Among the list of famous martial artists like Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan stands out as he is also famous for his unique comic timing and fine acting skills. Since the ’80s, Jackie has acted in more than one hundred and fifty films till now, many of which are popular to this day.
Jackie Chan is not only an amazing martial artist, but also a wonderful actor and filmmaker, who has made an unforgettable impact around the world, whether it’s in Hollywood or Asian cinema. With films like ‘Rush Hour’ franchise (1998-2007), ‘Shanghai Noon’ (2000), ‘The Tuxedo’ (2002) and ‘Bleeding Steel’ (2017), Jackie is irreplaceable from our hearts.
In addition, Jackie has also made us emotional from time to time with stories of his struggles and sufferings in the industry. Last year, he shared about a time when he almost quit Hollywood.
On the reality TV show ‘Memories Beyond Horizon’, Jackie opened up and shared his thoughts about Hollywood. He said that his English was terrible. He had to spend more time learning the language and memorize his lines, rather than working on his acting. “When I went to America to film, my English was terrible. I had to spend a month just to memorize a single line, even when I was sleeping, I would read the line in my dreams,” Chan said. “Many words that I wanted to say, I couldn’t. It was very frustrating.”
He further shared, “No one cared about whether my action sequences and scenes were good. They only praised me when I got my lines right. After that, I had to immediately return to my car to practise with my English teacher and as I was practising, I told myself, ‘I cannot continue like this.’ So I gave up on American showbiz.”
Jackie Chan then told the young, aspiring actors on the show, “Truthfully, I’ve already crossed many difficult bridges and made it easier for you to live out your lives (as actors), so you can avoid taking these harder routes and head in the right direction.”
