Buddy cop films had become a thing of the past by 1998 when Brett Ratner’s blockbuster Rush Hour came to the forefront. Both critics and viewers agreed that the success of any buddy cop movie depends on the quality of its lead actors because the genre was well-established. However, the film that launched Jackie Chan’s career as an international star did not exactly appeal to him.
The 69-year-old actor once admitted that he was not a huge fan of the Rush Hour movies. He stated in a previous interview that he was not sure the American audience would even enjoy the film.
In addition, the Drunken Master actor never truly felt at ease with Rush Hour.
He was a well-known action/comedy star in Hong Kong for many years and believed he had a grasp of how the genre functions. Though, he just did not find Rush Hour amusing, to put it simply.
Jackie Chan’s Conflicting Experiences While Filming Rush Hour
Lights, camera, action (Jackie Chan)!
Jackie Chan is a well-known martial arts expert and a legendary action star who has mesmerized audiences with his incredible agility and unmatched actions. However, there was a time when the cast and crew of Rush Hour found themselves laughing uncontrollably at the actor’s dialogue, which eventually confused him.
Chan is a world-renowned actor whose native tongue is Cantonese. But Rush Hour required him to deliver dialogues in English, which complicated his performance further. He once explained why he was not the biggest fan of Ruch Hour film by saying:
“On the set, I don’t understand, they speak English so fast. I was like, ‘what’.” And after I say it, everybody is laughing, I still don’t understand.”
He continued by describing why he was forced to shoot fewer action scenes, even though he wanted to do more of them:
“They said, ‘No more actions as we have no enough time and had to go home sleep. Union work, union rule.’”
The Big Brawl, a 1980 movie starring Jackie Chan, was his first Hollywood production. Yet, Chief Inspector Lee from Rush Hour was his most well-known performance.
Did He Not Like The First Rush Hour Film?
In 1998, Rush Hour, the first film in the Rush Hour series, was released. The film had a $33-35 million budget, but it made about $244 million worldwide. Even though it was a hit, Jackie Chan later admitted he was not a big fan of the movie. He discussed the movie in an interview that was conducted in June 2001, saying,
“When I made Rush Hour, I looked at the film and I didn’t really like it. Another one of my films that is not appealing to the American market. I thought Rush Hour could do well in the American market, but I don’t think so at that time. At the time, I didn’t know about American humor. So when I looked at it [the film] by myself I was not sure. Then I return to Asia to make my own film and boom, Rush Hour is a big success. I just don’t understand why.”
The reason Chan thought less highly of the Rush Hour movies than of some of his other films is likely due to cultural differences.
He also observed that he had approached Rush Hour with “a Chinese mind.” He further claimed to have no understanding of “American culture” or “American dialogue,” which were crucial to the comedic tone of these films.
Well, the Rush Hour series enjoyed tremendous box office success. Chan’s highest-grossing movie at the time in the US was the first movie, which brought in over $244 million globally.
Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Rush Hour 3 (2007), the sequels, also did well at the box office, earning over $347 million and $258 million globally, respectively.
You can watch Rush Hour, which is streaming on Netflix, Max
Related: Jackie Chan Called MCU “Fools” for Choosing Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man: “No one hires me”
Source- Late Night Talks
