“Was a Stingy Contract” :Martial Arts Icon Jackie Chan Once Revealed the Terms of His Contract That Made Him Accept Any Role for His Petty Salary

Published 11/23/2022, 9:34 AM EST

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Born in Hong Kong, Jackie Chan is a world-renowned martial artist and movie star. The Foreigner, Rush Hour, and The Karate Kid are some of his well-known movies. Jackie Chan faced several struggles during his early career due to learning issues and hardship.


In his autobiographyNever Grow Up’, Jackie Chan spoke about his early struggles in detail. Chan also made revelations about his first big break in the entertainment industry. He also told about his first salary and the complete transformation he went through to become a good actor. 

Jackie Chan disclosed his early salary

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The legendary actor spoke about his meager salary as a stuntman, where he was one of the extras in various movies. A severe problem he faced was when the movie was on hold for some reason. In such cases, the extras wouldn’t get paid. Later, there was a pact by which martial artists would get an amount of $30 for their day’s work, even if the film wasn’t shot. If the camera was still recording, Chan would receive $65 for his work.

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Jackie Chan also narrated how he signed his first big contract with the director Lo Wei. Lo Wei wanted to cast Chan in the movie New Fist of Fury. “It was for two years, with a monthly salary of $3000 plus an additional $3000”, Chan said. “Looking back, it was a stingy contract, but at that time, it seemed fair”, Chan added. Also, as per the contract, he had to play every role Lo Wei chose for him.

The popular action hero opened up about how Lo Wei was critical of Chan’s appearance. In Lo Wei’s opinion, Chan wasn’t very good-looking, as he had a big nose and crooked teeth.

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Chan also told about how Lo Wei helped him to get a part in the movie ‘Shaolin Wooden Men.’ However, many of the movies Chan made with Lo Wei were unsuccessful. Later, when Chan gave his own input, effectively mixing action and comedy, he became a huge success.

What is Jackie Chan doing now? 

Jackie Chan is currently a part of a partnership with Li-Ning, a popular fashion brand. The martial-arts legend also is in a collaboration with Shopee, a popular e-commerce platform.

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Watch Now: Which Martial Arts is Joe Rogan Trained In? 

 Jackie’s autobiography, “Never Grow up” shows the painful yet inspiring struggle behind becoming a successful actor. His life story shall always motivate fans to fight all obstacles to achieve success. How has Jackie Chan’s journey and story inspired you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Priya Hinduja

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Priya Hinduja is a US Sports author for EssentiallySports. Post pursuing her Master's Degree in English, she worked as an English language trainer at Osmos Club and also dabbled with marketing at Debugee Technologies Pvt Ltd for a year. With a keen interest in playing chess and badminton in her leisure time, she also follows the activities of Michael Phelps, whose story motivates and inspires her.
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Edited by:

Abhishek Kumar