Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are two household names in the world of martial arts. If Lee abridged the gap between the eastern and western hemispheres, then Chan continued to carry forward his master’s legacy. But have you ever wondered, how did the two become each other’s acquaintances? Well, both the icons never co-starred in the movie, but both the legends did share the screen, where Chan acted as a stunt double alongside Lee’s protagonist. That’s where the two first met. However, their first meet rather turned into an accident and Lee ended up hurting Chan. 

The 1973 cult classic Enter the Dragon acted as the common ground between Lee and Chan’s friendship. More so, Lee’s profoundness toward all the stunt doubles present on the set impressed Chan. Moreover, in one of the fighting sequences, the little Phoenix “accidentally cracked Chan in the face with his nunchakus”. However, he later apologized to young Chan for beating him unknowingly. That’s how Jackie Chan got his first taste of Lee’s kindness.

Jackie Chan admired Bruce Lee for his kindness

In his book, Bruce Lee: a life, Matthew Polly documented several anecdotes revolving around the Little dragon’s benevolent nature. One such instance dates back to 1972, when Lee was shooting for his movie Enter the Dragon. Recalling his kind behavior with all the artists present on the set, Chan stated, “he didn’t care about impressing the big bosses, but he took care of us”.

Furthermore, while shooting a fighting sequence, Lee fought more than a dozen sidekicks of the antagonist. Interestingly, one of those sidekicks was Chan, and he got whipped by Lee and got hurt in the process. However, as soon as the cameras were off, the Little dragon apologized to Chan for his unintentional hit. “Bruce threw away his weapon, ran over to me, and said, I’m sorry, I’m sorry and picked me up”, reminisced Chan.

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“Wow! That’s a Bruce Lee”: Jackie Chan Once Admitted How Fellow Stuntmen Got Intimidated by the Martial Arts Legend

Expressing his reverence for Lee’s heartfelt gesture, Chan further added, “I admire him most for his kindness that day”. Interestingly, after the incident, Lee remembered Chan’s name and once even accompanied him to the bowling alley.

Lee and Chan’s impromptu trip

Following the incident on the set of Enter the Dragon, Lee once asked Chan if he could join him at the bowling alley. As then-young Chan conceded to the Little Dragon’s offer, the pair took the cab and went to the bowling alley. Interestingly, the duo played two games together before Lee had to take a leave. Recalling the time he had spent with the dragon, Chan once stated, “it was like a dream”. 

However, Chan didn’t know then that it was the last time he would ever see Bruce Lee. Ten days later, Chan received the news of Lee’s demise and “was totally shocked”. Clearly, Chan was fascinated by Lee’s kind persona and was rendered in shock after the dragon’s unfortunate passing. Nevertheless, Chan has done a commendable job of preserving Lee’s bequest and often reminisces about their meeting on the set of Enter the dragon.

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