than a real-life one because of the numerous takes and choreography." Nguyen had already combined film success with his physical talents, landing a pivotal role in Oliver Stone's Heaven and Earth, 3 Ninjas Kick Back and the action-drama No Escape, No Return.

"My first exposure to martial arts was with tae kwon do," says Nguyen from his Los Angeles, California home that he shares with his girlfriend. After receiving his second degree black belt, he went on to Western boxing for the Golden Gloves. "That led me to kickboxing, which made perfect sense because it combines boxing and martial arts," he says. "Now, I'm into jeet-kun do, which is a form of martial arts created by Bruce Lee that enables you to become more rounded and versatile."

In addition to his Monday-through-Friday three-hour martial arts regimen "when my work schedule permits," Nguyen will go to the gym for occasional weight training. "My jeet-kun do is pretty much a total body conditioner," he says. "I do high reps--30 to 35--and low weights so it's more of a cardio workout. My body doesn't respond well to heavy weights. I do three exercises for chest and back, but move from one muscle group to the next immediately."

What does martial arts do for Nguyen that no other exercise offers? "That's an interesting question, but I'd say it combines reflexes for fast-twitch muscles and slow-twitch muscles, cardiovascularly and muscularly," he says. "I feel it taxes my body more than anything else, not to mention the mental discipline it takes. There's a tremendous amount of concentration and strategy because you are relating to a sparring partner one-on-one. My mental energy wears out faster than my physical stamina when I'm engaging another person. Martial arts is a very individual sport that doesn't carry the burden of winning or losing. Of course, there is a winner and loser involved, but the true aspect of martial arts doesn't involve that. It's more about discovering yourself. What are your capacities and limitations? Sure, in the beginning, it was about fighting and winning, but eventually that gets old."

While Nguyen maintains a strong connection to his Asian roots, he feels there's a danger in a real "identifying process." His Buddhist background teaches that to identify is to separate. "It all comes down to self-discovery," he says. "I'm a practicing Buddhist in my own way. My grandmother, Le Nguyen, who's a very strong believer, always told me you can practice your faith through compassion and respecting life--and you can do that anywhere and anytime. True meditation for her is in everything you do in life--taking a walk, watching the sunset, etc."

From looking at Nguyen's outward appearance, you would think he paid special attention to his diet. However, the actor says, "I'm pretty relaxed about what I eat. I'm blessed with a fast metabolism, but I eat a lot of seafood from the way I was raised. Right now I have a lot of sea bass and salmon in my refrigerator. I cat no meat more for the spiritual aspect than anything else."

Lean—But Not So Mean—Fighting Machine

American Fitness, Jan, 2000 by Bonnie Siegler

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