Jackie Chan shares his top 10 rules for success from a 50-year career. He deliberately positioned himself opposite Bruce Lee with low kicks and slapstick humor, did his own dangerous stunts, and risked injury to create movies that outlive money. Chan emphasizes starting early, staying authentic, and never regretting missed opportunities.
He's a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, stuntman, and singer.
He's known for performing his own stunts. He is a cultural icon. He's Jackie Chan, and here are his top 10 rules for success. I said, look, why don't we change everything opposite Bruce Lee? Be myself, Just me, Jackie Chan. That takes a lot of confidence. Yeah.
And belief.
And also, I really thank you, the producer Wu Siyuan. He said, okay, do whatever you like to do. Yeah, change, no Bruce Lee comedy. When Bruce Lee kick high, I kick low. When Bruce Lee after punch, I do, bah, ow. Just like normal human being. Normal when I was young, I'm fighting on the street. One by one, boom, I knock somebody down. Two by one, I knock somebody down. Three, I run away. So in the movie, do the same thing. I just— everything used in the movie is my real life. Choose the good things, do my own way. Even though I try to get American market, they don't like my idea. They don't like this kind of humor and martial art fighting. I just insist. Even I come back to Hong Kong, I go my own way, risk my life, do the Jackie Chan style. I never give up even though I fell down in US. I never give up. Still, I'm not because American market change my own style. After 15 years, now the whole Hollywood action, everybody want to learn from me. That's I do the right things. So this why I always tell the people, not because one thing fall down, you just Give up, never give up, never give up. One day you will succeed. In the old day when I start the action movies, I just make audience laughing, you know, do all the funny things, you know, like, oh, like this, and kick the ball, you know. Yeah, you can say it, yeah. Really? Yeah, yeah. But slowly, slowly from the audience, from the audience, from the media, especially from the fans, They write the letter, "Oh, now I have a baby, so sad I cannot see the movie because the dirty word, because the dirty action, because this." All those years I change, change, change, change, change. Without all the dirty things, still can make audience laughing. That's difficult. It's the audience, all the fans, all the media teach me becoming a good filmmaker. When you see the famous people, "Wow, so successful," you don't know behind the story. How tough they are, what they— like people, wow, Jackie, the move is so good. When everybody sleep, I still in the health club, in the mirror, practicing, practicing like this. And which— and 4 o'clock, 6 o'clock, get up on the set. Then you suddenly do something, ah, very beautiful. Oh yeah, go back, training again. Okay, there's a snake head, that's a snake mouth. That's snake tongue. Okay, you create more things. Some other crazy stunts, if I think I cannot do it, I already cancel it. Yeah, some really crazy things, I believe I can do it, I already do it. Like what? Like jump over the building, jump, crash by the hovercraft, jump from the light. 72 feet high with no net. And there's so many things, so many things. Even today I look at the old film, look at myself, sometimes really smile. I'm glad. Even I know I get hurt, I broke my ankle, I'm so happy I did it. If today, I cannot do it anymore. Yeah, I'm— so whatever you want to do, whatever you— I always tell the students, whatever you do, do the— when you're young, do it. You might get hurt. Or you're learning a piano, you're learning a martial art. Between 10 or 20, 10 years, learn whatever you can. Those years. Like me, I just do. 10 years later, now forever. The things you learn or the success I have, forever. Don't regret one day, "Ah, I should do it right now. I should—" No, it's too late. Do it when you were young. I think as a producer, director, we do have a responsibility for your own society, for your family, for for the world. So I hope we can unite together to make a better movie for the world, for the peace, for the— for everything. Yeah, not just making money. Money, you cannot live forever. The movie, you can live forever. Everybody can know it.
Yes. How do you feel when people copy you?
No, I'm happy. That means I'm success. Okay. Yeah, it also pushes you, right? And also push me. I want it different. Like when I doing comedy, they do comedy. When I doing action, they doing action. Okay, how can I different? Okay, I do dangerous stunt, nobody copy me. Only me. That one's crazy. Then everybody, okay, Jackie, you do that, we do this. Then I just continue doing that dangerous stunt. Every day when I on the set, I just do the best I can. Every movie I risk my life to do do the things. Not for the— the beginning is not for the fans. It's for myself. Because I have to do the best I can. Then lately becoming my trademark. Wow, Jackie risked his life. When I'm making a movie, after the finish, the movie is done, I ask myself, can my movie showing my children? Yes. Then I like I let my children to see it. Then if my children can see it, the whole world children can see it. I didn't have to go to school when I was young. Every day just fighting, fighting training. And I'm a very bad boy when I was young, really. My parents in Australia, just by myself. Every day what I see, all the triads, gangsters, racing car, fighting people, beating people. The area, what I see. So I was very lucky I didn't join the Triads. I didn't join the Mafia. But you could have. I could have. Yeah. That's it. We all friends sit on the table. Okay, everybody $300 US, okay? $300. Then we can sell the drug. The drug, then we can get $900 back. Then everybody give $300, then Jackie, come on. Then I look at them, I was like 16-something, because I promised my father never get involved with a triad, never get involved with drugs, never get involved in the casino gambling. I said, "Sorry, I promised my father." "Oh, come on, don't be coward. 300, you can." I said, "Sorry, sorry." Because I promise. His promise. Then I never get involved. This kind of things. The best story for me, I think when I was young, doing Under the Dragon, fighting with Bruce Lee. And I was behind the camera, waiting, waiting. I just see Bruce Lee, pa-pa, pa-pa, pa-pa, pa-pa. Then I just run up to, ah! Then he, boom, pow! Suddenly, my eyes all black. Because he just one stick right on my head. Pow! He missed it, but I just, I do nothing, I just, ah pow! And I just felt, you know, little dizzy, but it's okay. I look at Bruce Lee, Bruce Lee doesn't do anything. He look at everybody and keep acting, turn around back until the director say cut. Then he just throw the two stick he just turn around, "Oh my God!" He run to me and lift me up, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" And actually I'm not pain anymore because, you know, young guy and me, very tough. But then suddenly I don't know why I just pretend very painful. "Oh, oh, oh!" I just want Bruce Lee hold me as long as he can. I said, "Oh, oh!" During the whole day, every time he look at me, Like this, I said, "Okay, okay." And I think that's the best moment, and somehow he run to me, "What's your name?" I said, "My name Jackie." "What style you learning?" I said, "Southern style." "Oh, okay." Then talk to me, "Jackie, huh? Jackie, Jackie, okay." Thank you so much for watching.
I made this video because M. Kim asked me to. So if there's a famous entrepreneur that you want me to profile next, Leave it in the comments below and I'll see what I can do. I'd also love to know which of Jackie Chan's top 10 rules you love the most. Leave it in the comments. I'm going to join in the discussion. Thank you so much for watching. Continue to believe, and I'll see you soon.
