‘It’s a double-edged sword’: Jackie Chan on use of CGI in Hollywood stunts

WASHINGTON: Actor and martial artist Jackie Chan believes that the CGI has improved Hollywood’s stunts, but at the cost of realism, Variety reported.

In a recent sit-down with Haute Living, as quoted by Variety, the legendary actor and martial artist shared his thoughts on the current state of Hollywood stunts, which is dominated by CGI and wirework trickery.

“In the old days, the only [choice we had] was to be there and jump; that’s it. Today, with computers, actors can do anything, but there’s always a sense of reality that you feel is missing”, said Chan as quoted by Variety.

The actor calls CGI a “double-edged sword” as it helps the actors perform impossible stunts, but at the same time, he also believes that with special effects, the audience becomes numb to the “concept of danger”.

“It’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, actors become more and more capable of doing impossible stunts with the help of technology, and yet, on the other hand, the concept of danger and limit gets blurred and the audience is numb [to it]. But I’m not encouraging anybody to risk their lives to do the stunts like I did; it truly is too dangerous,” said Jackie Chan as quoted by Variety.

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Chan, a master stuntman, has seen his fair share of big-screen action in movies ‘Drunken Master,’ ‘Police Story’ and ‘Rush Hour.’ And, even at 71 years old, he has no plans to slow down.

“Of course, I always do my own stunts. It’s who I am. That’s not changing until the day I retire, which is never! And to be honest, when you’ve done it for 64 years straight, there’s no physical preparation anymore. Everything is in your heart and soul; it is muscle memory,” said Jackie Chan.

The actor will be next seen in ‘Karate Kid: Legends,’ which is set to release on May 30. He will be starring alongside Ralph Macchio and Ben Wang while Chan will reprise his role of Mr. Han from the 2010 ‘Karate Kid’ remake.

Meanwhile, Legendary actor Jackie Chan will be honoured at the Locarno Film Festival. According to Variety, the festival organisers will honour Jackie Chan with a lifetime career award, recognising the martial arts master who helped define Hong Kong action cinema before becoming a Hollywood mainstay. (ANI)