Jackie Chan once got hit with news from his dad that completely caught him off guard. He was in his forties, just sitting in a car with his father, when the moment came.
His dad turned to him and said, “I have a secret to tell you.”
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His father dropped the spy bomb
“My father suddenly said, ‘Son, I’m old. I might sleep and never wake up’,” Jackie shared in an interview while promoting Karate Kid: Legends.
Then came the shocker. “My father was a spy,” Jackie said. He was so stunned, he just couldn’t take in what his dad was saying at first.
“Then, later on, five hours later, I said, okay. Now I’m ready,” he remembered.
The full story ended up becoming a film
After finding out about his dad’s secret past, Jackie decided to dig deeper.
He made a documentary in 2003 called Traces of the Dragon: Jackie Chan and His Lost Family. It told the whole story of how his dad had been a government spy during the Chinese Civil War back in the 1940s.
Turns out, his mom Lee-lee had her own hidden life too. She was an opium smuggler and a gambler.
Growing up wasn’t exactly smooth for Jackie
Jackie remembers his parents struggling with him when he was a kid. His dad Charles, who passed away in 2008, and his mom Lee-lee, who died in 2002, just couldn’t handle him.
“[As a child, I was] very naughty. Very naughty, I never go to school,” he admitted. “All the books in my backpack? I always throw them away,” he added, laughing.
Eventually, they sent him off to a martial arts school.
That school changed everything for him
At first, it was probably just a way to discipline him. But it ended up shaping his entire future.
While he was there, he got scouted. He started doing stunt work when he was still a teen, and by his twenties, he was working as a stunt coordinator, then moving into acting and directing in Asia.
How Hollywood finally noticed him
He was already doing a lot in Asia before Hollywood came calling. In 1995, he landed a part in Rumble in the Bronx.
Then in 1998, things really took off with Rush Hour, the buddy comedy with Chris Tucker. That one made him a proper Hollywood star.
Understanding American humor was a struggle
Even though the movie was a hit, Jackie didn’t get most of the jokes at the time.
“Whatever Chris says, I don’t understand. The culture is totally different,” he told PEOPLE.
Still, audiences absolutely loved it.
The movie blew up worldwide
Rush Hour made $244 million around the world. Jackie got a phone call not long after.
“I get a phone call. ‘Jackie, we’ve broken all the records in three days, $70 million. Let’s do a part two, then part three, and part four’, ” he said.
Returning to Karate Kid meant a lot
Coming back to the Karate Kid world felt special to him. Jackie had been in the 2010 version with Jaden Smith, and this new one brought back a lot of memories.
“[It’s a] memory…not just a movie,” he said with a smile.
He loves bringing Chinese culture into his movies
Jackie’s always found meaning in sharing his skills and his culture on screen.
“It’s just unbelievable,” he said, talking about acting alongside Ralph Macchio and Joshua Jackson. “Not only can I use my [martial arts] technique, I can show the Chinese culture to the world.”
Karate Kid: Legends is now playing in theaters everywhere.
