Jackie Chan interview from the French publication: Cinopsis (1996)

Interview by Christophe Bruynix and Olivier Loncin

English Translation by Nancy Horenburg

We had the pleasure to meet Jackie Chan in his suite at the Hotel Amigo at Bruxelles during his promotion of Rumble in the Bronx..Supple, incredibly energetic and always smiling, he resembles exactly the characters he incarnates in his films. Pity that the text cannot render all the savour of the conversation. Jackie Chan expresses himself in simple English, with a solid Chinese accent; he fills all his holes of vocubulary with mimicry and onomatopoeia. And we always understand him perfectly. Without a doubt, the action star of Hong Kong is the deserving successor of mute artists.

Cinopsis: What made you decide to do your stunts yourself?

Jackie Chan: I wanted to get out of the normal. In Asia, in America, there are too many action stars. Everybody does the same thing (he slowly mimes the movements of strikes). Boom boom boom, kick, punch, blue screen, special effects. In my films, there is a lot of comedy, humour, action, fighting, acrobatics and stunts. No blue screen, no synthetic images. And I have success. In Asia, when the people want to see action, they go to see Jackie Chan. There are too many films with special effects. Everybody does them: Stallone, Schwarzenegger. Maybe for you, I am new. In Hong Kong, I am an antique. I have made movies for 34 years. I acted when I was a child. I was a stuntman, director of stunts, director, producer. Now I am all at once. It's imagined in Europe that I am the new star of kung fu. No, no, I am an old one. But I imagine that the westerners will be bored with special effects and discover the 'silent' style with a big Waaaaaa. After, the tendency could change, towards the musical perhaps. Why not?

C: You are often compared to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Did they influence you?

J.C.: Enormously. As I work to define my style, I realized that one always understands what goes on in a silent film. Japan, Korea, India, Malaysia, China, all these countries have very different languages. I must make my body speak more so that all the spectators can understand me without the aid of dialogue. I watch a lot of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. I learned a lot from old films. I learned to punch from John Wayne films. Now I create my own style. There is nothing to learn from the cinema today. Look at Twister (he puts on a tired look and makes a noise like the wind). Look at Independence Day; baaaaannnnng. How do they do it? I don't know. They show off a lot , but it teaches me nothing.

C: Certain comedians like Dustin Hoffman say that there is too much violence in movies now.

J.C.: Of course. There is too much violence. I find myself in front of a dilemma. One can ask me, "if there is too much violence, why continue doing action films?". In my opinion, my action films are not violent. You think so?

C: It resembles more like dancing.

J.C.: Exactly. A lot of action. But no violence. No sex. No blood. I never changed during all these years. On their side , the Americans have too much violence, too much sex. It's ridiculous! A director, a star, has a responsibility towards the society. They educate the people, the children. In Asia, I am a role model. In Malaysia, Japan, I represent the ideal police man. I keep this image with care. I always put in humour (he mimes a punch and twists his fist with a grimace). I always behave like Mr. Everybody. You point a gun towards me, I'm scared. Not like the Americans (he points his finger to his temple and puts on a courageous face),"Go ahead, shoot!" Even with a submachine gun . . .ratatatatata (he mimes an uncontrollable firing). It's real life. In my films, I do not want we learn how to kill people. It's bad. I agree with Dustin Hoffman. But in America, more there is violence, more the film has success at the box office.

C: Have you ever tried to make different films or more dramatic?

J.C.: I already tried. In Europe, I'm not known. You maybe did not see Crime Story, where I act more seriously; I don't smile once, from beginning to end. City Hunter was closer towards a comic book, I acted more in this style (he pulls a face like a drunk clown). I change a lot. But I always prefer my habitual style. Besides, I incarnate the sort of person I really am. The character that you see in Rumble In The Bronx, that's me. Today, it will be difficult to change personality. In Asia, everybody knows me, it would be accepted. In Europe, I have success in videos, not on the big screen. The large public just discovers me, it would be too soon to change. I must make sure that the public knows me well before changing.

C: You are also a film director. For Rumble In The Bronx, did you give any advice?

J.C.: A lot. Even when I don't direct, I keep total control. I always direct my action scenes. And I always give indications to the directors for the other scenes. The film is always centered around me. In Asia, one does not pay attention to the director. If it works, one will say "Jackie Chan is good". If the film is bad, one will say "Jackie Chan is bad". The directors know I have complete control, and if, they are not good, I fire them. I replaced the director of Crime Story in the middle of filming. The one of Jungle Master also, and I took the film back in hand. With Stanley Tong (director of Rumble in the Bronx) all is well. He listens to me. He was a stuntman before; he knows what I want.

C: To what resembles your standard day of filming.

J.C.: There is no standard day. That's the reason why I cannot film in the U.S.A. I don't have a plan of work. In Rumble in the Bronx we estimated 10 days of filming for the hovercraft scene. We did it in 30. The fight in the warehouse took 20 days. I was given 7. I replied "maybe 7". In Armour 2, a scene of 5 minutes took 4 months to film. One is never left to work like that in the U.S. On the stage, it comes upon me to wait and think, then to give time off to everybody. In The Sailors of the China Sea, I fall from a tower. It took 7 days for this single plan. Not for the preparation, we are ready very quickly to film. We had 4 cameras, I had to fall from a height of 16 meters, rebound off the porch roof, stand up and say my dialogue - one must see that I do not get doubled. 7 days! I came to stay up on the tower and look down below . . .and then send everybody to lunch. After lunch, the sun wasn't good anymore; we carried over the scene several times the next day.

C: Were you scared?

J.C.: Yes. Really. I am not Superman. When I waited above, I looked at the emptiness. Many thoughts passed in my mind; in my jump, I could easily break my head, dislocate my hip or an elbow. That already happened to me. Since then, when I have to do a fall, I don't stay up to prepare myself for an hour. I prefer to stay close to the crew to discuss. It's normal, more we think about what we do, more we are frightened. As soon as everybody is ready, I climb up again and I throw myself. That's my thing. I'm always frightened.

C: You often break something during filming. In spite of all you continue . . .

J.C.: In Project A I broke my neck. I still get after effects. I broke my nose 3 times, the teeth also and the jaw. My elbow: I always have a bone which comes out. (He shows a dozen places on his arms, his hips and his legs and dots his gestures with a "broken" or "twisted") My ribs, crushed.

C: You find this amusing?

J.C.: It is not amusing, but I have to do it. Sometimes I find myself stupid. But at each success I forget and I continue. In fact, I am happy to take risks. I know the public. The spectators like to see that there is no faking. In Twister, we stay openmouthed in front of the special effects. But it's ridiculous. The characters never die: there is no tension. That's the reason why I don't like special effects. One day maybe, I'll learn how to do it, and I'll integrate them in my real stunts. For example, I could jump from one building to another, but I would not need to do it so high. Or I could hide the security lines. But I'll always continue to really do my stunts.

C: Who gives you stunt ideas?

J.C.: I work in a team with my stuntmen. We realize first my ideas. Then, I organise a reunion and each must bring a stunt idea for the next day. I keep the good ones.

C: At the end of your films, you always show the missed. . .

J.C.: Since the 80's, I took this certain habit. We never do repetition. For the fights, yes, but for the big stunts, we film directly. We are not like the American or French stuntmen who always measure everything; what length, from where comes the wind. . . Me, I estimate it can be done or not. I put 6 or 12 cameras, and we simply go ahead. We repeat while filming. That's why I have so many missed.

C: In Rumble in the Bronx, many actors were brought to hospital. How many? Do they still continue to work with you?

C: How old are you?

J.C I am 42 years.

C: Do you still feel in great shape?

J.C: Of course. Not as good as 20 years ago. But I always take care of myself. I have always been in good physical condition. I have trained myself since the age of 7. For the cinema it's enough. Today, as I direct myself, I can carry over the stunt to the next day if I get fatigued. Sometimes, at the 4th or 5th jump, I can do no more. Not serious, I'll continue the next day.

C: You have always done independent production. Have you ever had a proposition from Hollywood?

J.C: There are too many rules in Hollywood, too many syndicates. In fact I don't need to go, I have all the same enough money (laughs). 15 years ago, I tried to impose myself on the American market. I settled myself up there. I bought a house. I studied English. But nobody went to see my films. So I returned to Asia. Curiously, my Asian films are those that function the best in the U.S.A. I don't know why. I asked one day an American; "Why didn't my films work 15 years ago?" He replied, "At that time I was only 5 years old". Today, the spectators are fed up with the blue screen. They know special effects numerically. My films touch them, because they put themselves in my place, they imagine themselves doing the acrobatics. Maybe in five years, they will like something else. It's cyclical. . .

C: You are very close to the musical comedy .

J.C: The Americans concentrate too much on violence. Pah pah, bang, (he mimics a short and rapid firing) Me, I have a thing (he starts his sounds again and puts them in a rhythm, his gestures become more supple, dancing) I work in rhythm, I put in comical elements. I do not think in terms of violence. It resembles a musical comedy. That's exactly what I want. I learned that from Gene Kelly, (he mimics a fight in rhythm and falls back progressively on the song Singin' in the Rain). That's the thing. I should not have told you. It's a secret . . .

C: What is the subject of your next film with Stanley Tong?

J.C: It's a CIA affair. There is an atomic bomb. I put a lot of my philosophy in my films. In Rumble in the Bronx, there are gangs of all races; black, Chinese, Italian, . . I certainly did not want that the bad are always black. I wanted something more universal. There are good and bad everywhere. For the new film First Strike, in addition of spectacles, I give my impressions of the bomb. It should come out this year.

C: Hong Kong will be integrated with China the next year. What will become of you?

J.C: Nothing will happen to me. My films do not contain politics. Certain directors have left Hong Kong to settle down in Canada or the U.S.A. But nothing will really change. I believe it. I am not sure. The Chinese government will let me continue. They know that during all these years, I never changed; the good, the bad, comedy, action, education, . . . Never politics. Normally, I will stay in Hong Kong. But I will continue to film all around the world. Last year, I stayed in Hong Kong for only 14 days . . . At the end of the year, after my European promotion, I'll film in South Africa.

C: Will that always happen?

J.C: Always. Hong Kong is much too small. Impossible to make a big film. The buildings are on top of each other. I need big spaces. Wherever I go, even in a hotel, I look for a place that I could use. The fights, we have seen millions, that's why I need places very special. Yesterday, I saw the Atomium; excellent for stunts. I could fight on the summit, or let myself slide the lengths of its posts, scccchhhhrraaaaaaa . . . Even if my next film takes place in South Africa, I'll integrate a scene on the Automium. I'll pass 2,3 days to film it. You know that it is found in Belgium, but elsewhere in the world, nobody knows it. I could put it in any country. You'll be surprised! After all, it's just a film.