Jackie Chan has had an incredible career from his origins as a child actor to becoming a worldwide mega-star. He’s been in showbiz since he was five, achieving an early background in martial arts and acrobatics, which went a long way in helping him become a stunt-performing icon in films such as The Legend of Drunken Master and Rumble in the Bronx. With so many impressive stunts in his past, one might think his future will be more restful, but his latest comments about retiring are everything I wanted to hear.
There’s no doubt that Chan has made an artform out of performing his own stunts. From incorporating everyday objects as weapons, a go-to move in many of his best movies to bringing humorous charm to the fisticuffs, Chan’s action scenes are the stuff of leged. While the Shanghai actor may be 71 years old, he’s still performing impressive stunts like time never stopped, with a new Karate Kid movie on the way.
As such, I absolutley loved hearing the Shaolin actor say in his Haute Living interview that retirement hasn’t crossed his mind. In his words:
Of course, I always do my own stunts. It’s who I am. That’s not changing until the day I retire, which is never! And to be honest, when you’ve done it for 64 years straight, there’s no physical preparation anymore. Everything is in your heart and soul; it is muscle memory.
I completely understand what Jackie Chan is saying. Since the Rush Hour actor has been performing stunts on screen since he was 17, I’m sure performing these dangerous maneuvers is as easy as breathing for him. If he’s in good shape now, why stop?
You’ve gotta give Jackie Chan a lot of credit for not letting a single serious on-set injury stop him from doing what he loves. And believe me, he’s had plenty over the years. A couple of examples include sliding down an electrically-lit 70-foot pole in Police Story, where he suffered third-degree burns on his hands, not to mention he almost drowned in Vanguard, which might have caused other actors to avoid stuntwork entirely.
Despite every life-threatening injury, Chan says he wouldn’t have it any other way, explaining that he’s aware how different the action genre is now than when he first started, given the uptick in CGI and wirework in stunt sequences. However, the Hong Kong native believes that true risk is a true reward to make the audience feel the danger and stakes in a scene. If Chan is the man who continues to make us all hold our breaths with each high-risk stunt, all power to him!
Not only does Jackie Chan continue to be an onscreen talent, but he also spends his days as a mentor, training the next generation of stunt people through his JC Stunt Team. His 2025 movie release of Karate Kid: Legends also has him reprising his Kung Fu guru role as Mr. Han, where he’ll be training a new student looking to compete in a tournament.
Chan’s also got other sequels he plans to revisit, like Panda Plan 2, Rush Hour 4, and New Police Story 2. With the bankable actor’s youthful energy still very much on display in his 70s, there’s clearly no stopping him.
With all of the love I have for Jackie Chan and his ability to defy gravity with his stunts, I’m so glad the talented actor isn’t retiring anytime soon. Considering he helped redefine the action genre, I’d be thrilled to see him continue to shape stunt work with upcoming movies. Make sure to catch his impressive martial arts skills come to life in Karate Kid: Legends in theaters on May 30th, 2025.
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