Posted on: Friday, September 27, 2002
Biggest star in the world? Jackie Chan
By Jack Garner
Gannett News Service
Take Hollywood out of the equation, and Jackie Chan is the biggest star in the world.
He's been the star of more than a hundred films — way beyond the handful of movies known to most Western viewers.
He's got fan clubs galore — in Australia, England, the United States, in Europe and all over Asia — totaling more than 10,000 members. One young female fan committed suicide when she learned Chan was married.
And his salary for "Rush Hour 2" was a reported $15 million.
Those are all substantial accomplishments for a guy who was born in poverty as Kong-Sang Chan in Hong Kong, and apprenticed, at the age of 6, to the China Drama Academy (a Chinese opera school) by his parents. There he learned mime, acrobatics and martial arts.
Originally a movie stunt man, he was groomed as the successor to the late Bruce Lee. But the smiling Chan has become a much bigger star as an amiable hero than the dour, stern-faced Lee probably would have ever become.
"My films reflect my personality," Chan says, "I'm a happy-to-lucky guy on and off the screen."
But Chan wants more. He wants to be known as more than a martial arts star.
"When people say Jackie Chan, they wave their hands (in kung fu poses)," Chan says. "They don't do that when they say 'Robert De Niro.' "
So Chan seeks versatility — and his path is comedy. That's why "Tuxedo" offers more punch lines than punches.
The films of physical comedians like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd have been major inspirations.
"Buster Keaton did things almost like I do," Chan says during a phone interview. "I watched a lot of American silent movies, because I didn't have to know the language."
Then he graduated to American musicals, also because of their physicality. "I love the way Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire use rhythm and also props, like I use."
Chan is famous in his films for grabbing chairs, lamps, pipes and other paraphernalia as he spins, kicks and punches his way to glory.
But Chan's search for comic versatility doesn't mean a drop-off of action. Even at 48, he has no plans to slow down.
"No, no, no. Not at all. I just wanted something different. When you see 'Shanghai Knights,' you'll be surprised by all the action."
"Shanghai Knights," due next year, is a sequel to the popular "Shanghai Noon," and will likely be followed by a third film, "Shanghai Dawn." A third "Rush Hour" is also in the works.
Chan doesn't just make movies — he launches franchises. He says a second "Tuxedo" film also is likely, though he had some trepidation when he began the movie.
For the first time, Chan is using a lot of wire stunts and special effects, which was a hard concession to make for a guy who is famous for doing all his own stunts, without trickery.
"I'm pretty worried," he says. "Will the audience accept this kind action from Jackie Chan? We have a lot of wire things. There are stunts where I just move my hand and eyes.
"It's very technical. I was learning on the set. But I just wanted to try something different," he says. "I want to be considered a real actor."
His next project may be a step in that direction. He's about to start a remake of the Jules Verne Classic, "Around the World in Eighty Days."
Chan will play the servant Passepartout in a greatly expanded part from the original. He'll still work for an adventuresome Englishman (possibly Hugh Grant), as they enter a race to cross the globe in record time.
Cantinflas and David Niven played the roles in the famous 1956 film version. Just as in the original version, the new "Around the World" will feature a lot of star cameos. "But I have to keep them secret," Chan says.
