For any action movie fan who grew up in the ’90s, it was almost impossible to avoid the gravity of Jackie Chan’s orbit.
The Hong Kong-based actor made up for any potential language barriers with Western audiences thanks to one simple fact that separated Chan from a number of his peers: He did his own stunts.
Yes, while the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone would get top billing in movies as their stunt doubles risked life and limb, Chan would be both top billing and his own stunt double.
Thanks to that reputation — coupled with a highly underrated sense of comedic timing — it wasn’t long before Chan was no longer just attached to critically acclaimed dubbed imports, but attached to genuine Hollywood blockbusters like the “Rush Hour” and “Shanghai Noon” franchises.
As Chan enjoyed continued success following that early aughts boom, he has continued to grow his fan base while largely avoiding any particularly major controversy.
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(Chan’s association and work with the Chinese Communist Party has been the most noteworthy controversy attached to the actor.)
That fan base he’s cultivated over the years was given quite a shock when an image of the 70-year-old actor went viral for the wrong reasons.
Legend Jackie Chan turns 70 today 🐐 pic.twitter.com/meFuP6TLOW
— Every Movie Plug 🎬 🔌 (@everymovieplug) April 7, 2024
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The image showed a more haggard-looking Chan. He seemed thinner than what his fans were accustomed to, and he was sporting noticeably grayer hair than what fans were used to.
Social media became awash with concern over the image, with people wondering if the longtime actor was hiding some health issue.
There was enough concern sparked from those images that it prompted a response from Chan himself, via his Instagram page which sports over six million followers:
“Not so long ago, a lot of friends saw some recent photos of me on the internet, and they were all concerned about my health,” Chan said in a lengthy post. “I want to take this opportunity to let everyone know, don’t worry! It’s just a character appearance for my latest movie. The character requires me to have white hair, white beard and look old.
“Over the years, I’ve always been willing to try new things for a movie, no matter if it’s a challenging stunt or a breakthrough appearance for a character.
“I’ve been in the entertainment business for 62 years and I cherish every moment because I’m lucky I’m still filming today.”
Chan, whose birthday is April 7, also joked about growing older in the post.
“Even before today, many friends have been reminding me: ‘Jackie, it’s going to be your 70th birthday!’ Every time I hear this number, my heart would stop for a second – l’m 70 years old already?” Chan posted. “After recovering from the shock, the second thing that would come to my mind is a saying that my big brother, Sammo Hung once said: ‘being able to grow old is a fortunate thing.’
“Especially for us stunt people, we don’t know how lucky we are to be able to grow old.”
Per IMDb, Chan has a number of ongoing projects as both actor and producer, including a new “Karate Kid” film and another entry in the Police Story franchise.
