“Tiny Amount of Money for 10 Hours of Sweat and Blood”: $400 Million Worth Jackie Chan Once Started Out With a Petty Salary as a Martial Artist

Published 12/14/2022, 1:45 PM EST

Jackie Chan, the phenomenal martial arts icon, set out on his acting adventure without a Plan B. His path to stardom was strewn with struggles, challenges, and setbacks. As an iconic performer, besides recognition and stardom, the Rush Hour star is one of the most highly-paid actors in the world, unlike the days when he started as a stuntman.

Chan is a self-made superstar. In his book, Never Grow Up, Chan writes about his journey from feeling like a daily wage laborer to earning huge remuneration, with references to captivating incidents portraying the two contrasting phases.

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Jackie Chan envied people with money

The film industry is so glamorous that one would want the glory and stardom more than anything else. Chan was there too. In a thirst to make more money, he ended up losing a lot of money. The Chinese-American actor began with $5 a day, a “tiny amount of money for ten hours of sweat and blood ten hours of sweat and blood.”

Chan would spend the money on gambling and “I was always the loser, which was painful.” Sometimes, he would lose money equivalent to ten days’ wages. Also, he couldn’t even afford food. “Let alone anything else.” He found himself helpless and envied people with money as they could buy anything they set their eye on.

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The Hong Kong native worked tirelessly, endured humiliations, and embraced opportunities, and there he is, at the top, as an honorary Oscar Award winner. Furthermore, the $400 million worth star also wrote about how he went shopping after he became rich. “And man, did I spend it?” he exclaimed about how his riches changed his life.

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“They’d shut the store for me”

Yes! That’s right! When the internationally acclaimed star went to fancy boutiques in London, they would shut the store, and “I’d emerge with several large boxes of stuff.” Moreover, the martial arts sensation would point at the bags on the wall, pick a couple of them, keep them aside, and buy the rest.

The legendary actor’s colleagues would then help him sort the stuff to decide “what to keep and what to gift.” That said, one can’t help but be inspired by Jackie Chan’s life events to believe in the many fantastic things that hard work and perseverance may accomplish. What do you feel? Leave a comment about it.

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Written by:

Ramya Bachu is a US Sports author for Essentially Sports. Ramya has a Master’s degree in Psychology. She strongly believes in the power of discipline, consistency, and willingness to learn to achieve greater heights.

Edited by:

Ajinkya Aswale

“Tiny Amount of Money for 10 Hours of Sweat and Blood”: $400 Million Worth Jackie Chan Once Started Out With a Petty Salary as a Martial Artist

Jackie Chan envied people with money

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“They’d shut the store for me”