Jackie Chan says he has no plans to retire, will keep doing his own stunts

When you think of cinematic stunt work, what’s the first name that comes to mind? Maybe it’s Tom Cruise (and that would be fair), but a conversation can’t be had without mentioning Jackie Chan, whose stunts have seen him breaking bones, being electrocuted, nearly losing eyes, falling to the pavement, and having a piece of skull pierce his brain. And even 50+ years into his career, Jackie Chan continues to do his own stunts and will do so until he retires…which he has no plan on.

Jackie Chan had a wildly successful career in his native Hong Kong but he became synonymous with stunt work to Western audiences with 1995’s Rumble in the Bronx. Objectively, he changed how we looked at action movies, shocking us with the insane skills and techniques he applied in every action sequence. And he’s going to keep doing it for us, telling Haute Living, “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!”

So how does Jackie Chan do these stunts though he’s in his 70s? Think of it like riding a bike…except he’s leaping from buildings and whooping ass. “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. In the old days, the only [choice we had] was to be there and jump; that’s it.” Chan also chimed in on the difference between true stunt workers and the actors who need to rely on technology to make the action happen. “Today, with computers, actors can do anything, but there’s always a sense of reality that you feel is missing. It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, actors become more and more capable of doing impossible stunts with the help of technology, and yet, on the other hand, the concept of danger and limit gets blurred and the audience is numb [to it]. But I’m not encouraging anybody to risk their lives to do the stunts like I did; it truly is too dangerous.” Say no more, Jackie!

Jackie Chan is as busy as ever, with legacy projects such as Karate Kid: Legends (which will see him teaming with Daniel LaRusso himself, Ralph Macchio) and Rush Hour 4.

What is your favorite Jackie Chan stunt? Give us your pick below!

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