Jackie Chan has revealed that he felt significant pain after a day of filming action scenes for Karate Kid: Legends, admitting that the physical toll is becoming harder to bear at the age of 71. Despite the strain, the legendary martial artist continues to perform his own stunts, believing it’s a key part of maintaining authenticity and earning the respect of audiences.
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Appearing on The One Show alongside co-star Ralph Macchio and newcomer Ben Wang, Chan explained why he refuses to use a stunt double. Speaking to presenters Alex Jones and Clara Amfo, he said: “Back in the day, we had no money or time – we just risked our lives to get the shot. Now, even with technology, audiences don’t want to see Jackie Chan using special effects. So I still do my own stunts, and I told Ben he should too. That way, viewers respect you.”
Chan cited silent film stars like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd as his inspiration, praising their commitment to practical effects and physical comedy. He shared how he studied their work and adapted it for his own films, though often at great personal cost. “They did all kinds of crazy stunts with no effects – I thought, ‘I have to do it too.’ I changed things a bit for my films, but I still ended up getting hurt. Even now, sometimes I’m tricked into doing high falls. I see the set behind the scenes and think, ‘Oh, it’s not that high,’ then I realise I’ve been fooled again.”
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Reflecting on his early martial arts training in Hong Kong, Chan recalled harsh discipline. After watching a segment on a karate school in Glasgow, he said it reminded him of being 16 and training in a strict dojo. “Back then, if you made a mistake, the teacher would hit you. Today, luckily, teachers can’t do that – children could sue. We had to run for an hour at 5am, carrying food and water without spilling a drop. We had to balance a glass of water on the back of our hands while doing 1,000 punches and 500 kicks. The whole day was like that.”
