How Jackie Chan straddles East and West to stay at the top of his game
Hong Kong superstar talks, on the release of his autobiography, about making different films for American and Asian audiences and how, at 61, he doesn't intend to rest on his laurels
At 61, Jackie Chan has just published an autobiography in Chinese, Never Grow Up, Only Get Older, and the title is more than apropos. Even with more than 100 films under his belt, it’s clear the Hong Kong-born action star and comedian has yet to lose the childlike wonder that has endeared him to fans around the world. Nor is the martial arts master and multimillionaire sitting still.
Though he hasn’t had a Hollywood live-action hit since 2010’s The Karate Kid remake with Jaden Smith – and clearly pines for continued US popularity – his star is shining perhaps more brightly than ever, particularly in Asia.
Chan has earned US$50 million over the past 12 months, according to Forbes – not just from his films but also his myriad other businesses, which include everything from designer apparel and glasses to cinemas to Segway scooter dealerships.
That’s more than any actor worldwide aside from Robert Downey Jnr, putting him at No. 38 on the magazine’s 2015 list of 100 top-paid celebrities, ahead of Kobe Bryant, Tom Cruise and Dr. Dre.
A global survey this year by the British polling firm YouGov named Chan the fourth-most-admired man in the world, after Bill Gates, US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
