Jackie Chan can get away with criticizing his own movies in the press. I'll never forget him walking into interviews for The Tuxedo saying "I hate The Tuxedo." It would seem like The Forbidden Kingdom is more his speed. It's all about Chinese history and fighting styles. It even gives him the first ever opportunity to fight against and alongside with Jet Li. But still, Jackie Chan is hard to please.
Crave Online: I know you can be very critical of your own work. So are you pleased with the way this has turned out? Is it as you imagined it?
Jackie Chan: I don't know. Every time I make American film I just trust American directors and American writers. Myself, I would never make this kind of film. For me, those kinds of films are ridiculous. They don’t make sense. But the American way, for American Audience is more interested in this kind of movie.
Crave Online: I’m surprised, because it feels like you with the drunken fist scene and stuff. Which part did you think didn’t make sense?
Jackie Chan: No, the whole thing. Why drunken master? Why monkey king? All kind of things, but at the end, it’s the children. There is a young boy in New York who loves Chinese culture. It’s a fantasy just like a fairy tale. It’s Okay. Otherwise, I won’t make this movie, because I know that American people like it. So, that’s why Jet and me agreed to make this movie. Now, I hear so many good things about this movie and everybody talk about it, I still worry. Just like Rush Hour 1. After I finished Rush Hour 1 I said, "My career is finished." A second time I try to get in American market and now I’m finished. I go back to Asia and that’s all. Then boom, big hit. This is ridiculous. Why, why, do people like these kinds of things? Then Rush Hour 2, da da da da da da. So, now, whenever American writer or director come and present a script, nobody against it, I just [make it] for the American market.
Crave Online: How did it feel to do ‘Drunken Fist’ after all these years?
Jackie Chan: Sometimes, I’m very embarrassed. I have to do it again? Again and again. When the people know Jackie Chan movie, "Oh, Drunken Master!" Especially in the west, even Brett Ratner, Rush Hour 3, there was supposed to be one scene where I get drunk and fight with the drunken master. I said, "No! Stop! Why does everybody want me to fight drunken master?" But this movie, at the beginning I refuse. But later on, later on, I find out, "Okay, it’s a purist movie. And because the young boy loves it. Then OK.’ Not any more. Not any more.
Crave Online: I think it’s because it looks so special, unlike anything else. That’s why we like it.
Jackie Chan: Really? Okay. That depends on the box-office. If the box office is good, the next one will be Forbidden Drunken Master.
Crave Online: Now that you are in your 50s, what kind of adjustments have you had to make with your martial arts at your age?
Jackie Chan: I think the last six or five years that you can tell I have changed my style. Right after, Around the World in 80 Days, then I go back to make New Police Story, The Myth, Rob B Hood, Rush Hour 3 and Forbidden Kingdom. Right after Forbidden Kingdom, I just finished a movie called The Shinjuku Incident. It’s just totally, one percent action, heavy, heavy drama. The next one will be big action! Then coming [up] maybe a love story. I want to change. I want to be a real actor, not just action star. An action star's life is very short. I am the myth. Jackie Chan is a myth. I am still surviving right now. More than 30 years. I am the only one. How long can I keep fighting? So this is why I have to change, change, change. I have encouraged a director for my next film, it’s a good idea for him. He been working on, not a new idea, it’s about Chinese culture and combined with European, American. More those kind of situations are better. I’m not like I used to be like Drunken Master 3 or 4. No, I’m tired.
Crave Online: You started out as a student at Peking Opera School and now you're a master. How does that feel?
Jackie Chan: I just don’t believe how so quick, now, that I’m becoming a master. Then I realize, "Wow, Drunken Monkey was 30 years ago." My master has already passed away. Now, I am the master. Feels funny. Feels really funny but, yeah, what can you do? That’s a human being life.
Crave Online: Did you have any injuries on Forbidden Kingdom?
Jackie Chan: Making a Hollywood film you don’t have a very big injury because they have a Safety Captain, insurance people on the set. Whatever I do, they have to check first. "Don’t do it. Let me check. Make sure everything is safe." And I really think that John [Fusco, the screenwriter], the director and also, Disney and DreamWorks they are making Chinese culture movies like Mulan, Forbidden Kingdom, Kung Fu Panda [in which Chan plays a voice]. All those years, I always think, "Whenever the Western people make anything we know, Superman, yeah we know. Spider-Man, we know. Whenever you make King Arthur, we know." But whenever we try to make something Chinese culture overseas, nobody knows. When we make Ching Dynasty, who is Ching? When we make some very famous Chinese story, nobody knows. Mulan, because Disney makes Mulan, now the whole world knows Mulan. So, we need American famous director or non-famous director or famous studio to help us make some Chinese traditional culture movies, bring the history to world. Then the people more understand China. More understand China, then more people will have interest in China and more people will come to China to visit us because I am a tourist ambassador. [Laughs.] Really, thank you. Really, thank you. Please for the future, write more Chinese things, yes.
Crave Online: What was the first movie you tried to make with Jet Li?
Jackie Chan: 15 years ago I write a script with him and the script was very interesting. I am the bad good guy, he is the cop. He had to catch me around from bottom of Russia all the way back to Beijing. Between something happen even the police looking for Jet Li, the bad guy looking for Jet Li then the police looking for me. And then Jet Li ever caught me, I had to get rid of him. And we cannot take the plane, we cannot take the train, we cannot take anything, ordinary transportation. We have to walk on the mountains, cross the river. Different region of Chinese, different dialects. There is a lot of comedy going on. Lots of travel, lot of great action.
Crave Online: What’s going on with that?
Jackie Chan: When I present the script to American writer, he didn’t like it. The company had spent another million for him to rewrite the script. After he write the script, I don’t like it. And he writes the script, it’s two brothers. Somehow I don’t know he’s my brother, somehow it becomes I know he’s my brother. He just wanted money. He just wanted to get paid for the script copyright. So, this is why it doesn’t happen. And I think also, we don’t have the middle guy. Every time I see Jet it’s like, "Let’s do it. When?" "Yeah, we're going to do it!" And then boom, gone. Because this time it happened, because Casey [Silver], the producer, in the middle, all those years, every ten days he give me a call. The script, "No, it’s not done." "Jet, send him the script." He was the one flying back and forth, back and forth. Then, it makes the whole thing happen. Thank you.
Crave Online: What was it like to finally fight Jet Li?
Jackie Chan: Behind-the-scenes I just remember first day we are on the set, Woo-Ping and the stunt coordinators had choreographed an action sequence that Jet and I went to take a look. Two stunt guys were doing a demonstration. And I’m standing there with Woo. "You know, I am a fast learner. I have been doing action for so many years. I just look at once, just show me one more time. Show me one more time," and then after that, I say, "Let’s shoot without rehearsal." And then I look at Jet and Jet Li’s like, "Okay, let’s shoot." All the cameramen were like, "What? No rehearsal. Okay, let’s do it." After first cut, the director and Woo-ping come up and say, "Good, but can you guys slow down?" Because, he wanted to show off quick, I wanted to show off quick. I wanted quicker! Then "How quick you want?" The director [says], "Oh, because of the new technology [the Genesis cameras], you have to slow down." Then we slow down. And it's fun. Fighting with him is very, very comfortable. Comfortable is not like I fought so many action villains. They just don’t know how to fight. They just "Pow" and it makes you get you hurt and it doesn’t look good. Good are like Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, those kind of rhythms I've never had before Jet Li. Wow. I think because I’m good, it makes him comfortable. [Laughs.]
Crave Online: The kid in this movie loves the old classic martial arts movies. What are your old classic favorites?
Jackie Chan: Classic movies? Drunken Master. [Laughs.] Director Hu Jinguan, King Hu. Hsia Nu (A Touch of Zen), Long men ke zhen (Dragon Inn). Young Master, Police Story. [Laughs.] Rush Hour.
Crave Online: Will you be in Beijing for the Olympics? How would you like people to be able to see the Olympics in spite of all the controversy?
Jackie Chan: I am the Olympic Ambassador. I always promote Olympics. I just want to tell: Olympics is Olympics. Cannot mix with politics. Olympics for me is love, peace, united. Every four years, the Olympics no matter what country, I just don't know why, every country when they have Olympics a lot of people come out opposed. Like, LA, same. Russia, same. Some other, same everywhere. But this year everyone is just concentrated on China. It just doesn’t happen in China, it happens everywhere. I just want to say, please, understand, they are just some naughty boys. They are doing it for no reason. They just want to show up on TV. They know if I can get the torch then I can get on the TV for the world news. That’s the wrong things. They misunderstand. And like I said before, more making Chinese films, more tourists come to China and watch the Olympics and welcome. I will stand in the airport and bowing. Welcome, welcome, welcome.
Crave Online: Will there be a Forbidden Kingdom 2?
Jackie Chan: Yeah, just like Rush Hour. Rush Hour 1, my career finished, Boom! Big hit then Rush Hour 2, boom Rush Hour 3. Now, Rush Hour 4. For me. Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights. Shanghai Dawn! Forbidden Kingdom, Forbidden what? Return to Forbidden Kingdom.
