Jackie Chan Will Not Stop Doing Stunts

His career has spanned more than six decades and over 150 works, but Jackie Chan says he has no intention of stopping doing his own stunts.

Ahead of reprising his role as Mr. Han in the upcoming “Karate Kid: Legends” later this month, Chan spoke with Haute Living magazine and says doing his own stunts is a big part of who he is and he has no plans to stop:

“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.”

Stunts themselves have changed considerably since the 1970s when Chan started out. Back then, a lot of productions had no choice but to go for it, with wild stunt work that couldn’t be faked and was highly risky.

These days, stunt safety procedures have improved while CG allows stunt people to perform feats more complicated than in years past. At the same time, audiences are more aware of how things are done which takes away that sense of danger:

“In the old days, the only [choice we had] was to be there and jump; that’s it. 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.”

Chan is showing no signs of retiring just yet. The 71-year-old has a sequel to “Panda Plan” on the way along with the drama “Whispers of Gratitude”.

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