Jackie Chan Confirms He Will Never Retire from Action Stunt Work

Los Angeles, CA – Jackie Chan, the iconic martial artist and actor known for his high-energy stunts, has announced that he has no plans to retire from performing stunts. In a recent interview promoting his upcoming movie, “Karate Kid: Legends,” the 71-year-old star confirmed that he still executes his stunts and plans to continue doing so indefinitely.

“Of course, I always do my own stunts. It’s who I am,” Chan told the media. “That’s not changing until the day I retire, which is never!” He emphasized that after over six decades in the industry, performing stunts has become second nature for him. “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,” Chan added.

As technology progresses, Chan noted that stunts have become easier, allowing actors to achieve extraordinary feats on screen. “In the old days, the only choice we had was to be there and jump; that’s it. Today, with computers, actors can do anything,” he explained. However, he also expressed concern about the loss of realism in action sequences: “There’s always a sense of reality that you feel is missing.”

Chan cautioned others against risking their lives for stunts. “I’m not encouraging anybody to risk their lives to do the stunts like I did; it truly is too dangerous,” he said. In “Karate Kid: Legends,” Chan reprises his role as Mr. Han, now mentoring a new kung fu prodigy, Li Fong, portrayed by Ben Wang.

Ralph Macchio will also return to his iconic role as Daniel LaRusso from the original “Karate Kid” series. “I was for sure super excited,” Chan said about returning to the character after more than a decade. “It’s been almost 15 years!” The film is set to hit theaters on May 30.