In Hollywood, when it comes to buddy cop comedies, the 1998 film Rush Hour stands out among all. One of the most beloved comedy franchises, the movie paired a fast-talking American detective James Carter played by Chris Tucker with a skilled Hong Kong Inspector Lee portrayed by martial artist and Hollywood star Jackie Chan. However, even though the chemistry between the two actors is the favorite part of the movie for many, in reality, the duo’s relationship headed to a bumpy start.
After three successful movies in the Rush Hour series, there have been ongoing rumors that Chan and Tucker might finally reunite for a fourth installment. But before that, it’s time to revisit their real-life first meeting that was just as entertaining as the movies.
Rush Hour stars’ bumpy start led to an unexpected blockbuster success
Any Rush Hour fan would be familiar with the iconic opening scene of the movie where Chris Tucker’s character screams at Jackie Chan with a question that is now an extremely famous expression, “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”
However, surprisingly this iconic line is a reflection of the duo’s first meeting with each other. As Chris Tucker explained during his interaction on East Coast Radio, his first meeting with Chan actually scared him. “First I was kind of scared because he never spoke. He didn’t say anything in the first meeting when we met each other.”
Furthermore, he continued, “We were in a meeting and we were talking about the movie… getting ready to do the movie and Jackie didn’t say nothing the whole time. He was just like shaking his head.”
Hence, the iconic question in the very first scene of the movie was actually a natural interaction between the two actors, ad-libbed by Tucker into the film.
“That was the whole thing I came up with. ‘Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?’ Because I was like…the first time I met him, I was like, ‘Does he understand English? Does he speak English?’ Just took that. That was the movie right there.”
Well, it’s clear that Tucker had no idea about how famous his ad-libbed dialogue was going to be. However, on the other hand, it seemed like Chan too was having a difficult time adjusting to Tucker’s speech.
Jackie Chan revealed that he thought Rush Hour was a ‘terrible movie’
Unable to find that one big break in nearly two decades in the American market, Jackie Chan had almost given up on his Hollywood dream. However, just before the actor thought of leaving it all behind, his manager convinced him to give it one more shot, asking him to consider the script for Rush Hour.
But funnily enough, Chan wasn’t exactly a fan of the comedic style of the film. As Yahoo Entertainment reported, the martial arts champion vowed never to do a movie like Rush Hour again after it was wrapped.
“That’s a terrible movie. They don’t allow me to do my own style [of action]. The English, I’m not good. Chris Tucker’s English, I don’t understand. Terrible movie!”
However, the actor was dumbfounded when he saw the audience enjoying his and Tucker’s work in the film. “Why are they laughing, I just don’t understand.”
Hence, despite their rocky start, the authentic chemistry between the two actors beautifully translated on the screen. After working in three Rush Hour movies together, the duo now share a friendly connection off the screen.
Source: East Coast Radio
