Jackie Chan reassures fans he is healthy on his 70th birthday after photo sparks concern
By Bryan Ke
Jackie Chan has reassured his fans that he is in good health on his 70th birthday after concerns were raised over a photo of the iconic actor with an almost unrecognizable appearance and gray hair.
Key points:
- Chan celebrated his 70th birthday with a set of throwback pictures on Instagram on Sunday. The septuagenarian addressed faans’ concerns in his post, noting how a lot of his friends also became concerned after seeing the picture.
- “I want to take this opportunity to let everyone know, don’t worry,” Chan wrote. “It’s just a character appearance for my latest movie. The character requires me to have white hair, white beard and look old.”
- The picture in question shows Chan sitting in a chair on a stage, sporting gray hair and a different appearance than usual.
The details:
- In addition to addressing the picture, Chan admitted that his heart “would stop for a second” every time he heard someone mention that he would be turning 70 soon.
- He said that after recovering from the shock, the second thing that would come to his mind was something fellow Hong Kong acting legend Sammo Hung once told him: “Being able to grow old is a fortunate thing.”
- “Especially for us stunt people, we don’t know how lucky we are to be able to grow old,” Chan wrote.
- Chan also commented on the throwback pictures his staff dug up from a photo archive. He wrote, “Looking at these photos brings back so many fond memories. All I can say is: I love making movies and I love you all.”
- Many people from around the world greeted Chan on his birthday, including Hollywood star Will Smith. Smith and Chan worked together on “The Karate Kid” 2010 remake, starring Jaden Smith. Jaden, now 25, was only 11 years old when they filmed the movie.
- In his Instagram post, Smith thanked Chan for helping them raise Jaden. He added, “Our time with you in Beijing during the Karate Kid left an eternal impact on our entire family.”
What’s next:
- Chan is gearing up to work with Ralph Macchio on a new “The Karate Kid” movie. He will reprise his role as Mr. Han from the 2010 remake, while Macchio will reprise his role as the original Karate Kid, Daniel LaRusso.
- “American Born Chinese” star Ben Wang will be playing the lead role in the new movie, which is expected to premiere on Dec. 13, 2024.
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