Tom Cruise is famous for doing all his stunts himself, be it climbing a building or hanging out of a plane. While the actor is best known for those features of his performance, there is one other actor that has him beat on sheer numbers when comes to doing stunts for their films.
Jackie Chan might be known as a martial artist first, but an important part of his acting career has been his tenure as a stuntman, in the Hong Kong film industry and at Hollywood. And this is not just some anecdote that fans cheer about on the internet, it has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Jackie Chan holds the record for most stunts performed by a living actor
Jackie Chan is one of the biggest action stars out there. Not only that, but he is an accomplished producer, writer, and director. The artist first got his start by doing stunts for martial arts films. He has appeared in over a hundred films, most of which have had excessive stunt work that the actor has done himself or in tandem with his stunt team.
The actor’s brand of comedy usually works with slapstick, which requires a lot of stunt work as objects are broken and used as weapons for fight choreography. This usually results in the crew and the actor undertaking a lot of stunt work, even for smaller scenes that are not big action set pieces.
The Guinness Book of World Records awarded Jackie Chan for the Most stunts by a living actor, which was given to the Rush Hour alum in 2012. This record is yet to be broken by any other actor. Despite his extensive work with stunts, Tom Cruise hasn’t even come close to such an achievement. The stunt work that the actor does is undoubtedly unparalleled, but Jackie Chan has Tom Cruise beat on sheer numbers. Given the brand of comedy that Jackie Chan creates, the stunt work required might be not as grand as those of Cruise, but are more numerous in number.
Jackie Chan’s commitment to stunt work has earned him quite a reputation
Jackie Chan is one of the most comedic actors that the industry has seen. Apart from that, the actor also has a great deal of marital arts experience, one that he employs in tandem with his comedy chops. Jackie Chan has also proven himself to be a great actor, one who understands the filmmaking process. With his background in stunt performance, the actor can craft amazing fight scenes that are impactful.
Jackie Chan and Tom Cruise are two actors who are known for their stuntwork. While Tom Cruise has an up-down approach to stunt work, wishing to do what the script demands, Jackie Chan works with stunts first, incorporating moments into his script, and working closely with his team to create impactful sequences that resonate with fans.
