A date with the Kung Fu Master
Mpho Mokwape | Friday March 17, 2017 16:08
Jackie Chan, born Kong-sang Chan, is no stranger to everyone here and back home in Botswana. During the era of videocassettes, many grew up watching his action films. Even to date the new generation is still enjoying his ‘kung fu’ moves, especially with the recent remake of the famous Karate Kid film in which Chan co-starred with Will Smith’s son Jaden.
Chan is a Chinese household name and for any citizens here, coming face-to-face with him is a dream come true.
Film, television, radio, movie and music stars have become known as celebrities and to some heroes. Most will become so starstruck when they meet these people that they act out of character or even cry.
Well, I met Chan here in Beijing at a press conference on the arts industry in China and I am glad to say, I did not fall to pieces!
I knew prior to the press conference that the action film star would be there as the main speaker and like everyone who grew up watching his films and still does, I was excited.
Undeniably, I knew I would hold the bragging rights over my nephews and anyone who cares to listen, but on the day of the press conference, I must admit my reaction was dampened not because I was not excited, but because we thought he was a no-show.
For a moment most of our group just stood there looking around for him. All the speakers at the top table looked old and at first glance, it appeared the movie star had ditched the event.
It appears my childhood hero has really aged and many of us felt embarrassed when we realised during the introductions that he was right there and had been the whole time. We just did not notice him when he was right in front of us.
Talk about being brainwashed! We tend to think people we see on television and in the movies are somehow not human and just stay the same or remain ageless. We see them in their prime and sort of expect to see them unchanged along the years. Quite insane, but I know that is what many of us think even if we do not acknowledge it.
Chan is as old as one can imagine. Physically he still looks fit for a 63-year-old, but the cracks on his face show that the man has been around for ages. Many have been sleeping on his age because the man can still do stunts in movies to the extent that we forget that some are just staged and not real. That is the whole point of enjoying a film, suspending your disbelief and believing the fiction is reality.
Enough about his aging, the Kung fu master who is also as an actor, director and a producer, is very funny in real life.
Clad in signature glasses, Chan cracked jokes while questions were thrown at him, even though for the most part, he spoke in Mandarin.
For a moment you had the sense he was just an ordinary guy who does not take himself seriously, but when it comes to his craft, Chan is anything but casual about it. His eyes burn with passion and love for his craft and he would only become serious when talking on this subject.
The movie star spoke about the hard work that landed him in Hollywood, the world’s most recognised film and movies stage and the many rejections he suffered before making it big.
“Hollywood is more organised and there is a lot of hard work that goes in there. Being recognised there is anot only a privilege but it is a sign of hard work and dedication. We need to work hard to get our movies to Hollywood,” he said.
The star we all love and admire is just a simple man with a constant smile on his face. So open and relaxed was he that there was no temptation to become starstruck. We all relaxed in our seats and took him as one of us. His cheeky sense of humour made it so simple to just look and listen to him while admiring his greatness.
Being lucky and blessed does not even begin to explain the joy I felt for having met such a humble Hollywood star. They are not all the divas we have been told they are.
Quick facts about Chan
He was born in Hong Kong, China in April 1954. He began studying martial arts, drama, acrobatics and singing at age seven. His big break came in 1973 after Bruce Lee’s death as a successor to his mantle, becoming the King of Hong Kong cinema. He rose to fame in Hollywood around 1995. Off Camera Chan is a noted philanthropist.
*Mpho Mokwape is in Beijing, China on the ongoing Fourth China Africa Media Centre programme, which has grouped 29 journalists from Africa to experience and explore the Oriental giant.