When I think of martial arts and action movies, my mind immediately goes to Jackie Chan. While the caliber of movies he has starred in has waned over recent years, his dedication to his craft has not. At 58, he is still performing his own stunts (he holds the Guinness for "Most Stunts By A Living Actor), has injured at least 18 body parts on numerous occasions, and brightens up any mediocre production with his own brand of comedy and action. But there is sad news coming out of Cannes today, with the actor announcing that his newest film, Chinese Zodiac, will be his last film in the genre.
Speaking of his decision, Chan said, " I tell you, I'm not young anymore. I'm really, really tired. And the world is too violent right now. It's a dilemma - I like action but I don't like violence". While he won't be starring in action films anymore, he will not be retiring from acting completely, wanting to focus more serious roles. "I want the audience to know I'm not only a comedian. I can act. Day by day, year by year, I'm going to show you the real Jackie Chan".
He has shown he can handle more dramatic roles, especially his impressive turn in Shinjuku Incident, so it will be interesting to see this new approach. Even more so since he has said he wants to be "the Asian Robert De Niro".
Source: The Telegraph
