Time spares no one, not even film legends such as Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan.
That seemed to be the takeaway for many netizens after photos surfaced of the 69-year-old sporting a head of grey hair and grey facial hair.
Not much is known about the event where he spoke, other than that it took place “recently” in Sichuan, China.
“So no Rush Hour 4 then?” asked one user in online forum Reddit. A photo posted to the r/pics community received 85,000 “upvotes” and more than 2,700 comments.
The fourth instalment of the successful Rush Hour action-comedy franchise is reportedly in development.
Another commenter observed: “Now he looks ready to play the part of Mr Miyagi.”
Mr Miyagi is a character in the original Karate Kid series of films (1984 to 1994), played by American actor Pat Morita. Mr Miyagi was the mentor of the titular character played by American actor Ralph Macchio.
Chan appeared in the fifth film of the franchise, The Karate Kid (2010), playing the teacher of the protagonist portrayed by American actor Jaden Smith.
A sixth film, with Chan and Macchio reprising their roles, is reportedly set for release in 2024.
According to Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao, however, Chan’s recent aged appearance could be due to him appearing in a film titled Strange Family.
In the comedy, he plays an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He wrongly identifies a young man as his son, but nevertheless helps him to achieve his dreams.
Chan has been married to Taiwanese actress Joan Lin since 1982, with whom he has a son, singer-actor Jaycee, 41. He also has a daughter, Etta Ng, 24, whose mother is Hong Kong actress Elaine Ng.
He recently appeared in a commercial, black-haired, for Indonesian investment company SimInvest, alongside K-pop heart-throb V of BTS. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
