Jackie Chan is a global phenomenon, beloved by millions for his extraordinary charisma, amazing stunts, and, of course, martial arts prowess. Having started his acting career in the 1960s and rising to international fame, the Hong Kong star, 69, has surely left a lasting impression on the film industry.
Among his most prosperous Hollywood endeavors was the renowned Rush Hour series, in which he co-starred with the gifted actor-comedian Chris Tucker. But did you know that behind the scenes was an intense story where Chan’s need for more action escalated to a breaking point? The filmmakers were adamant about wrapping up the shoot, so they made the actor leave the set. But the Academy Award-winning actor insisted on continuing to shoot because he wanted to do more action sequences.
Related: Jackie Chan Called MCU “Fools” for Choosing Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man: “No one hires me”
Jackie Chan’s Differing Experiences While Filming Rush Hour
Jackie Chan co-starred with stand-up comedian-actor Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour series. Their unique personalities and lively on-screen chemistry came together to create an unbeatable combination.
Well, Chan discovered that he was drawn more and more to testing the limits of his physical abilities as the Rush Hour filming went on. With each scene, his desire to surpass himself and his thirst for excitement increased. But in the end, it clashed with the worries of the film’s production crew as a result of his ravenous appetite for “more” action scenes.
The actor once gave an explanation on Late Night Talks for why he was compelled to film fewer action scenes despite his desire to do more of them:
“They said, ‘No more action, as we have no enough time and you have to go home and sleep. I said, ‘I want to work more.’ They said, ‘No, union work, union rule.’”
Cantonese is the native tongue of the renowned actor. His performance was further complicated by the fact that he had to deliver dialogue in English for a 1998 buddy action comedy film. Thus, he probably didn’t enjoy his time working on the film, as Chan stated the following to justify why he was not the biggest fan of the Ruch Hour movie:
“On the set, I don’t understand;they speak English so fast. I was like, ‘what’?. And after I say it, everybody is laughing; I still don’t understand.”
Did He Dislike The 1998 Rush Hour Movie?
The first movie in the Rush Hour series came out in 1998. Despite a $33–35 million worldwide budget, the movie brought in roughly $244 million. Jackie Chan acknowledged that, despite the film’s success, he was not a huge fan. Speaking about the New Line Cinema film in an interview (via Fox News), he stated:
“When we finished filming, I felt very disappointed because it was a movie I didn’t appreciate and I did not like the action scenes involved. I felt the style of action was too Americanized and I didn’t understand the American humor.”
For Chan, Rush Hour 3 was also the same as the previous two installments. He stated that his enjoyment of the film was significantly influenced by his lack of understanding of the humor and cultural references in the film. To quote the actor:
“Nothing particularly exciting stood out that made this movie special for me … I spent four months making this film and I still don’t fully understand the humor.”
Indeed, the Rush Hour series was a huge hit at the box office; the first film made over $244 million worldwide. The sequels, Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Rush Hour 3 (2007), performed quite well at the box office, taking in over $347 million and $258 million worldwide, respectively.
All three Rush Hour films are available to rent on Apple TV.
