The Coming of Jackie Part 2

In 1981, Jackie Chan was doing press for his American release The Big Brawl and Neva Friedenn got assigned to do an interview with him for Kick magazine. The interview went on for so long, and Jackie talked so much (without a translator), that it had to be printed in three parts (Kick magazine, March - May, 1981). It’s the first, extensive English language interview Chan gave in his career and it reveals a ton of fun facts.

In it, Jackie said that for his American movies he was directed with finger gestures, with the producer flashing “one finger to be happy, two fingers to look angry.” He also rejected the comparisons to Bruce Lee, saying, “I like to be seen as a Dustin Hoffman who can fight.” But more than what he says, it’s the way he says it. Friedenn’s transcription is remarkable for how precisely it captures his character. Below, we’ve reproduced a long, very funny, excerpt to show you just how hard Jackie was working, even before he was making movies anyone much cared about, and how little the way he tells stories has changed.

The excerpt begins with Friedenn asking Jackie about his early movies, to which Jackie replies, “Oh! The worst movies of my whole life! You know, the director wanted me to be a big hero like this. He wanted me to do a love story. Oh! I hate that! I’m only twenty-one then. But he wants me to do a love story and the girl is bigger, older than me…thrity-two, something like that.”

He then expands…

Chan: The acting goes like this [putting on a heartsick expression and faking some dialogue]. “What are you talking about? Sniff-sniff [arch, controlled weeping sounds], sniff-sniff” You know, even when you cry, you cry like this. “Sniff! Sniff! No Yaaaaah” [wailing] no [gesturing to convey letting it out]. In a story with truth, like Fearless Hyena — “Aaaaah!” I also cry, but it’s different the way people really cry. “Waaaaahh!”

Kick: But not here in one of these stylized ancient period pieces.

Chan: Why not here? Here, they — the makeup men and assistants — they come up, they stop, they’re waiting for me. Sheeees!

Kick: You mean they wait at the precise blocking for the next scene, ready to check for perfect makeup?

Chan: Yeah, and if you’ve been doing this [rubbing eyes], then you’re like a [Chinese word] because you have makeup here. I mean, if you go [sniffing, fists in eye sockets] like this, then you look like a big bear, you know, like China gives Americans!

Kick: Panda bear!

Chan: Yeah. So whenever I cry they come up [and] stop; they’re waiting for me. But in my films, Young Master and everything after — no makeup.

Kick: Just how corny do those ancient Chinese costume dramas get?

Chan: Films where people cry like this, “Sniff-sniff?” Ugh! I said, “I can’t.” But I did love stories anyway. In one, when I’m sleeping, I dream the girl comes to me…[twirling and humming “La-la-lah…”] Yeah, really! Oh! It hurt my feelings! But [laughing], I’m with the girl out in the country, you know, the pr-r-retty landscape [humming, “Tra-la”], it’s in [singing] slow mo-o-tion, [spinning and miming, hugging and kissing all at the same time] — Aw-Gak!

Yeah, when the movie comes out, the audience goes “BOOOO!” The girl — the girl on the mountain’s like this [using hand movements to show the girl rolling down the mountainside] — she stops: [lengthy kissing scene…]. Yoi-oh-ee-yooh! My God!

[Much laughter all around from Chan’s publicist, manager, and assistants who’ve dropped in on the interview.]

…

But now it’s the 1970s, 1980; people don’t need those stories. Audiences today like new ideas — because we’re young! I know what you want; I know what you want to see! This one director, he’s still like [impersonating a conservative grandee] “No comedy.” Eee-yech! You know? It’s not that he’s a fool; he’s just out of date.

Kick: These ancient Chinese costume pictures sound as if they carefully follow a trend created by some of the successful Shaw Brothers films of a few years back. The action scenes make heavy use of trampolines, and the weapons are swords?

Chan: Tam-tam-tam [conveying swashbuckling swordplay]! Oh, too easy. Yeah, it’s too easy for me, tam-tam-tam-tam, then sheeew [flying through the air]! Tam-tam, tam-tam — Sheew! Yeah, the fighting scenes, they’re all chum-chum-chum [more outlandish swordplay moves]! And you know, if one day you want to try something, change something, the director gets upset. So most of the time on those movies, I’d just go to the set: Pam-pam, tam-tam, nothing much to do.

Kick: In the theater, it must have been quite an experience to watch yourself up on the screen in one of those artificial period pieces when a sophisticated Hong Kong movie audience was sitting all around the real you.

Chan: Everybody’s going, “BOOO!” Like this [through cupped hands] “BOOOOH!” I’m sitting in the theater, I’m crying, really. How can I do this? Oh! I’m upset. I get up and run away!

Kick: So with the ancient Chinese costume pictures, filming then was never the hardest part.

Chan: No. One of them was a very tough movie. We went on location to Korea. It was cold! Below zero — thirty [degrees] below! Yeah, every day, when I put the makeup on my face [patting shivering cheeks], really, I’m like this [teeth chattering]. They want to get a good take in one shot, the way they can in Taiwan — because in Taiwan, it’s hot.

Then I go to Korea, and they’re still saying, “Only one shot.” But [shivering] oh! You don’t believe how cold [it is]! When I talk dialogue, you know, smoke comes out my mouth because the is ice — ice cold. I have to drink cold water first. If I don’t, it’ll look to audiences in south Asian like I’m talking and smoking a cigarette they can’t see. So if I want no smoke, I have to drink cold water before saying each line in Korea.

Every day, it’s very tough to [apply] makeup. Not like in America, where big stars have big dressing-room trailers. I’m standing [out] on the street! Brrrr! Then the makeup people try, but it’s just like this: my face is [cheeks shaking uncontrollably]. The jum-ling [trampoline] — the jum-ling springs and everything are frozen. My first leap goes Poh [smacking a hand down; absolutely flat, no give]! Nothing! Then, you know, they warm up the trampoline over a fire, and I try to take off again. “Okay, one, two, three,” new camera: Poh! I can’t jump; I have nothing to help get me up over the house, maybe this high [gesturing seven or eight feet up], nothing.

But it’s a cold day. And the director wants it in one shot. I say, “Okay, I’ll do it.” I jump over the house, go into the fall. I’m like this: [demonstrating a rigor-mortis-legged landing] PUM!

The director says, “Run! Quick! Run!”

I say, “M-m-m-my foot [indicating that his foot is frozen stiff]!” My god! Yeah, really, I swear!

The director said, “Quick! My film! You’re spending my film!” He keeps on saying, “You spend my film! You run!”

I say, “No-o-o-o, my f-f-foot.”

Okay. We do it again. Yeah, the second time: PUM-PAH! [thighs-and-butt pancake landing]. My whole body is like, Pah! Broken!

I stand…up…again. It’s cold, the wind is very cold. I have no shirt, nothing like that. Uh! The worst!

[Smiling wryly] The box office? The worst.”