Jackie Chan Says Retirement Isn’t in His Script—Not Now, Not Ever

 

At 71, most actors are slowing down, but not Jackie Chan. The global action legend recently opened up in an interview with Haute Living, and if you thought he was hanging up his stunt shoes anytime soon think again.

The "Rush Hour" and "Drunken Master" star is currently promoting his next big-screen outing, "Karate Kid: Legends", and while fans have expressed concern about his health and age, Chan made one thing very clear: he’s not going anywhere.

“Of course, I always do my own stunts. It’s who I am,” Jackie declared.

“That’s not changing until the day I retire, which is never!”

Chan, whose first on-screen appearance dates all the way back to 1962, says after 64 years in the business, his body doesn’t need preparation his stunts are all instinct now.

“Everything is in your heart and soul; it is muscle memory,” he said.

From flips to falls, what seems impossible for most actors is second nature for Chan. But he’s not blind to the evolution of action filmmaking.

The martial arts icon reminisced about a time when "jumping off a building" meant actually jumping off a building. These days, computer-generated magic can make anyone look like a superhero.

“Today, with computers, actors can do anything, but there’s always a sense of reality that you feel is missing,” Chan observed.

He acknowledged that technology is a “double-edged sword” while it’s opened up new frontiers in action, it’s also dulled the audience’s sense of danger and authenticity.

“Actors now can do impossible stunts with help… but the limit is blurred. The danger feels less real,” he said.

While Jackie may still leap from scaffolding like it's 1985, he cautions aspiring action stars not to follow in his footsteps too literally.

“I’m not encouraging anybody to risk their lives to do the stunts like I did,” he said. “It truly is too dangerous.”

That said, don’t expect him to switch to CGI or stunt doubles. He’s all in until the very end.

Chan’s cinematic journey began at just 8 years old, with a minor role in the Cantonese film "Big and Little Wong Tin Bar". Decades later, he's become a household name, redefining action cinema with his trademark mix of martial arts, physical comedy, and jaw-dropping stunts.

And according to him, he’s still got more to give.