May 30 marks the premiere of Karate Kid: Legends, in which Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan team up to teach martial arts to a young boy. Chan has made over 150 films in a career that has lasted well over 60 years, and he is known to have pulled off some incredible stunts, sometimes resulting in brutal injuries.
But he’s still at it, and he has no plans to become just a digital special effect. In an interview with Haute Living, Chan explains that he’ll do everything himself as long as he’s active – and there’s no limit to that:
“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.”
Simply put, everything we see Jackie Chan do in Karate Kid: Legends, the 71-year-old does for real and that’s how it will always remain.