Jean-Claude Van Damme reportedly regrets turning down a role in *Wolf Warrior 2*, a Chinese action film that became the biggest commercial success of his career by a considerable margin. The decision matters because the film became a major international box-office phenomenon, while Van Damme’s career had largely shifted towards lower-profile releases after his peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Released in 2017, *Wolf Warrior 2* earned approximately $875 million worldwide, more than twice the takings of Van Damme’s most successful live-action film. Van Damme did not identify the role, but the article suggests it may have been Big Daddy, the main non-Chinese villain, ultimately played by Frank Grillo; it also notes that the film’s success did not significantly transform Grillo’s career.