Beloved for his slapstick comedy-action hits from Hollywood in Western nations, Jackie Chan is one of the most instantly-recognizable actors in the world today. Throughout his career, Chan’s dedication to performing his own stunts, making those set-pieces as thrilling as possible, and all with a cheeky grin have won over moviegoers everywhere.
Now 69 years old, Chan’s still active in the industry. Perhaps not doing as many death-defying stunts as in years gone by, but in 2023 alone, he’s already credited for parts in Ride On, Hidden Strike, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Excitingly for fans outside of the Asia-Pacific, Rush Hour 4 looks to be in the works.
While Chan has set several records, helped movies to make over $2.7 billion at the worldwide box office when in a lead role alone, and has fans across the globe, his rise to fame tells an inspirational story of determination and dedication.
From political refugee to blockbuster superstar
Jackie Chan was born to political refugees from China in 1950s Hong Kong. Growing up, Chan’s father emigrated to Australia, leaving the would-be star to train at the China Drama Academy. It’s here that he dedicated the glut of his time to perfecting several martial arts and acrobatic disciplines.
Having achieved high honours at school, Chan and his classmate opted to enter the movie industry primarily as stuntmen. They also earned the opportunity to train hapkido under the tutelage of a grand master. Chan would earn his black belt in the discipline.
While he had several smaller roles prior, Chan’s break came on the set of two Bruce Lee flicks: Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon. In the former, he was an extra and a stunt double. In the latter, Chan got to perform as a minor henchman who Lee takes down. It was his stunt choreography that got Chan noticed and led to his first acting role.
After Lee’s passing, Chan started to be seen by influential moviemakers like Lo Wei as a potential successor. Even though Lee’s style was much more gritty, Chan stuck to his own persona to land his first successes, blending his stunts and action sequences into physical comedy, like in Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master.
A grand and expansive legacy
Jackie Chan’s style and ability to show people high-speed action have clearly influenced many a filmmaker. You can look to The Matrix, John Wick, Kill Bill, and the Bourne movies as prime examples of speedy stunts, action sequences, and the use of environments and random objects. His influence has broken beyond movies, too. Wherever Chan pops up in entertainment, his image offers instant recognisability and the knowledge that it’ll be very well-crafted. This is what real slots online Fire Dragon and Eagle Shadow Fist bank on. Both draw from two of Chan’s most famous movies and put the Hong Kong star front and centre throughout the experience.
Perhaps Chan’s most influential work before breaking out of his native market and to the big-money environment of Hollywood was Police Story. The stunt work and action set pieces are jaw-dropping, to say the least. This is especially true when you discover that they’re all performed by real people. Chan suffered many injuries to make the movie but calls it his best work. Since Police Story, stunt coordinators continually seek ways to replicate Chan.
The superstar actor himself is very aware of his legacy as well as the fact that there’s fairly little by way of a successor. While he was a kind of successor to Bruce Lee, you don’t see too many actors coming through who are willing to do what he does. In Western circles, perhaps the biggest exception you can point to is in Jonathan Tropper’s works. Both Banshee and Warrior lean heavily into actor-performed, fast-paced, and brutal action sequences, with Warrior’s lead, Andrew Koji, certainly dedicated to his martial arts and combat sequences.
Jackie Chan’s ability to build himself up as a star of entertainment through a ruthless dedication to his craft, committing in full to get the best end product, and making his own name in a way that suits his personality should serve as inspiration to everyone.