It’s an honour
You know something, when I was coming here.. Back home I was telling everybody I am going to Hong Kong to interview Jackie Chan, the reaction was always the same… “Jackie Chan???!!! “Big Smile! Woww! Everybody was so happy and they all said Say Hi to J for me, give him my love!
Just last year I was in India. Before that I really know of so many fans. That really really surprised me! Really thank you! I’m not Indian.. I’m Chinese but there are so many fans and so many people that support me! Thank you! Thank you (Joins hands, does a namaste and bows his head)
Tell me Jackie, you have a face and a name that is known everywhere in the world. Is there any country you have been to, where you have not been mobbed?
At the moment… None!
Everywhere … Everybody knows you…
What really surprised me.. Especially Morocco… in the midst of no where .. almost 10 hours.. mountains… We stopped the car for location scouts and the people… Ah.. Jackie Chan… Haaa.. Why???? In the middle of no where.. mountains.. only few houses … How can anybody know me? That’s really surprising. Then.. Africa.. Even the Zulu.. They go.. Jackie Chan!!!
You are today one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Perhaps in the whole world I know that this kind of stardom does not happen by chance. What is that deep driving desire that has brought you here?
When I was becoming a star I need fame. I want money. I want everything… I want the whole world to recognize me… Wherever I go. When I say Jackie Chan.. They should not say Jackie Who??? They imagine Bruce Lee. Even though they know Jackie Chan. They go. “Oh!!!! Bruce Lee!” One day I want everyone to know who is Jackie Chan!
When you were around six years old, your father went to Australia to work at the American embassy so they left you in a boarding school. The Chinese Oprah School. Now Jackie, the world over everybody knows that boarding schools are very tough but the Chinese…
More tough!!! Don’t tell me! Now even young children, even my son tells me that boarding schools are tough! No! No school was tougher than our school! The government they don’t care about these kind of schools. That’s why Red Cross used to come every month to give me a tooth spray, t-shirts, shoes… Everything! The school was 3000 sq ft. We eat here, sleep here, we training here, do everything here. You know children. 4-5 years old.. We pee on the floor.. When we eat, we drop the rice, everything on the floor… When we walk on the carpet… It’s like sticky… Dirty. It used to stink.
You said that you got very little treat but plenty of punishment.
Yes! If you do something wrong! You get beaten… All over! One day I bring the nuts! I dropped the nuts behind the refrigerator. I moved the refrigerator… I catch the nuts.. The teacher twisted my ear and said.. What are you doing? It’s about time you get some… Bring me to the chair and put me down, and bam bam bam! I was crying! First time in the school.. One weeks later .. I just turned around… And I wanted to go away. Where would I go? My father was not there! Everytime I saw my teacher I would start shaking! Then I know… Wow! That’s my jail!
So they taught you martial arts… Acrobats
Singing, dancing, everything
What about school? Reading, writing?
Yeah! We do have that but that time for us was sleeping time! You can imagine.. You get up at 5 o’clock in the morning, punch kicking until 1 o’clock.
And you had to do a thousand kicks?
A thousand kicks is ok. First you kick high, later you kick low.. But to stop is most painful. When you do this (punches in mid air) and then stop (hand still in the air)
Under these harsh circumstances, Chan’s extraordinary strength, agility and fearlessness were forged!
You have to listen to orders like its an army! You have to eat slow… You cannot make a sound. Even if one person made a sound, the teacher would ask all to stop. Then he would ask all to stop. Then he would take a round and then ask all to start eating again. When teacher finish… we have to finish.
My dream is on… Becoming a stunt coordinator. That’s why I’m learning hard to learning a camera angle, camera movement and luckily becoming a small star after Bruce Lee died. Just small star. At that time there was so many Bruce chair, Bruce table… Everybody… In my poster… Second! BRUCE LEE… Jackie Chan… Starring!
Jackie it was always real action?
Yes!
Real danger?
Yes!
And real injury?
Real action… Real injury!… Stupid?!?!?
Stupid? (smiles) How many broken bones did stardom cost you?
Too many! Cannot count… All over! I haven’t counted the operations. At that time I used to think that was the only way to make a movie.
That time with success your stunts got more and more dangerous. A jump from the sixteenth floor, you thought.. “No! It’s too predictable… Lets make it 21! Why! Mm… Lets hang from a flying helicopter” (Laughs!! )
Why was that necessary?
I wanted to be on the top! At that time everybody learned from Bruce Lee. After my success… Everybody learned from Jackie Chan.
Why didn’t you use computer graphics?
I don’t know how to do computer graphics? I don’t have the knowledge in my head! I felt that’s the only way to make a movie. Before I don’t know.. But now I know. Put the camera. Don’t move. I do the hit then I go. Second shot, get the car… Stop here… Then combine together. Boom! Same thing! It’s more dangerous… The audience do “Wow!!!” and that time… Everybody was scared… I might kill myself…
So many times… Nearly you killed yourself. Why?
That’s the only way I know how to make movie. I jump once ok! Director would say, ‘Ok good shot!’ Every time there was just one shot… When we’re doing a stunt.. There’s no second take!!
Well no insurance company is ready to insure you!
No! Blacklist!
Blacklist!
Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan’s stunt team- Blacklist!
So you pay for everyone’s treatment?
I pay!
Yourself?
Yeah! You hurt in my movie? I’ll take care of you my whole life. That’s my promise.
Tell me Jackie, which would you say is the most difficult stunt you have done, which you were terrified of?
Actually… Every stunt I’m terrified.
Every stunt?
Look… Am an ordinary man! Am not superman! Really! I just… I just… Shows enough… I’m scared. I have to do it. There are so many people watching it… For the movie… For myself… for the fans… For the world. Ok I do it. Baboom Baboom (feeling his heart) BAM!!! Luckily nothing major happened! Boom! Ok Lucky… Broken Arm! Really scared… Even today!
I think… Yes! Coz it’s the biggest market in the world. Hollywood is the place to be. No matter your Indian, Chinese… The whole world… Sometimes I ask myself why? Why Hollywood? Why Oscar? You have your own Oscar… We have our own.. Nobody cares! But why Oscar.. Everybody cares… It’s Hollywood.. Everybody wants to get into Hollywood… Even myself. I tried to get into Hollywood. So difficult.
They didn’t understand you. You didn’t understand them.
In the beginning. My English they just don’t understand. They make my action, they make my kick, they make my punch so slow. They say.. No Jackie.. Your too fast. Then the dialogue coach.. Get rid of the gum.. Dialogue coach taught me how to speak English They don’t care the action .. they care about my English. They want me to speak perfect English. Even now I cannot speak perfect English.
You had a bit of a love-hate relationship. You loved Hollywood and you hated Hollywood.
Yes! After I tried to stay American for two years I realized I’m not the biggest star. There are so many big stars. I speak no English. Nobody likes Jackie Chan movies. They like John Wings, They like Bruce Lee, they like Clint Eastwood. They didn’t like my action.
Did you become a bit of a playboy?
Not I becoming a playboy, it’s the girl who made me become a playboy… Not I am after them… They after me… Really I don’t care about love… I care about movie… I care about fun… So this way… Are you my girl friend? They come… You can feel it… You can tell… Go out for dinner… Ya Come… Then I met another one, another one… They call me… Of course I also need a girl friend… But there are so many… Which one’s the best… I don’t know… I don’t have the chance to know them… I don’t want to know them… I am too selfish… When I have dinner with all my stunt team, all my group… I remember this very famous singer
Teresa Teng?
(Pause for a while)… How can you know that? She asked me, “Can I have dinner with you one day?” I said, we have dinner everyday. She said, “No, I mean just you and me” .. OK , OK… She arranged the dinner in a French restaurant. They gave me the menu… I did not know how to read. Then she said what do you want… Steak? Ya, steak… Then the people asked me how would you like the steak? I said, What? What are you saying? Medium or rare… No, well done is not good… I said well done… I want well done. What ever she said I am opposite. I just tell you never do it again.
You separated?
At that time, I am young. I was too selfish… I don’t know the meaning of love… If I know, If I am not selfish, if I know the meaning of love… I am might get married to Teresa Teng… How good she is… So sweet… So beautiful… We are not fit… She is so ady… I am like a jerk… I think because of ten years in my martial art school.
Then in 1981, you decided to get married? Why at that stage did you want to get married?
She had the baby. Then, I said, Wow you have my baby .. that’s my responsibility. Then, because when we go out the first day… The newspaper – ‘Jackie has new girlfriend’. Two crore sue… In Japan… After sue… My company said you cannot say anymore… You have to hide. .. Which is hiding… It’s not the issue of the baby… I have to go away.
To Los Angeles
She went to Los Angeles… Not because of American citizen… No… no… we are hiding from the paparazzi… That’s all… She is hiding… The baby comes out… What can I do? Can we marry? I don’t want to marry… I am a bad boy… Then, ok… She said, “I don’t want the baby having no father.” Ok, then I sign a paper. Today I get married… Next day the baby comes out … Then, Bye bye… Then I go back… Come back to Hong Kong… the movie continues… I don’t care anymore… That’s me… But, all these years I am learning … Yes, I am wrong … I did something wrong … But now I am good father .
But in the world of Jackie Chan, what room is there for family, love… For marriage.
The family is already there… Even my wife, my son they want something, do something they don’t call me… They call the manager, they call the assistant… So never care about family… So I am still concentrating on business… Today, if I quit… Boom… Bye bye everything…
Jackie, I want to ask you, with whom in your life you have the deepest emotional connection…
I don’t know… I think there are two or three people… One of course is my manager… May be one more I can’t think about who she is or he is…
Have you seen any Bollywood movies?
Yes
Which ones have you seen?
I can’t remember, I just know, Indian movies always singing… 3 hours – 4 hours. What are they doing? What are they speaking? Why dancing again? Why singing? But today, the dancing compared to 30 years ago, the movement, the technology, wow and choreograph the dancing, it’s just amazing …
What do you think about the stunts?
I think a lot of things are learnt from us.
Oh sure…
Ya, But now, everybody learns from everybody.
Why don’t you make a film in Bollywood?
I will, I want to… For so many years… Just the script
Forbes magazine has named you among the biggest charity givers in the world, celebrity charity givers in the world along with Oprah, Anjelina Jolie and Sunny Bono. I want to ask you for a boy who grew up hungry and who made his fortune literally by breaking his bones. How easy is it for you to give charity?
Pretty easy right now… I am learning… When I am doing charity I am learning how to do it… When I first got a million… I am the king… I am the king of the world. That time I bought diamond watches, sports car, everything. But after I learnt so many things from so many people… Now, come back… I was so poor when I was a child… So many people helped me… People sent me food… Who are they… I don’t know… Now I have to return to the society. So I started a foundation in Hong Kong. Last year, I built 11 schools in China, this year I will build another two schools. I will continue to do all things… Not for fame… Now I am really doing it from the heart.
The Hong Kong entertainment community calls him Diego (Big Brother)
Jackie you have had many blessing its like you know the fortunes of a million people have all been handed over to you? What you count as your biggest blessing?
I think… When you do a lot of things… Everybody knows Jackie Chan. That’s what God wants me to do – Charity.
Jackie… You have conquered many worlds… You have lived many lives… What’s left now to prove to the world… Or to yourself..
Now, I just do what I want… I tell my manager next week I am free… I want to go somewhere to do some charity… Makes me happy… When I go to sleep I do something good for the world, or for my family, for myself then I can sleep very tight.
Your 52, do the years ahead frighten you .. does old age frighten you…
Before yes, but now, not anymore. I am very lucky! Jackie Chan is really a miracle… Sometimes I look into the mirror and say why me? I think I will be happy… I didn’t miss anything… If 10 years ago… 20 years ago… You ask me… No, I don’t want to die… Not now… I have to so many things to do.
Do you feel you could have done more in your life?
Yes… If I can done more charity… I would make less movie… If I would make more movies… I would do less charity.
Could you have loved more in your life?
I am learning… Still learning … Still learning…
Jackie…. Thank You for a memorable rendezvous… I’ve loved every bit…
I don’t think this was an interview… Just like a conversation… I speak everything truth… You made me very comfortable…
Links:
This story
First of all it took me a million years to read this ;-)
By the way where do you find time to write one post (sometimes more) every single day?
K.. this blog topic..
Jackie Chan ROCKS! This interview was as humurous as his movies!
Shark:
Yeah. I agree this is a long post. But if you are a Jackie Chan fan, then you will never regret even one hour spent on this, right?! I know you agree! ;)
And reg time for writing the posts: I don’t sleep! ;) (Believe that?!)
Oh yeah, Jackie Chan Rocks!
I concur with Shark… who do u manage to write everyday.. and long ones too… :-)….
Jackie Chan is sweet !! :-)
I was glad to see that you had copy/pasted it from the website. I first thought you had recorded the show, and then written down the dialogues. That would have required a lot of patience and time (office time ;)).
Nice write-up. Rather copy-paste-up!!! :D
Did not know Jackie Chan was such a fighter, I mean, in the real sense.
I can see your blog getting too inspirational – First, Sarath Babu and now Chan. What’s the matter, Adi??
Vin:
Jackie Chan is great! :)
Hardu:
I am a big big fan of Jackie Chan. I missed the show since I don’t have a set-top-box at home. So, I was browsing through the web to find the online transcript and found it at http://www.indya.com. Should ve known that it would be available there, but then “Google” never lets you regret your lack of knowledge about anything! :)
Since I thought I did a lot of searching and knew that there were plenty of Jackie Chan fans like me, I put it up here. Copying and pasting on blogger is not an easy job. If you copy and paste directly from the site, the formatted properties of the text are lost. So, you have to sit and really format the whole thing which is disgusting to say the least. So, I found out a workaround for that too. Go to “View -> Source” in your browser and pick up the entire text with formatting tags in-built! And just paste it into your blogger “Create Post” box. And you have this post ready! Of course you need to be careful how much you copy and paste, but you need to do so much of work! :P :P :P
Viky:
What do you mean about not knowing about “Jackie Chan being such a real fighter” huh? I didn’t get you!
I’m no great fan of Jacky chan, but I really appreciate your efforts(copy-paste is not as easy as it seems to be, I agree) for putting this article here..
Complaints against you: The time I dedicate for Rediif and cricinfo is now shifted to mysorean.blogspot.com .Our company keeps track of all websites with high page hits and I foresee real threat of blocking this site in our network aswell…
Real fighter bole to…
I knew he was a fighter, I mean, he fights the baddies in all his movies :D
Didn’t know he had to do the fighting against the system, against poverty, against a bad life…
I guess only the hottest fire makes the best steel.
I literally grew on Jackie’s movies.. tore many pants trying to recreate his fights. Jackie rocks! But sad to see that behind every successful and smiling celebrity lies a troubled family life.
PS: somehow my comment from the “Silly movie” review post seems to have vanished.. Blogger beta prob?
damn! I am seeing this prob at other places too! tchaa! hope this beta-phase gets over!
Jackie Chan is one of the very very few ‘action stars’ I like, I liked him mainly because his fights are not all bloody and gory but have a comic aspect to it which wud tickle even a 7/8 year old..!!
Would never had known that there was one such interview..if you had not posted about it ! thanks :-)
Sudhakar:
Thanks! I hope your company doesn’t end up blocking my blog yar! If they do let me know…na peru cheppu chaalu..
Viky:
Read those lines about his stay in a Chinese boarding school? Man, this man has mettle! Serious mettle!
Pavan:
I am not on beta, are you? If you are then we’ll have a problem. Don’t know when they’re going to sort this out. Everytime I go to comment on hardu‘s blog I face the same problem and I go “Aaargh!”. It’s probably the first time that I have that reaction while working on something that Google has provided. They are generally perfect. Hope they get this merger out of the way soon! :) Btw, what was you comment on “Silly”? Repeat it if possible.
Pavan:
Forgot about the “Chan” comment of yours. Even I grew up on his films but never imitated any of his stunts!
There used to be a theatre called “Rajkamal” in Mysore. (Still there I guess!) In that theatre they used to repeat Jackie Chan’s films every now and then just like that. And it used to be such great fun. I remember they once hosted something called, “Jackie Chan Film Festival” and I was almost a residential member of the theatre then.
Jackie Chan is simply the greatest!
You don’t sleep? .. I don’t beleive…:)
I am sure you are using up all “official” time for this..;-)
send me your managers mail id :P
Jo:
Totally concur with your views about Jackie Chan. His action is not uni-dimensional. He doesn’t just bash up the baddies and make you see all the blood and all that. His action is comical. When he gets hurt also he makes you smile. That’s the greatness of this man! His stunts sometime make you stand up in the theatre just to make sure he hasn’t hurt himself.
And the best part about his movies, are the credit rolls at the end with the clippings of the making of the movie running. I can safely say that not one member of the audience moves out of the theatre. His stunts are so unbelievable yet he does them himself and there’s no second chance(mind you!). I admire such people who have that fire in them to show the world that if they think it’s possible, then they show the world that they can do it! Great guy this Jackie Chan!
Shark:
I sleep for atleast 10 hrs a day! No two ways about it!
And my manager’s mail id: When my company tells me who exactly in the hell is my manager, I shall let you know!