Jackie Chan passes the baton

I was a little sad to hear an announcement at the Cannes Film Festival today.  The Telegraph reports:

Jackie Chan has announced his retirement as an action star, saying he is too old for stunts and the world is “too violent”.

The 58-year-old actor said he felt “really, really tired” after decades of pushing his body to the limit.

Speaking in Cannes, Chan said that his latest Hollywood outing, Chinese Zodiac, would be the last time audiences see him in a leading action role.

“This is my last action film,” he said. “I tell you, I’m not young any more. I’m really, really tired.

“And the world is too violent right now. It’s a dilemma - I like action but I don’t like violence.”

Chan has been talking of retirement for the past couple of years but said today that this time he really means it.

He is not giving up his acting career, however. Chan would like to move into more serious roles.

“For the last 10 years I have been making some other different movies. I want to be an Asian Robert De Niro. I don’t just want to be an action star, I want to be a true actor. I want to get rid of my image,” he said.

There's more at the link.

I'll miss Mr. Chan's stunts and deadpan action humor, but I'll look forward to seeing another side of his acting.  I'd say he's earned a rest!

(If you're not familiar with his films, YouTube has a pretty good selection of his stunts, injuries and other highlights of his action movie career.)

Peter