“It is muscle memory” — Jackie Chan on doing his own stunts as he returns to new Karate Kid movie; addresses retirement
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Jackie Chan (Photo: Everett Collection)Jackie Chan has addressed his future retirement and stunts in his upcoming film, Karate Kid: Legends. In a May 6 interview with Haute Living, the 71-year-old actor stated that he would continue performing his own stunts until he retires. Chan also said that after acting in action movies for 64 years, he no longer needs to prepare.
"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," the actor stated.
Karate Kid: Legends is directed by Jonathan Entwistle and is the sixth film in the Karate Kid franchise. It is written by Rob Lieber and stars Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ming-Na Wen.
Jackie Chan discusses the use of CGI and wirework in action films
Jackie Chan shared that back in the day, the actors had to perform the stunts themselves, and now, with CGI and wirework, they can easily do stunts. Calling the advancement a "double-edged sword," Chan stated that stunts can now look unrealistic in movies.
"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," the actor said.
While the veteran actor expressed that he doesn't want young actors to repeat his dangerous stunts and harm themselves, he stated that the use of CGI makes the audience numb towards action scenes.
"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," he said in the interview.
Jackie Chan on Karate Kid: Legends and acting in action films
Jackie Chan told the media outlet that his upcoming Karate Kid film has good action scenes and showcases friendship and dedication.
"There definitely is some really good action, but you also see friendship and dedication. And you'll see [that] when people hold hands and work together, there's a miracle," he said.
Jackie Chan also expressed his wish to work in films from different genres. He said he wants to become an actor who can perform various roles and is open to going outside of action films.
"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," he stated.
Karate Kid: Legends will be released on May 30, 2025.
TOPICS: Jackie Chan, Karate Kid