HONG KONG: According to CNA, the Hong Kong action legend Jackie Chan is worried that all the computer-generated stunts in movies are making audiences less aware of how dangerous real action scenes are.
The 71-year-old actor and martial arts legend has said he is not a big fan of all the computer tricks used in stunts these days. He thinks it makes people watching believe these dangerous scenes aren’t as risky as they are.
In a chat with a luxury magazine called Haute Living, Jackie Chan said that back in the day, if you were a martial artist in a movie, you just had to be there and do the jump—that was it! However, with all this computer magic, actors can do anything they want on screen. However, there is still this feeling that something real is missing.
Double-edged sword
Chan added that it is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, actors can do crazy stunts with computers that they could never do in real life, but the downside is that it messes with our sense of what is dangerous and what is not, and audiences don’t react to it the same way anymore.
The Rush Hour star made it clear that he doesn’t want anyone risking their lives to do the kinds of crazy stunts he used to pull off. He stressed that it is seriously dangerous stuff, and even though he has been doing all his own stunts for over 60 years now, he has no plans to slow down anytime soon. He simply stated, “Of course, I always do my own stunts. It’s just who I am.”
Never retiring
“That’s not changing until the day I retire, which is never! … 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.”
Even though Chan is a legend in action movies, he is also keen to try his hand at other kinds of films. He wants to show people he can do more than just action and has much more to offer as an actor.
The actor from Karate Kid: Legends said, “I want to do something outside of action. I want to be an actor who can handle different roles. I personally am very open to change. I want to do some new stuff, rather than staying in the action world. That’s just not me, I’m always trying to break boundaries.
Every filmmaker and actor wants their own movies to be special and at the same time commercially successful. It’s the same for me as well,” Chan admitted.
Planning out action scenes
Thinking back on his career, he emphasised that making movies that people would actually want to watch has always been important to him, especially when planning out the action scenes.
“Most of the movies I made were commercial films, so it wasn’t that much of a conflict. I would constantly brainstorm how to design an action sequence to make it more appealing to the audience,” he explained.
Chan also shared his personal motto of always pushing himself and never getting too comfortable, both in life and in his movie work.
Be yourself
“You can’t make everyone satisfied and happy, so the only thing you can do is be true and honest to yourself,” he said.
“Cinema is an art of regret. You always feel like you could do more, do better, but for me, as long (as) I push myself to the limit, I can move on without regret.”
Karate Kid: Legends, starring Jackie Chan, Joshua Jackson, Ben Wang, and Ralph Macchio, will be released in Singaporean theatres on Jun 6.