The slapstick comedy and action film director never did expect himself to receive an Oscar initially, because the genre of his films were not considered mainstream projects. However, that changed when Jackie saw good friend Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone’s gold statuette in his house 23 years ago, “I touched it, kissed it, smelt it, I believe it still has my finger prints. Then I thought to myself, I really want one”.
Finally, after 56 years in the film industry, acting in more than 200 movies and breaking “so many bones”, the 62 year-old achieved his dream of receiving an Oscar award and said, “Finally, this is mine”.
At the awards ceremony, the stuntman turned actor was introduced by Chris Tucker, his Rush Hour co-star who in turn thanked Jackie for “blessing me with global notoriety”, Chinese-Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh and American Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, who referred to him as “Jackie Chantastic Chan.”
Jackie continued to thank his fans for giving him the drive to continue making films, and Hong Kong, for making him feel proud to be Chinese.
The awards ceremony was also attended by a bevy of Hollywood and international celebrities such as Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Nicole Kidman and Taiwanese singer Wang Leehom, who congratulated Jackie while taking a picture together.
Jackie’s recent movie Skiptrace co-star Fan Bing Bing, also sent him a congratulatory message on her Weibo, “Congratulations big brother! It’s been a difficult 56 years, but your determination has paid off, this awards belongs to you! We will always be proud of you!”