Legendary Hong Kong actor and martial artist Jackie Chan (成龙) is renowned for performing his own stunts in films, never relying on stunt doubles for his action-packed fight scenes. This commitment, which has led to numerous injuries throughout his career, has become his trademark.
Many would assume that as he ages, Jackie Chan might ease up on his physically demanding roles. However, to the surprise of many, he continues to do his own stunts even at the age of 70. Recently, a behind-the-scenes clip from his new movie “Panda Plan” (熊猫计划) went viral, sparking concern among fans. Here’s what happened:
In the video, it can be seen that Jackie getting headlocked during a stunt for a scene in the movie. Then suddenly, the actor lost his consciousness and eventually fell to the ground. The scene partner quickly grabbed his body to stay upright while other crew rushed to check up on him.
After waking up from the short black out, the Hong Kong actor looked around and asked the crew, “What are we doing?” When he was told that he fainted, he was in total disbelief and stated that the reason was probably because he was holding his breath during the action. They later carried on and filmed the scene again after a short break.
In a later interview, Jackie downplayed the incident, explaining that it wasn’t a big deal and that he needed to reassure everyone he was fine, or else they would have used a double stunt for the scene. “If I just sit there while they use a stunt double, and they just film my close-ups after he’s done, I would feel very guilty!” said the martial art actor.
What do you think of this situation? Should Jackie Chan continue to push the limits with his own stunts, or is it time to bring in a stunt double and safeguard his legacy?
Watch the clip here:
@starettoday 成龍勒脖戲「突暈倒」 堅持不用替身！
Alia contributed to this article.
