Jackie Chan in THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM(2008).
© Lionsgate
Mania Exclusive Interview: Martial Arts Legend Jackie Chan
By: Rob VauxDate: Friday, April 18, 2008
Since the death of Bruce Lee, no performer has represented the face of martial arts more prominently than Jackie Chan. Starting with Asian films like Drunken Master and Fearless Hyena, he quickly established a unique onscreen style emphasizing comedy and joie de vivre on top of his impressive martial arts skills. He continues to stress comedy in his work, and often cites Buster Keaton as a primary influence along with earlier kung fu experts. Success in the West eluded him for a time, but he scored a huge hit with 1998's Rush Hour and has since followed it up with a pair of sequels and additional hits like Shanghai Noon. This spring's Forbidden Kingdom places him on screen with fellow martial arts legend Jet Li using fight choreography from Woo-Ping Yuen: a prospect enough to make any kung fu fan do the Snoopy dance. Chan sat down in Los Angeles recently to speak with the press about the film, kung fu and his distinguished career.
Mania.com: You can be very critical of your own work. Are you happy with how this film turned out? Is it what you imagined?
Jackie Chan: I don't know. [Laughter] Every time I make an American film, I just trust an American director and an American writer. Myself, I wouldn't make this film. But American audiences, especially children, love stories like this: fairy tales. So I trust them. I'm hearing so many good things about Forbidden Kingdom now, but of course I worry. Like the first Rush Hour. After I finished it, I said, "my career is over." But then it was a big hit and we did Rush Hour 2 and Rush Hour 3. So now, when an American director presents a script for an American market and no one is against it, I'll do it.
M: What was it like wearing that dreadlocked wig in the film?
JC: I didn't like it. It was hot and it itched. Especially during the scenes in the desert. You had to stop yourself from scratching on-camera. The director tortured me. I'd get up early and put the wig on and have it on for 10- or 11-hour days. Then he'd wrap the day in two shots. I said, "no, keep shooting!" I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. [Laughter.]
M: This is your first onscreen collaboration with Jet Li, though you've known each other for a long time. Can you talk about how you worked together to mesh your styles on the fight scenes and how the two of you worked with Woo-Ping Yuen?
JC: On the first day, Woo-Ping Yuen and the other stunt guys were setting up a fight scene. Jet and I watched it and we're fast learners, so after a couple of run-throughs, we were ready. After the first cut, the director and Woo-Ping came up to us. "That was good, but could you slow it down?" Jet and I both wanted to show off and we were moving too quickly! [Laughter.] Fighting with Jet was great. Very comfortable. I've fought so many different actors who just don't know how to fight, and you can end up getting hurt. It doesn't look good either. But good martial artists like Sammo Hung and Jet Li—the kind of rhythms they establish—are great.
M: How did it feel to do Drunken Fist style again after all these years?
JC: Sometimes it's embarrassing. I do it again and again. I wonder if it still looks good. But people love it, especially in the West. Brett Ratner [the director of the Rush Hour films] wanted to do a scene in Rush Hour 3 where I get drunk and I fight with Drunken Master style. I told him no. I'm always doing Drunken Master! With Forbidden Kingdom, I refused at first. But because it's a period film and the young boy in the movie loved it, I said okay. That's probably the last time.
M: I think we like it in the West because it looks so special and there's nothing else like it.
JC: Really? Okay. It depends on the box office. [Grins.] If the box office is good, the next one will be Forbidden Drunken Master!
M: You're in your fifties now. What kind of adjustments have you had to make to your martial arts?
JC: In the last five or six years, I've changed my style. I don't know if you can tell. Right after Around the World in 80 Days, I went back to the mainland and made New Police Story, The Myth and Rob-B-Hood, then back to America for Rush Hour 3, then Forbidden Kingdom. I've just finished a film called Shinjuku Incident, which is about one percent action and the rest is heavy drama. The next will be big action, then maybe a comedy, then maybe a love story. The director for my next film, he's looking at doing something about combining Chinese culture and American culture. I'd like to do more of that. I want to change, I want to be a real actor, not just an action star. The life of an action star is very short. I've survived for thirty years, but how long can you keep fighting? I need to change. I'm tired. [Laughter.]
M: Well obviously, it's safer to do a movie like Kung Fu Panda.
JC: It's always safer to do an American movie. They have a safety captain and insurance people on the set. Whatever I do, they have to check first and tell me it's safe. But it's really great for American companies like Disney and Dreamworks to make movies about Chinese culture: Mulan, Forbidden Kingdom, Kung Fu Panda. Everybody knows Western mythic figures. When Superman, Spider-Man, or King Arthur come to Asia, everybody knows them. But when we try to tell a Chinese story overseas—even a very famous Chinese story—nobody knows it. Even Mulan. People know Mulan now because of Disney. American companies and studios can help us make movies about Chinese culture and history that everyone will see. Then people can understand and appreciate China better.
M: The Olympics are coming up in Beijing, and this past week was not the best PR week for China. Are you planning to be in Beijing for the Olympics? How would you like people to see the Olympics this year?
JC: I'm the Olympic Ambassador and I'm helping to promote the Olympics. The Olympics for me are not political. It's about love, about peace, about a united world. Every four years we have it, and it doesn't matter what country it's in. It just matters that we have it. There have been troubles in the past. Russia [in 1980, which the United States boycotted]. L.A. [in 1984, which the Soviets and many members of the Warsaw Pact boycotted]. This year, it's concentrated on China, but the Olympics aren't about China: they're about everyone. I hope people will come to the Olympics and see how beautiful my country is. [Smiles] I'll stand in the airport and tell them "welcome."
M: Forbidden Kingdom is certainly a good showcase for the natural beauty of China. What was it like experiencing those locations?
JC: China is home for me. We traveled all over the country, finding a lot of different beautiful places to shoot. For me it's just home. I think the director was much more overwhelmed. I'm pretty used to it.
M: Any thoughts on a sequel?
oh by the way i should have said this moths ago but tony jaa is the best for goku no other pretenders in his way!!!!!