By India McCarty
Jackie Chan shared his thoughts on CGI stunt work, calling the technology “a double-edged sword.”
“In the old days, the only [choice we had] was to be there and jump; that’s it,” Chan told Haute Living. “Today, with computers, actors can do anything, but there’s always a sense of reality that you feel is missing.”
He continued, “It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, actors become more and more capable of doing impossible stunts with the help of technology, and yet, on the other hand, the concept of danger and limit gets blurred and the audience is numb [to it]. But I’m not encouraging anybody to risk their lives to do the stunts like I did; it truly is too dangerous.”
Chan said he still does his own stunts, saying, “It’s who I am.”
“That’s not changing until the day I retire, which is never!” the actor joked. “And to be honest, when you’ve done it for 64 years straight, there’s no physical preparation anymore. Everything is in your heart and soul; it is muscle memory.”
Fans can next see Chan perform his own stunts in KARATE KID: LEGENDS, where he reprises his role of Mr. Han from the 2010 KARATE KID remake.
“The first KARATE KID movie was 40 years ago, and it was so successful. Everybody liked it,” Chan said in an interview with Rappler. “We’ve been looking for another good story to tell and then Sony called me up and shared the script and they got the story right!”
He continued, “It’s a story that brings two families that has a long history before together. They work together to face their challenges and eventually turns ‘my challenge’ to ‘our challenge.’ Working together, there’s nothing better than that in the world now.”
Related: Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio to Star in New KARATE KID Movie
Star Ralph Macchio, who is also set to star in KARATE KID: LEGENDS, called Chan “a legend.”
“It’s its own story in the vast universe, you know, so it’s another chapter in a different area that connects the mythology of where it all began,” he said of the movie during an interview with CBS’ THE TALK. “And fortunately, I was the guy that was there when it all began.”
Macchio has starred in three KARATE KID movies, as well as the popular spin-off series COBRA KAI.
“I don’t want to overstay the welcome of a character that’s so beloved,” he told Variety of his character, Daniel LaRusso. “But he’s aging like I am, so there could be other areas to explore as well. Never say never.”
Fans of the KARATE KID franchise are excited for this new installment — and happy to see beloved stars like Chan and Macchio continue to appear in the franchise.
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