Jackie Chan on working for Bruce Lee: ‘Everyone thought he was a god’
Chan worked as a stuntman on Lee’s films Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon and would act injured just to speak to a man he grew to revere despite his initial suspicions. He recalled the biggest thing he learned from the kung fu legend
In a special series commemorating the 45th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s death on July 20, 1973, we aim to set the facts straight – as well as exploring some little known trivia – about the life of the martial arts legend.
Jackie Chan began his film career as a stuntman and worked on two of Bruce Lee’s films – Fist of Fury (1972), in which he also had a tiny role as a Japanese martial arts student, and Enter the Dragon (1973). Chan often reminisces about his respect for Lee, his prowess at kung fu, and how he was thrilled when Lee talked to him on set.
“He influenced me a lot,” Chan said in an interview in 1997. “I admired him, and the way he would talk. He could even speak English. Everyone thought he was a god.”
Lee won the respect of the stuntmen because he treated them as equals. He would chat with them on set and eat with them. Sometimes he would even contribute towards their medical bills if they got hurt. Such behaviour impressed the young Chan.
“He treated us lowly people very well,” Chan told me. “One day I got hurt and he rushed up to me and said, ‘Are you okay?’”
