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Iconic Action Star, 71, Makes Bold Admission About AI Stunts

Iconic Action Star, 71, Makes Bold Admission About AI Stunts

Yahoo2 days ago

Iconic Action Star, 71, Makes Bold Admission About AI Stunts originally appeared on Parade.
is known for some of the most impressive stunt work in movie history. However, the legendary actor recently revealed why he wouldn't attempt the same bold moves in today's entertainment industry.
Chan, 71, attended the Karate Kid: Legendspremiere in New York on May 27, where he reflected on his career— and how fortunate he feels to have started when he did.
'If I were working in this era, I don't think I'd do [stunts] myself,' he told Page Six. Why not? 'Because of AI, special effects, [and] green screens,' he explained.
But technology isn't the only factor. According to Chan, studios today aren't eager for actors to do their own stunts either.
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'You want to do [the stunt work], but the studio, the stunt coordinator, the director—they won't let you,' he said. 'Because if anything goes wrong and the star gets injured, it could shut down the whole shoot. It could cost a lot of money.'
'In the old days,' he added, 'I had to do it myself—and that's how I became 'Jackie Chan.' So I was lucky.'
Though he's spent some time out of the spotlight, Chan is making a Hollywood comeback, reprising his role as Mr. Han in the latest Karate Kid installment.
As for preparing to do his own stunts again? Chan says he doesn't need any special training. 'I don't need to anymore. I've been training every day for 64 years. I've been fighting, fighting, fighting,' he told Variety in a separate interview.
While he's been acting since the 1960s, Chan's stunt work shows no signs of stopping. He reportedly performs all his own stunts in Karate Kid: Legends.
'I'm not like I was when I was 20 and could do a triple kick in the air,' he admitted. 'Now, I do one kick.'
Iconic Action Star, 71, Makes Bold Admission About AI Stunts first appeared on Parade on Jun 2, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.

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Patrick Schwarzenegger talks about the ‘baggage' of having famous parents. Why he's set on making a name for himself.
Patrick Schwarzenegger talks about the ‘baggage' of having famous parents. Why he's set on making a name for himself.

Yahoo

time44 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Patrick Schwarzenegger talks about the ‘baggage' of having famous parents. Why he's set on making a name for himself.

Patrick Schwarzenegger is done with claims that he's a nepo baby. Instead of fighting the label, he's reluctantly come to accept it — but on his own terms. While chatting with his movie star father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, for Variety's "Actors on Actors" interview published on Tuesday, Patrick discussed the challenges of being seen as an actor in his own right. Patrick's mother, Maria Shriver, is a journalist and member of the Shriver and Kennedy families. The 31-year-old actor garnered acclaim for his portrayal of Saxon Ratliff, a narcissistic finance bro turned introspective sad boy, on Season 3 of The White Lotus. The anthology series, written and created by Mike White, is a social satire built around the guests and employees at a luxury resort. 'Mike White said that it comes with baggage, the idea that when you have successful parents like I do with you and mom, there's an added level of what other people think. Mike was worried about, if he cast me, what other people would think,' Patrick told Arnold of carrying the Schwarzenegger name. 'Which they did — they did care about that; people said that I got the role because of you and mom.' Patrick had contemplated dropping the Schwarzenegger name altogether. 'There were times earlier in my career where I was wondering, does it make sense to go under some sort of alias?' he said. 'It took a while for me to get to a point where I was less worried about, like, comparison and living in your shadow versus me just wanting to carve my own path and wanting to do it the way I thought I should do it.' Arnold told his son, 'You have never asked me to call a studio or to call an agent. You never asked me for advice when it comes to acting itself. You're a rare breed, and I'm very, very proud of you.' This isn't the first time Patrick has discussed the pitfalls of coming from a famous family. For his February 2025 cover story with the Sunday Times, the actor spoke candidly of the 'blessings and curses' of having such a recognizable surname, and how the nepo baby label minimizes the work he put into securing the role of Saxon on The White Lotus. 'I know there are people who'll say I only got this role because of who my dad is,' he said. 'They're not seeing that I've had 10 years of acting classes, put on [high] school plays every week, worked on my characters for hours on end or the hundreds of rejected auditions I've been on.' Patrick admits to having moments where he wishes he weren't a Schwarzenegger. Those moments are fleeting though. 'I would never trade my life with anyone," he told the Sunday Times. "I'm very fortunate to have the life and the family that I have, the parents I have and the lessons and values they've instilled in me.' Born and raised in Los Angeles, Patrick's earlier acting credits include Stuck in Love, the love interest in Ariana Grande's 2013 music video for 'Right There,' Scream Queens, Moxie and Gen V. The actor's pushback against claims that he's a nepo baby — even after talking in the "Actors on Actors" segment about why he doesn't think he is — has generated controversy online. On X, many users criticized Patrick's comments, calling him a nepo baby who refuses to acknowledge it. Others, including his White Lotus costar Aimee Lou Wood, with whom he recently reunited, have been quick to come to his defense. 'Patrick Schwarzenegger says it's 'frustrating' that 'there are people who'll say I only got ['THE WHITE LOTUS'] role because of who my dad is.' … And then bringing his dad along on his Emmy campaign,' one X user wrote, while another said, 'I don't know how to explain it, but Patrick Schwarzenegger has the most pure energy. Just golden retriever, happy to be here, the most un-nepo baby to ever nepo baby.' Wood, meanwhile, called Patrick the 'hardest working and kindest man ever' in an Instagram Story in May that she posted alongside a clip of him speaking about how it feels to be told he only got his White Lotus role 'cause his dad's in the industry.' Other children of celebrities and prominent figures who've been dubbed nepo babies have chosen to chart a course different from Patrick's: They've parted ways with their famous last names. While chatting with Kate Hudson and her brother Oliver on their podcast, "Sibling Revelry," former first lady Michelle Obama spoke about how her daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, with former President Barack Obama, 'don't want people to assume they don't work hard' or 'that they were handed things.' Malia, according to Michelle, goes by Malia Ann, her first and middle names. The 26-year-old filmmaker decided to drop her famous moniker from the short film she debuted at Sundance Film Festival in 2024. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughter, Shiloh Jolie, 19, debuted her new nickname, 'Shi' last month. The change comes a year after she petitioned to drop her father's surname. Vivienne, 16, another one of Jolie and Pitt's daughters, followed in her older sister's steps. She worked as a producer's assistant for The Outsiders, and her name was listed as 'Vivienne Jolie' in the Playbill. Nepo babies are celebrating their famous parents with the 'Holy Airball' trend on TikTok in which famous or wealthy teens and 20-somethings share an incorrect assumption or expectation made of them, followed by a humblebrag about how successful they actually are. The name of the trend is a reference to basketball, when a player egregiously misses scoring a basket. While many celebrity children are embracing their nepo baby status, others are reluctant. As Patrick demonstrates, there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to navigating life as a celebrity offspring.

'Karate Kid: Legends' took me back to the '80s. For the tweens I watched with, the film packed an emotional punch.
'Karate Kid: Legends' took me back to the '80s. For the tweens I watched with, the film packed an emotional punch.

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

'Karate Kid: Legends' took me back to the '80s. For the tweens I watched with, the film packed an emotional punch.

This post contains spoilers. Don't say we didn't warn ya. Hello, Yahoo Entertainment readers. My name is Suzy Byrne, and I've been covering entertainment in this space for over a decade — and longer elsewhere, but … details! I am not the cinephile who sees every big, splashy new release the moment it hits theaters. What brings me big-screen joy are kid-friendly flicks — like Lilo & Stitch, which had humor and heart, with my ohana. I'm a tenderhearted moviegoer who doesn't need two hours of explosions/violence/death. But also, as a busy working parent, getting two hours to turn off my phone, put up my feet and eat whatever I want while my child is fully entertained is the definition of movie magic. So that's what this is — one entertainment reporter + her 10-year-old + friends — seeing family-friendly fare, indulging in film-themed treats and replying all, to you, about the experience. Welcome to the kids movie club. 'Wax on, wax off' — those were the last words I heard, courtesy of the guy behind me, as Karate Kid: Legends started and our party of six (three moms, three kids, ages 8-10) settled in to watch. With a 41-year-old franchise — which has spawned six films and the Netflix show Cobra Kai — there's a lot of familiarity with the martial arts franchise from different eras. I remember seeing Karate Kid in the theater during the summer of 1984 — and doing crane kicks on the beach for the rest of my vacation when I wasn't trying to catch flies with chopsticks. When I went home, I cut out photos of Ralph Macchio from Teen Beat and taped them to my bedroom wall. I also vividly remember someone giving me what they claimed was 20-something-year-old Macchio's phone number and calling it — on a corded phone, youngsters — with my friends. I'm pretty sure we hung up on whoever answered. While to this day I could recite most of the film, with all the life lessons Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel-san, you don't have to have seen it or any of the others to enjoy Legends — and my daughter hadn't. Though it makes for a better watch. One mom-daughter pair in our crew saw the original the night before, and the tween yelled 'Johnny!' in delight during the mid-credits scene. My kid had no idea who Johnny (William Zabka) was. (He's come a long way, baby.) This installment of the martial arts franchise, which I enjoyed while sipping a Ruby Red Kicker (a mocktail with ruby red grapefruit, cream of coconut, agave and lime), sees Macchio (Daniel in the first three movies as well as in Cobra Kai) and Jackie Chan (Mr. Han in 2010's The Karate Kid with Jaden Smith) reprising their roles as they come together to help Li Fong (Ben Wang) best his bully rival in the 5 Boroughs Tournament. Li, who is Han's great-nephew, studied kung fu in Beijing before moving to New York City. However, his brother was fatally stabbed during a dispute they had with a kung fu opponent after a tournament. Li is haunted by that — and so is his mother, played by Ming-Na Wen, who doesn't want him to practice kung fu anymore. And what's a Karate Kid movie without a love story? Li meets Mia (Sadie Stanley) — daughter of Joshua Jackson's Victor, a former boxer turned pizza shop owner who owes money to the wrong guys — and their PG relationship sparks trouble with her ex, karate champ Conor (Aramis Knight). Legends takes place three years after Cobra Kai's series finale. It includes nods to its history, starting early on with a throwback scene of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita) from Karate Kid II. It led to the explanation of the deep connection between Miyagi and Han. Han also visits Daniel at Miyagi-Do dojo in California, with the iconic yellow convertible parked outside, to convince him to come to New York to train Li. But there's lots of forward momentum to the story, down to the crane kick being replaced by the acrobatic, spinning dragon kick. While the film may be lagging in box office expectations, the room of moviegoers I was with clapped at the end — and I can't remember the last time that happened. Our young film enthusiasts again liked the funny parts: They laughed as masters Daniel and Han squabbled over which of their martial arts styles was better while training Li. ('What happened to two branches, one tree?' Li asked. 'One branch stronger than the other,' Han replied.) They cracked up when Johnny brainstormed Miyagi-Dough pizza ideas with an exasperated Daniel. ('Olives on, olives off' was the funniest thing to the kids, despite none of them ever even trying one.) They also liked Li's tutor turned friend Alan (Wyatt Oleff) with his comedic relief. While nobody needed comfort during the movie, the eldest girl in our group told me the PG-13 rated film was the 'most violent' and 'intense' movie she had ever seen. Moments included Jackson's character being knocked unconscious and hospitalized as well as a recurring flashback of Li's brother's death. 'I don't hate Karate Kid, but I don't love it because I'm afraid of violence,' she said. (The same kid also danced excitedly through the closing credits, so it was a range of feelings.) My own child felt 'on guard the whole time,' telling me, 'I liked it, but it was not a relaxing movie. Everyone was jumping around. Fighting. The drama. The violence. The emotions. And it was so sad that Li's brother died.' The adults lapped up all the nostalgic elements. Before we even got in the theater, we had gone from talking about Macchio in Karate Kid to 10 minutes on The Outsiders, which came in 1983, also featuring Macchio, and had the cast of the century. It was all: 'I loved Johnny.' 'I loved Ponyboy.' 'Oh, Matt Dillon.' 'Ah, Rob Lowe.' 'Tom Cruise got so much better looking after that movie.' 'Emilio Estevez was my favorite.' Speaking of teen heartthrobs, during Legends, I was amused when, after Jackson had already appeared onscreen several times, my friend leaned over and said, 'Ohhh my gosh, it's PACEY!' just realizing the Dawson's Creek alum was playing a middle-aged movie dad. Someone has clearly not been watching Doctor Odyssey. Jackson was a nice addition to the film, and his pizza shop training with Li was a fun callback to Daniel and Miyagi of old, but then his character practically disappeared toward the end, even after all the training he did for the role. The team behind Legends wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel here. While there were new faces and impressive martial arts moves, the story played out in a similar way to past films, with a big tournament finale as a defining moment. In this one, Li bested Conor to win, and while he celebrated his winning moment, Conor came at him. Li not only stopped him, again, but then showed him mercy by not punching him when he could have. Li actually extended a hand to his rival. It reminded me why I liked the franchise in the first place, and it was a good lesson for the kids. There are so many movies the kids want to see this summer (shortlist: Elio, How to Train Your Dragon, The Bad Guys 2, Smurfs), yet we were served a trailer for R-rated Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight followed by a Blair Underwood Lexus commercial. It was definitely not a preview to remember. 'We went home and googled the ages of Pat Morita when the first Karate Kid came out (52) and Ralph Macchio in the current one (63),' my friend wrote. For the last few days, I've been stuck on the fact that Daniel is now older than Mr. Miyagi. Rule No. 1: Karate is for defense only. Rule No. 2: Googling your teen crush's current age as an adult is instant regret.

Patrick Schwarzenegger talks about the ‘baggage' of having famous parents. Why he's set on making a name for himself.
Patrick Schwarzenegger talks about the ‘baggage' of having famous parents. Why he's set on making a name for himself.

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Patrick Schwarzenegger talks about the ‘baggage' of having famous parents. Why he's set on making a name for himself.

Patrick Schwarzenegger is done with claims that he's a nepo baby. Instead of fighting the label, he's reluctantly come to accept it — but on his own terms. While chatting with his movie star father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, for Variety's "Actors on Actors" interview published on Tuesday, Patrick discussed the challenges of being seen as an actor in his own right. Patrick's mother, Maria Shriver, is a journalist and member of the Shriver and Kennedy families. The 31-year-old actor garnered acclaim for his portrayal of Saxon Ratliff, a narcissistic finance bro turned introspective sad boy, on Season 3 of The White Lotus. The anthology series, written and created by Mike White, is a social satire built around the guests and employees at a luxury resort. 'Mike White said that it comes with baggage, the idea that when you have successful parents like I do with you and mom, there's an added level of what other people think. Mike was worried about, if he cast me, what other people would think,' Patrick told Arnold of carrying the Schwarzenegger name. 'Which they did — they did care about that; people said that I got the role because of you and mom.' Patrick had contemplated dropping the Schwarzenegger name altogether. 'There were times earlier in my career where I was wondering, does it make sense to go under some sort of alias?' he said. 'It took a while for me to get to a point where I was less worried about, like, comparison and living in your shadow versus me just wanting to carve my own path and wanting to do it the way I thought I should do it.' Arnold told his son, 'You have never asked me to call a studio or to call an agent. You never asked me for advice when it comes to acting itself. You're a rare breed, and I'm very, very proud of you.' This isn't the first time Patrick has discussed the pitfalls of coming from a famous family. For his February 2025 cover story with the Sunday Times, the actor spoke candidly of the 'blessings and curses' of having such a recognizable surname, and how the nepo baby label minimizes the work he put into securing the role of Saxon on The White Lotus. 'I know there are people who'll say I only got this role because of who my dad is,' he said. 'They're not seeing that I've had 10 years of acting classes, put on [high] school plays every week, worked on my characters for hours on end or the hundreds of rejected auditions I've been on.' Patrick admits to having moments where he wishes he weren't a Schwarzenegger. Those moments are fleeting though. 'I would never trade my life with anyone," he told the Sunday Times. "I'm very fortunate to have the life and the family that I have, the parents I have and the lessons and values they've instilled in me.' Born and raised in Los Angeles, Patrick's earlier acting credits include Stuck in Love, the love interest in Ariana Grande's 2013 music video for 'Right There,' Scream Queens, Moxie and Gen V. The actor's pushback against claims that he's a nepo baby — even after talking in the "Actors on Actors" segment about why he doesn't think he is — has generated controversy online. On X, many users criticized Patrick's comments, calling him a nepo baby who refuses to acknowledge it. Others, including his White Lotus costar Aimee Lou Wood, with whom he recently reunited, have been quick to come to his defense. 'Patrick Schwarzenegger says it's 'frustrating' that 'there are people who'll say I only got ['THE WHITE LOTUS'] role because of who my dad is.' … And then bringing his dad along on his Emmy campaign,' one X user wrote, while another said, 'I don't know how to explain it, but Patrick Schwarzenegger has the most pure energy. Just golden retriever, happy to be here, the most un-nepo baby to ever nepo baby.' Wood, meanwhile, called Patrick the 'hardest working and kindest man ever' in an Instagram Story in May that she posted alongside a clip of him speaking about how it feels to be told he only got his White Lotus role 'cause his dad's in the industry.' Other children of celebrities and prominent figures who've been dubbed nepo babies have chosen to chart a course different from Patrick's: They've parted ways with their famous last names. While chatting with Kate Hudson and her brother Oliver on their podcast, "Sibling Revelry," former first lady Michelle Obama spoke about how her daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, with former President Barack Obama, 'don't want people to assume they don't work hard' or 'that they were handed things.' Malia, according to Michelle, goes by Malia Ann, her first and middle names. The 26-year-old filmmaker decided to drop her famous moniker from the short film she debuted at Sundance Film Festival in 2024. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughter, Shiloh Jolie, 19, debuted her new nickname, 'Shi' last month. The change comes a year after she petitioned to drop her father's surname. Vivienne, 16, another one of Jolie and Pitt's daughters, followed in her older sister's steps. She worked as a producer's assistant for The Outsiders, and her name was listed as 'Vivienne Jolie' in the Playbill. Nepo babies are celebrating their famous parents with the 'Holy Airball' trend on TikTok in which famous or wealthy teens and 20-somethings share an incorrect assumption or expectation made of them, followed by a humblebrag about how successful they actually are. The name of the trend is a reference to basketball, when a player egregiously misses scoring a basket. While many celebrity children are embracing their nepo baby status, others are reluctant. As Patrick demonstrates, there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to navigating life as a celebrity offspring.

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