Jackie Chan Action Movies Retirement: Actor Quits Over Violence?
Jackie Chan has stated that he is retiring from action movies following his last upcoming film, "Chinese Zodiac 2012."
Jackie Chan has made a name for himself as an action film actor. Beginning his early career in the Hong Kong film industry, the actor quickly built up his reputation for performing his own stunt work. His first opportunity was landed after he received a call from a Hong Kong film producer who was impressed with his stunt abilities. As Chan's career grew, he was compared to other great action actors such as Bruce Lee.
To this day, Chan has continued to perform much of his own stunts. But according to the actor, who is now 58, he is getting too old to the action films that he has become famous for.
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"I'm not young any more, honestly," the 58-year-old Hong Kong actor told Reuters while in Beijing filming a documentary.
Although instead of ending his career altogether, Chan is now considering using stunt doubles and special effects. His fear is that an injury could dampen the rest of his life, at his age.
"Why (do) I have to use my own life to still do these kind of things? I will still do as much as I can. But I just don't want to risk my life to sit in a wheelchair, that's all," he said.
Instead of performing stunts, Chan has been working on the other end of film. He's fulfilling his dream by completing his script for the "Chinese Zodiac 2012," a project which he says he has been working on for seven years.
"I'm the director, I'm the writer, I'm the producer, I'm the action director, almost everything," he told Reuters of "Chinese Zodiac 2012," film. "This really, really is my baby."
Chan has also suggested in other interviews that he is taking a break from action because it has gotten too violent.
"This is my last action film. I tell you, I'm not young any more. I'm really, really tired," he told The Telegraph. "And the world is too violent right now. It's a dilemma -- I like action but I don't like violence."
