Jackie Chan, 71, Says He’ll Do His Own Stunts ‘Until the Day I Retire, Which Is Never’

• Jackie Chan opened up about his action-packed career and new role in Karate Kid: Legends in a cover interview for Haute Living‘s April/May issue

• “I always do my own stunts. It’s who I am. That’s not changing until the day I retire, which is never!” the actor said with a laugh

• “When you’ve done it for 64 years straight, there’s no physical preparation anymore,” Chan added. “Everything is in your heart and soul; it is muscle memory”

Jackie Chan isn’t one to back down from a physical challenge.

The Karate Kid: Legends star, 71, is known for his action-packed movie roles, with his latest project being no different. And in a new April/May cover interview with Haute Living, Chan said he has no immediate plans to the contrary.

“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!” he said with a laugh.

For Chan, “When you’ve done it for 64 years straight, there’s no physical preparation anymore,” he explained. “Everything is in your heart and soul; it is muscle memory.”

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Granted, action sequences have come a long way technologically. “In the old days, the only [choice we had] was to be there and jump; that’s it,” Chan told the magazine. “Today, with computers, actors can do anything, but there’s always a sense of reality that you feel is missing.”

The Rush Hour star called the advancements “a double-edged sword,” in that “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,” Chan insisted.

In his newest venture, Chan reprises his role of Mr. Han from 2010’s The Karate Kid 15 years later, this time opposite Ralph Macchio returning to the film franchise as Daniel LaRusso following a stint as the character on Cobra Kai.

Mean Girls actor Ben Wang also stars as Li Fong, a new kung fu prodigy who struggles to fit in after moving from Beijing to New York City.

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Related: Here’s How Karate Kid: Legends Connects to Cobra Kai and the Previous Action-Packed Films (Exclusive)

Chan told Haute Living that Karate Kid: Legends “definitely [has] some really good action, but you also see friendship and dedication.”

“And you’ll see [that] when people hold hands and work together, there’s a miracle,” he continued. “Ben must have done something right to earn this. To me, he’s a good boy, a really good boy. He learns stuff fast and is always so humble and dedicated to this role.”

Asked the advice he’d give his own younger self in real life, the Hong Kong native said, “[I would have told me] learn as much as you can and don’t waste time.”

“I’d probably tell my younger self, ‘Jackie, you should study English harder, and don’t give up on learning that piano!’ ” Chan added. “I could have used those skillsets to make my movies better.”

Karate Kid: Legends is in theaters May 30.

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