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Jackie Chan gets domestic in latest stunt-filled role – Metro US

Jackie Chan gets domestic in latest stunt-filled role

In his latest stunt-filled movie, The Spy Next Door, Jackie Chan adds a new element to his usual bag of tricks: A love interest.

In the film, Chan stars as a retired spy trying to woo a single mother and win over her three young children when his old job comes back to haunt him. Chan talked to Metro about this new role.

How was it working with the kids?

Difficult. On the set sometimes, I’d want to take a rest for 20 minutes, but then it’s, “Jackie, I want to learn some karate,” “Jackie, I want to do this,” “Show me magic.” I had prepared all these tricks to entertain them. It’s not easy being a babysitter. Besides, I have to protect them on the set, with all the action sequences. I make sure everybody’s safe, especially the children. I have to be very careful.

How important is it to vary the types of films you make?

I think for the last 10 years, you can see there are different Jackie Chans. In Japan, I made a very heavy drama called Shinjuku Incident — not for children. I wanted to let the audiences see what I can do. After that, I made The Spy Next Door, then a black comedy, then the Karate Kid. I want the audience to know I’m a true actor who can fight, not a fighter who can act. Just like Robert De Niro. I want to be an actor. An actor can work forever. An action star’s life is very short.

Do advances in special effects make your job easier?

Yes and no. I want to learn some things about special effects. Last year or two years ago, I cannot remember, I visited James Cameron’s set for Avatar. I’ve been making movies for 47 years. After I looked at his set, I was just like a kid in kindergarten. You give me all that technology, I don’t know how to use it. That’s why I film the basic things. Simple — two cameras. So all those years I’ve just been doing Jackie Chan-style action. I would like to do these kinds of things, but I can’t.

This is the first time you’ve had a serious love interest in a movie.

Finally, yes. In my movies, we don’t have kissing scenes or making love scenes. We don’t have those kinds of things. I don’t think audiences want to see Jackie Chan naked or making love. And also there are so many children watching my movies. A small kissing scene is OK. But I would rather do action sequences.