Jackie Chan reflects on turning 70 years old: 'I cherish every moment'
Everyone's favorite martial arts hero just turned 70!
Jackie Chan took the time to celebrate turning another year older by sharing some throwback photos on his Instagram account. In the caption, he penned a lengthy message reflecting on his 62-year career in the entertainment industry.
"Even before today, many friends have been reminding me: 'Jackie, it’s going to be your 70th birthday!' Every time I hear this number, my heart would stop for a second — I’m 70 years old already?" Chan wrote.
"After recovering from the shock, the second thing that would come to my mind is a saying that my big brother, Sammo Hung once said: 'being able to grow old is a fortunate thing.' Especially for us stunt people, we don’t know how lucky we are to be able to grow old," he added.
The Hong Kong-born Chinese actor went on to address an issue about his health after his friends saw pictures of him online that showed him looking older.
"I want to take this opportunity to let everyone know, don’t worry! It’s just a character appearance for my latest movie. The character requires me to have white hair, white beard and look old," Chan assured.
He went on to say how he has always been "willing to try new things for a movie, no matter if it’s a challenging stunt or a breakthrough appearance for a character."
"I’ve been in the entertainment business for 62 years and I cherish every moment because I’m lucky I’m still filming today," he wrote.
His message was accompanied by photos of him throughout his career that were gathered by his staff. Chan noted how "looking at these photos brings back so many fond memories."
"All I can say is: I love making movies and I love you all. A big thank you to everyone for all your birthday wishes. Hope everyone stays happy and healthy!" he ended.
One of his celebrity friends who greeted him on his special day is Will Smith, whose son Jaden co-starred with Chan in the 2010 martial arts drama film The Karate Kid.
"Happy 70th (wow) Birthday to my Guy Jackie Chan! In addition to making some of my favorite movies of all time, creating some of the craziest moments that have ever been captured on film — I thank you most for helpin’ to raise Jaden," Smith wrote in an Instagram post that showed behind-the-scenes pictures during the making of The Karate Kid.
"Our time with you in Beijing during the Karate Kid left an eternal impact on our entire family. We wish you the deepest love and revelation on your next trip around the sun," he added.
Chan began his career as a child actor before becoming a stuntman in many Hong Kong movies. His first major breakthrough was the 1978 kung fu action comedy film Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, and since then, he has starred in similar kung fu action comedy films such as 1978's Drunken Master and 1980's The Young Master.