Jackie Chan, the action movie superstar best known as one of the few actors willing to jump between the rungs of a ladder for a stunt, is doing alright. Celebrating his 70th birthday yesterday, Chan went on Instagram to tell fans that he’s fine, despite a recent photograph showing him looking his age. “Don’t worry,” he doesn’t actually look like a 70-year-old; those gray hairs and whiskers last seen in a curious viral photograph are for a role.
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About three weeks ago, a photograph of Jackie Chan looking like an average 70-year-old began circulating online, causing Chan fans to worry that an actor who booked his first role in 1962 now looks like a septuagenarian. Given that people are used to Jackie Chan still looking as he did 30 years ago, many expressed shock at the idea that a man who once snowboarded off a mountain to catch a helicopter could one day look his age. Alas, that is not the case.
“Not so long ago, a lot of friends saw some recent photos of me on the internet, and they were all concerned about my health,” Chan wrote. “I want to take this opportunity to let everyone know, don’t worry! It’s just a character appearance for my latest movie. The character requires me to have white hair, white beard and look old. Over the years, I’ve always been willing to try new things for a movie, no matter if it’s a challenging stunt or a breakthrough appearance for a character. I’ve been in the entertainment business for 62 years and I cherish every moment because I’m lucky I’m still filming today.”
Typically, Chan would let us know that he’s doing fine via the closing credits to his films, which are generally paired with footage of Chan failing to perform a stunt and being placed in the back of an ambulance. But we suppose this latest announcement is more of a response to people believing Chan looks his age, which is definitely not the case.