While Jackie Chan has crafted several beloved classics throughout his illustrious career, the 2010 The Karate Kid remains pretty close to his heart. Produced by Jerry Weintraub, James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith, starring Chan and Jaden Smith at the forefront, the fish out of water story of the film’s main protagonist really resonated with the Hong Kong legend.
Further reflecting on the movie, the actor also recalled one of his movies’ negative impact on his fans, which made him care about the roles he was taking, as box office numbers were no longer on his priority list.
Jackie Chan Resonated With the Theme of The Karate Kid
Even though the Rush Hour Star was a major superstar in Asia by the late 80s, climbing the ladders of success in Hollywood was an uphill battle, following the language barrier when he initially arrived in Hollywood. And considering he endured a similar beginning in Hollywood like Jaden Smith‘s Dre Parker in The Karate Kid, it’s reasonable to see why the project was so dear to Chan’s heart.
“I understand the fish-out-of-water story… About 30 years ago, I went to America for the first time by myself. When you’re in a completely different culture, it’s very frightening.” Chan explained.
While expressing his desire to play meaningful characters like Mr. Han in The Karate Kid, the actor recalled his initial days of stardom when the paycheck was on his priority list and how it changed.
Drunken Master’s Impact on Fans Pushed Jackie Chan to Pursue More Meaningful Roles
Before shifting his focus to more inspiring roles that have a positive impact on his fans, in the early days of stardom, Jackie Chan‘s lone goal was to generate big numbers at the box office. But things changed after the release of Drunken Master, which was extremely successful and had a lasting impact on Chan’s fans. And even though the movie was great on its own rights, Chan was not fond of the movie’s influence, as fans of the actor tried to replicate the drunken style of fighting.
“When I was young I didn’t care about education, just money and box office. People just copied all the bad things I was doing in movies.” Chan said.
This resulted in the actor giving more emphasis to the characters he chose to play, and with the sequel to the Drunken Master, the Hong Kong legend inspired fans to not drink and fight.
Jackie Chan has come a long way from his Drunken Master days, and the actor succeeded in his quest to “do something meaningful” in his career with The Karate Kid.
The Karate Kid is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: BBC News
