INSIDE "AMERICAN SAMURAI"

"American Samurai" was shot in Israel, which necessitated four weeks of preparation.

Mark had to learn how to use a Japanese Katana for his fight scenes.

Using a real sword, Mark used the special style (called Iaido) he had learned, which is a fast draw. He also used Kendo (which uses bamboo swords, in place of Japanese swords) to train for the sword fights.

As part of his interview for the movie, Mark had to perform some martial arts, using a sword. Instead of using his own, Mark borrowed his friend's sword, which was not only a slightly different style, but much lighter than his own. Although the sword was not double-edged, the back edge was quite thin, and could do damage if used with enough pressure and speed, which is just what Mark did.

At the very end of his sequence, Mark did a flashy hand move, sliding his left wrist across the back of the sword, from bottom to top. Forgetting it was not his own sword, he neglected to make allowances for the different edge. Mark's first indication that something had gone wrong was the shocked look on the producers' faces as they stared at the blood dripping from Mark's wrist! It wasn't until that moment that he felt any pain. He did a quick fix with a temporary bandage.

The producers then asked if he was okay, and Mark assured them he was. So he continued on by doing some back handsprings (which he recollects wasn't the smartest thing to do), and he ended up doing quite a few, causing great pain, which he managed to hide.

Once the interview was complete, he drove straight to the hospital, where triage stated it was a simple wound that would require only a few small stitches. Luckily, he ran into (ouch!) a friend of his who was a doctor there, and who decided to examine the wound himself. He discovered that Mark had nearly sliced one of his tendons in HALF! Had the emergency room personnel stitched only the outside, the tendon would have snapped in the near future, forever destroying all lateral movement in his wrist! Instead, Mark ended up with 14 stitches.

Oh, he also ended up getting the job!

For more information on American Samurai, click here