Jackie Chan celebrated his 70th birthday on April 7, reassuring fans about his health amidst concerns sparked by recent online photos showing him with grey hair and an aged appearance.
Taking to Instagram, Chan clarified that any images portraying him as much older than his age are simply from his portrayal of a character in an upcoming movie.
“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 in the caption.
“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,” Chan continued.
“I’ve been in the entertainment business for 62 years and I cherish every moment because I’m lucky I’m still filming today.”
Chan did not specify the role that demanded him to sport grey hair. Notably, he recently voiced Splinter in the animated success “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.”
Currently, he’s slated to revisit his role as Mr. Han in the upcoming “Karate Kid” film, directed by Jonathan Entwistle, alongside original star Ralph Macchio. Sony Pictures has set the release date for December 13, 2024.
“Even before today, many friends have been reminding me: ‘Jackie, it’s going to be your 70th birthday!’” Chan added in his Instagram birthday message. “Every time I hear this number, my heart would stop for a second — l’m 70 years old already?
After recovering from the shock, the second thing that would come to my mind is a saying that my big brother, Sammo Hung once said: ‘Being able to grow old is a fortunate thing.’ Especially for us stunt people, we don’t know how lucky we are to be able to grow old.”
Chan added,
“All I can say is: I love making movies and I love you all. A big thank you to everyone for all your birthday wishes. Hope everyone stays happy and healthy!”