Never Grow Up

Never Grow Up by Jackie Chan with Zhu Mo          AudioBook: 9hrs. 30 mins.       Hardback Book:  352 pages                        

Jackie Chan has been a favorite celebrity of mine ever since I first became aware of him through the film, “Rumble in the Bronx” then after, t.v. talkshow appearances.   He has a great style, extraordinary Kung-Fu skills but with comedic timing the likes of Lucille Ball and Buster Keaton showing the regular person put in wild circumstances but by who’s skills or sheer luck, they come out o.k. and in Jackie Chan’s case a hero.   He has such a beautiful smile and sparkling mischievous eyes that in his agelessness you see the fun-loving little boy that still resides within him.   Though currently in his 60s, he is still looking for the next awe-inspiring stunt to pull off in his films to wow his fans, though, he admits he doesn’t know how much longer he can continue to do awesome stunts himself and has for the past couple of years gone for roles that rely more on his acting abilities than his action stunt work.   He tells throughout the book how he has gotten seriously hurt throughout his career and you come away wondering how he manages to stay alive.    He has had brain surgery from a fall, his ankles pop out of their sockets as he walks to this day from so many harsh landings on his feet.   He has suffered permanent hearing loss in one ear.   He is a perfectionist on set and has done as many as 50 takes of an action scene for it to look just the way he wants on screen.    He prefers the Chinese way of filming – everyone on set does whatever is needed to get the job done and does it as quickly as possible.   In the United States while he loves making films here it drives him crazy that jobs are only allowed to be done by whoever’s assigned to that job and people in that job will scream, “Hey!  That’s my job!”  If one of his staff go to do something on set they see needs done.   But the American person will also take their time doing whatever it is they need to do.    The American might even stop to chat with someone along the way before completing whatever task it is.    Jackie Chan is thinking time is money!  Just do it already!   He loves the amazing technology American film studios have and wishes so much that the Chinese film industry would catch up.   Even in his studio he is still using harnesses and ropes and was blown away by the holograms and CGI effects James Cameron and Steven Spielberg showed him at their studios.    Still Jackie Chan feels he prefers the realism of actually doing all the stunts often without a net or protection below from falls – hence why so many of his injuries – he can hardly straighten up his back each morning when he gets out of bed.   He has come so close to death so many times but as he said, “Wouldn’t that be amazing to hear that Jackie Chan died while jumping into a live volcano?   But I don’t want to die, yet.”    This year, he will turn 65.   He said he doesn’t feel old until he looks at his son who is now in his late 30s and he thinks I am an old man.   Should I stop doing all the dangerous stunts?   I don’t want to do them to the point the fans start saying STOP ALREADY – YOU ARE SO OLD JUMPING AROUND LIKE THAT YOU LOOK PATHETIC!  But on the other hand, he just can’t stop coming up new ideas for even greater stunts.   He has been scratched by a leopard and nearly attacked by it several times on set because he scared it once and it would never forget it.    He also rode a rhinoceros until someone threw him a spear because they thought it would make an awesome looking picture.   The rhinoceros didn’t think so and thought he was trying to attack it and took off running.   To save himself Jackie jumped off but the Rhino continued to charge him.   He swiftly climbed a tree until the rhinos owner got him calmed down and away.     Jackie discusses his childhood, sent away to boarding school from the age of 7 until he was 17,   the siblings from each of his parents previous marriages he didn’t find out about until his father was near death.    How his mother was forced to make a living from the streets to support her 2 daughters (long before Jackie was born).    How Jackie treats the women in his life with scorn because his friends tell him they are after his money, his gambling and drinking phases, and much more.    Really good book, you will learn so much about this celebrity icon. In his own words, “I am a man and I make mistakes.”    He tells his mistakes and his efforts to rectify them.   He tells fan stories and he has had some wacko adventures and potentially fatal encounters.   Really good book, one you won’t want to put down.    If you like Jackie Chan you will like this book.   If you like biographies, you will definetly like this one.    And if you love trues stories there is a lot to love about this one.    I feel like some of my starry-eyed fandom has gotten a wake up call,  but, still I think all in all Jackie Chan is one of my favorite celebrities.   I like how he is not afraid to laugh at himself and not afraid to show in every movie he makes the bloopers and how he gets hurt doing his stunts while the credit run.   He is a force to be reckoned with and proud to be Chinese.  Good Book.

 - Shirley J.