5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Jackie Chan honoured at Locarno Film Festival, says 'I'm 71 and I can still fight'
Actor Jackie Chan was honoured with Locarno's career achievement award, the prestigious Pardo alla Carriera, at the ongoing Locarno Film Festival 2025, reported Variety.
At the Swiss fest, the actor opened up about his early days in showbiz and reenacted his role in Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon.
Chan played a small part in the film. In the past, he admitted Lee accidentally hit him with a stick during a scene, but that didn't stop him from completing the take.
"I'm no Superman. I am scared. Before a stunt, I go: 'Am I going to die this time?" Jackie Chan was quoted as saying by Variety.
The actor also talked about how he developed an interest in martial arts.
"I was lazy, naughty, I didn't want to study, that's why my father sent me to martial arts school. I liked fighting when I was young. Later, he asked: 'Did you like the school?' Yes, very much. I could kick the teacher, punch someone, whatever I wanted," he joked.
Variety reported that Chan started out as a stuntman, appearing in Lee's Fist of Fury, before eventually transitioning into acting following some childhood experiences on set.
The actor also admitted that he never wanted to limit himself to just acting. Ambitious, Chan revealed that he wanted to learn filmmaking from scratch.
"I do everything myself. Now, I tell filmmakers: 'If you only learn how to direct, that's not good enough'," said Chan.
The actor's directorial projects include Police Story, Police Story 2, The Fearless Hyena, The Young Master and others.
While honouring Chan with the achievement award, artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro said, "He reinvented, literally, what an action film is. There is before Jackie Chan and there's after."
Accepting the award, Chan recalled a conversation he had with his father, back when he asked him: "I'm 60. Can you still fight when you're 60?" Chan replied: "I didn't know what to say [to him]. But now I'm 71 and I still can fight."
Chan was recently seen in the film Karate Kid Legends, which starred Ben Wang in the lead role. It was the sixth film in the Karate Kid franchise.
