Jackie Chan is widely regarded as the king of the action-comedy genre. The star is well known and respected for his works around the globe. While the star is now counted among the greatest of all time, his road to success has been anything but smooth.

From Hong Kong to Hollywood, Jackie Chan has become a household name. However, initially, Chan faced difficulties while trying to make a name for himself in Hollywood. Losing his originality and unfavorable scripts were some of the many hurdles he faced. Eventually, after several shots for nearly two decades, Chan was finally able to crack the code.

The disappointment on the second try

In his book, Never Grow Up, Chan wrote about his breakthrough journey in Hollywood, among others. In the 18th chapter of the book, titled “What if I die?” Chan wrote about the helpless situation he found himself in, in 1985.

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During his second attempt in Hollywood, the filmmakers decided to portray him as the tough guy. However, the actor was far from happy about it. In his book, he writes, “I was against this. It was the American version of trying to turn me into Bruce Lee. A cold-blooded killer type did NOT suit me, nor did I enjoy playing such roles.” He then clarified that he had no qualms about taking up the tough-guy image until the violence involved resulted from the defense.

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Unfortunately, in the end, he had to surrender and go ahead with what he was being told to do. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have any say in this role or the film. Whether I liked it or not, I was going to star in The Protector,” he adds. Ultimately, it ended with yet another flop for his career.

Jackie Chan and his lifelong connection to the cinema

Looking at the star’s filmography, it is safe to say he has spent most of his life on movie sets. Chan made his acting debut at the young age of five. He worked as a child actor in the early 60s, and his first role was as an extra child actor in Big and Little Wong Tin Bar in 1962. Later, in his teenage years, he worked as a stuntman in many movies.

He has worked as a stuntman opposite the martial arts legend Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury (1972) and Lee’s last movie, Enter the Dragon (1973). However, the film that became the turning point in his career was his 1978 action comedy Snake In The Eagle’s Shadow. By the end of the 1970s, Chan had become a household name in Asia.

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Since then, though his initial attempts were unyielding, all his efforts finally paid off in 1995. With his film, Rumble in the Bronx, Chan was able to make it big in Hollywood.