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Jackie Chan Still Does His Own Stunts at 71
By Najla Zaidi | 16 Jun, 2025
"The actor who can fight" for over six decades, Chan has become a legend for his dedication to doing his own stuntwork.
Jackie Chan, 71, has no plans to stop performing his own stunts anytime soon.
“Of course, I always do my own stunts," he told Haute Living. "It’s who I am. That’s not changing until the day I retire, which is never! And to be honest, when you’ve done it for 64 years straight, there’s no physical preparation anymore. Everything is in your heart and soul; it is muscle memory.”
With more than 150 credits to his name over the past 60 years Chan has been injured but continues to prioritize authentic stunt work in his films. Asked whether he or any of his Karate Kid: Legends costars suffered an injury on set, he pointed out that on the set of fight-heavy films injury is routine.
“Every action movie, everybody get hurt, even me," he told People at Legends New York City premiere. “When I'm filming, I doesn't feel pain or hurt,” Chan said, “but after cut I go home, I [am a] cripple.” He pulled up his pant sleeve to reveal a bruise he had sustained the past week.
The film industry has evolved to use stunt doubles, CGI and wirework to add death-defying stunts, but Chan remains a purist who prefers doing stunts the traditional way.
“In the old days, the only [choice we had] was to be there and jump; that’s it,” Chan explained. “Today, with computers, actors can do anything, but there’s always a sense of reality that you feel is missing.”
“It’s a double-edged sword," he continued. "On one hand, actors become more and more capable of doing impossible stunts with the help of technology, and yet, on the other hand, the concept of danger and limit gets blurred, and the audience is numb [to it]. But I’m not encouraging anybody to risk their lives to do the stunts like I did; it truly is too dangerous.”
“People definitely don’t like to see Jackie Chan with CGI, of course,” Chan told NBC News.
Karate Kid: Legends, reprises the role Chan first played 15 years ago in a remake of the original 1984 original. As Mr. Han he's a maintenance worker and kung fu master who mentors the first Asian American karate kid, portrayed by “American Born Chinese” star Ben Wang. Pat Morita, who played the iconic Mr. Miyagi in the original Karate Kid movie, was the only Asian American cast member at the time. The lack of representation and some of the plot points have drawn criticism from fans and the Asian community over the years. Despite that Chan thinks the movies have helped make strides for cultural awareness.
This time he stars opposite Ralph Macchio who is returning to the film franchise as karate master Daniel LaRusso, now a middle-aged adult on the hit Cobra Kai streaming series that ran for seven seasons. In the new movie Ben Wang plays Li Fong, a new kung fu prodigy who struggles to fit in after moving from Beijing to N.Y.C.
The original “Karate Kid” movie became a cultural phenomenon since its debut, epitomizing the old master mentoring a teen underdog narrative and eventually helping popularize martial arts across the United States.
“It gave people a [new] way of looking at Asian culture, not just kung fu or karate, which are typical practices in Asian countries, but that’s just [scratching the] surface,” Chan said. “What’s more important is for the audience to know more about Asian culture, or at least part of it.”
“[Legends has] a lot of good and real action in it and you get to feel it only on the big screen, Chan said. "This is also a movie about love, affection, friends and family." He expressed his belief that it captures the true essence of what made the original so popular.
Chan’s upcoming projects include, The Shadow’s Edge, and in 2026, Rush Hour 4 in which we see him team up again with Chris Tucker.
“Of course, I always do my own stunts. It’s who I am,” he told Haute Living.
The Oscar winner, Jackie Chan still does his own stunts at 71.
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