Shocking truth is revealed about beloved action star Jackie Chan!!!!
Ace reporters have unearthed the sad fact: Jackie "I do all my own stunts" Chan has started using stunt doubles!!!!!!!
Okay, so that is a ridiculous headline. Of course Jackie uses stunt doubles. Jackie has been using stunt doubles for many many years. No one could have the career that Jackie has by not using his brain. And Jackie is a smart man who uses his head to do things besides smash panes of glass.
Here's a recent photo of Jackie after doing one of his own stunts. (Photo: The JC Group)
So what's up with all the recent headlines announcing that Jackie has "started" using stunt doubles?
It's called "Anything for a Story" and it's what some reporters do when they are having a slow news day. They dig around for anything they can find and then sensationalize it. In this case, one reporter picked up a story from a Chinese newspaper which printed a quote from Jackie regarding the use of stunt doubles in The Tuxedo. One thing led to another and now there are many newspapers and web news sites reporting this "breaking news." It's not news to most of the people who have been following Jackie's career for the past 30 or so years.
So why does Jackie keep saying that he does all his own stunts?
When Jackie came to America to do the promotion for Rumble in the Bronx, he made the rounds of talk shows. What most likely happened is that one talk show host turned the fact that Jackie was a stuntman into "he does all his own stunts" and the legend began. When Jackie is introduced as "the man who does all his own stunts" he just smiles and agrees. Jackie has mentioned more than once on talk shows that he uses stunt doubles and has never tried to hide anything from his fans.
Well why DOESN'T Jackie do all his own stunts?
The answer to this is simple: he'd be stupid to do all the stunts in all his movies. And as Jackie has said many times, "I may be crazy but I'm not stupid." Jackie began his career in the movies as a stuntman and did many dangerous things that no one else would do because he was trying to make a name for himself. After he established himself as a well regarded stuntman, he no longer had to do it all to prove anything to anyone. So he began to do as much as he wanted to do. In the old days, that meant nearly all the stunts in the movie he was filming. As he got older, he began to use stunt doubles for several reasons. The studios that were in charge of the films sometimes insisted that he use stunt doubles so that their Star wouldn't be put in any danger. He also began to be more careful about his own body. Doctors warned him about doing things that might cause permanent damage.
Well, lets hope that this clears up some of the rumors that have begun to circulate regarding Jackie and his use of doubles.
©2003 Katharine Schroeder/The Official Jackie Chan Fan Club for Kids
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