Jackie Chan has recently shared his two cents on today’s Hollywood movies at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
During a Q&A audience in Locarno, the action star slammed modern movies as he believed the industry focus too much on profits.
“I think the old movies are better than today,” said the Rush Hour actor.
Jackie explained, “A lot of big studios, they’re not movie-makers, they’re business guys.”
“They invest 40 million and think, ‘How can I get it back?’ And you can’t go over. It’s very difficult to make a good movie now,” stated the Police Story actor.
Jackie, who was at the festival to receive the Pardo alla Carriera award for career achievement, also opened up about his decades-long career, sharing his start in the industry, performing dangerous stunts and learning every role on set.
He also said that in all of Asia, only two directors could write, direct, act, stunt coordinate, and edit: his friend Sammo Hung and himself.
“And I’m better because I know how to sing,” quipped the actor.
Jackie disclosed that he took up singing because he didn’t want to be limited to risky stunt work forever.
“I cannot do this forever. It’s just so dangerous,” he remarked.
Kung Fu Panda star pointed out, “Whatever station I would go to, they ask me how to punch and kick. I thought, ‘What should I do?’ I should learn how to sing. Then I started trying to learn how to sing.”
Jackie added that he quickly switched his professional goals, and that his working goal was, “I wanna be the Asian Robert De Niro.”
However, the action star confessed that he once thought to leave Hollywood because of weak scripts and no connection with American audience.
Before leaving the US, Jackie said that he tried one more project and it was Rush Hour.
“It was the last try. If it doesn’t succeed, then I finish… I think Rush Hour changed the culture,” he concluded.