Movie icon Jackie Chan voices support for classic films, criticizes modern studios as commercially-driven entities
Jackie Chan Embraces New Skills While Reflecting on His Career
Legendary action star Jackie Chan is no longer solely relying on his iconic stunts in his work, as he has expressed his inability to continue performing them due to their danger. Instead, the 71-year-old actor is learning to sing and moving on to learning new skills.
At the Locarno Film Festival, Chan recently received the Career Achievement award, an accolade that celebrates his versatility in various aspects of the film industry. Throughout his successful career spanning over two decades, Chan has proven himself to be a multi-talented individual, capable of writing, directing, acting, stunt coordinating, stunt fighting, and editing.
Chan's popularity soared around the late 1970s, and some of his notable films include "The Fearless Hyena" (1979), "Police Story" (1985), and "Who Am I?" (1998). His unthinkable and unimaginable stunts have made him a household name, but he has now shifted his focus to other areas.
In an interview at the festival, Chan emphasized that today's production houses prioritize financial return over content quality. He prefers old films over contemporary ones because they allowed more creative freedom, time, and flexibility in filmmaking, enabling him to perfect scenes until he was fully satisfied. Older productions, particularly with Golden Harvest in the 1980s and 1990s, prioritized the finished product over tight budget constraints, allowing Chan to extend shooting schedules, rework, and reshoot sequences extensively.
Chan emphasized that lengthy filming of complex fight sequences—sometimes taking months to shoot just a few minutes of screen time—was achievable in older productions, which he valued as essential for lasting quality. He views this detailed, time-intensive process as crucial to making action sequences memorable rather than just fast or flashy.
Chan's style of action-comedy aimed to be universally accessible, removing explicit violence and adult humor, which established a unique identity and broad appeal across cultures and ages. This was a deliberate creative and commercial strategy facilitated by the more trusting and flexible environment of older studios.
In contrast, contemporary studios often impose stricter budgets and timelines, limiting such creative latitude. Chan's preference for older films stems from the greater artistic control, longer production times, and the prioritization of quality and authenticity in filmmaking that contemporary studios often lack due to budget and time pressures. This environment allowed him to craft enduring, well-choreographed action sequences with a lasting legacy.
Chan's career has shown a shift from focusing on stunts to learning new skills, such as singing. His versatility in the film industry, including his outspokenness about the industry, has inspired two directors in Asia to have similar versatility.
The Locarno Film Festival is set to conclude on August 16. As Chan continues to explore new avenues in his career, his legacy as a trailblazer in the film industry remains undeniable.
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