Jackie Chan Slams Modern Hollywood: “They’re Not Filmmakers, They’re Business Guys”
At the Locarno Film Festival, Jackie Chan didn’t hold back when sharing his thoughts on the state of Hollywood filmmaking today. The action legend told a packed crowd that big studios have lost touch with creativity, replacing filmmaking passion with corporate priorities.
“I think the old movies are better than today. Right now, a lot of big studios, they’re not filmmakers, they’re business guys. They invest 40 million and think, ‘How can I get it back?’ And you can’t go over. It’s very difficult to make a good movie now.”
Speaking with Locarno festival head Giona Nazzaro, Chan reflected on his decades-long career, from his start in Hong Kong cinema to his wildest stunt stories, and how he learned nearly every job on a set — acting, directing, stunt choreography, editing, and more.
“In all of Asia, only two directors can do everything: the writing, directing, acting, stunt coordinating, stunt fighting, and editing. Only two. One is Sammo Hung, the second one is Jackie Chan. And I’m better because I know how to sing.”
Chan explained that singing wasn’t just a side hobby. Early in his career, he realized that constantly performing dangerous stunts wasn’t sustainable.
“I cannot do this forever. It’s just so dangerous. Whatever station I would go to, they ask me how to punch and kick. I thought, What should I do? I should learn how to sing. Then I started trying to learn how to sing. I wanna be the Asian Robert De Niro.”
By the early 2000s, Chan had grown frustrated with Hollywood. He said he couldn’t connect with American audiences and was tired of being offered weak scripts. He was ready to walk away until one final gamble changed everything. That gamble was Rush Hour.
“Rush Hour. It was the last try. If it doesn’t succeed, then I finish. I think Rush Hour changed the culture.”
It also solidified his goal of being “a cross-cultural bridge between the US and China.”
Chan was in Locarno to receive the festival’s prestigious Pardo alla Carriera award for career achievement, with screenings of his directorial classics Project A and Police Story.
Even with all the accolades, his words carried a clear message Hollywood might have the money, but it’s losing the heart.
Source: Deadline