Where did the time go? Jackie Chan just turned 71 in April, but you wouldn’t know it considering all the work he’s been up to, primarily in Chinese cinema. It's been a little while since the actor has been aroun Hollywood, but he’s back for the upcoming 2025 movie Karate Kid: Legends! When CinemaBlend spoke to the actor about his current thoughts on doing his own stunts in movies, he shared with us why he’s ready to deliver more punches and kicks now and for years to come.
When I spoke to Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio and Ben Wang, the leads of Karate Kid: Legends, I had to ask Chan about his stunt work ethic nowadays and how it’s changed over the years. In his words:
I'm so happy to see the technology coming up and AI, but for me, useless. The audience still likes to see Jackie do the real things, and poor me. I always tell all directors, please hire me as the Iron Man, Spider-Man, Batman [so my character can wear a mask]. And, [that way I can do] more acting than fighting, more story...
As Chan pointed out, while the advancement in technology may have had a large impact on Hollywood movies in recent years, it’s all “useless” to his own career because audiences want to see him really fight. The actor quipped that he’d love to play a masked superhero like Iron Man, Spider-Man and Batman so he can focus more on the story aspects of his character. At the same time, though, he cannot deny what he’s been famous for since finding his first starring martial arts role in Hong Kong’s New Fist Of Fury back in 1976. As Chan continued:
But they say ‘No, they want to see Jackie do the real things.’ I know 20, 40 years ago, you could do a triple kick in the sky, and later on, 40 years later, then you [could] do a double kick. Now, you do one kick. We like to see Jackie do only one kick. Poor me, but I'm happy to do that. In the end, they like it. I will tell all my friends, ‘No matter if I still can act, I still can fight. Every year I release one movie for the fans around the world.’
Chan got honest about how his limits as a fighter have somewhat declined with age, but that’s not going to stop people from loving to see him do stunts. His comments to me come after he told Haute Living he will “of course” “always” do his own stunts and that wouldn’t change “until the day I retire, which is never!” He also told the magazine that since he’s been doing it for the past 64 years, “there’s no physical preparation anymore,” but it’s rather “muscle memory” for him.
I also spoke to Karate Kid: Legends director Jonathan Entwistle, who set out to make a movie likened to an early Jackie Chan movie with the star's return to the franchise for the first time since 2010’s The Karate Kid with Jaden Smith. He recalled Jackie Chan getting injured on the first day of shooting, taking it like a champ and going right back into filming the movie. Entwistle also detailed Chan coming on set, and witnessing him choose which different size pans (for a kitchen-set fight scene) he would utilize them for his trademark comedic fighting style.
Chan’s comments highlight his commitment to fans who’ve helped make him as successful as he is, while also pointing out the actor’s desire to not only be known for fighting. In fact, he recently also told People he wants audiences to know “I’m the actor who can fight” rather than simply an action star, and doesn’t want to “always do the same character.”
You can check out the latest Karate Kid: Legends trailer and see Jackie Chan help train Ben Wang's Li Fong alongside Ralph Macchio's Daniel, only in theaters on Friday, May 30. (And, heads up there’s an exclusive popcorn bucket for the release!)
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