The Disciple
On the afternoon of April 2, Jackie attended the presentation of the 16 finalists in The Disciple competition at a newly built training facility in Beijing. Chaos erupted when Jackie entered the hall and Jackie himself helped organize and calm the reporters and photographers so that the ceremony could proceed. Jackie spoke to reporters about how pleased he was to see all the young talent and congratulated everyone for participating, reminding them that whether they win or not, they have still accomplished a great achievement. He said that many directors were keeping an eye on the competition and he added that if several good acting careers could develop from the show, he would consider it a success. Jackie stressed the importance of moral character and team spirit as well as individual talent. He spoke of the many videos which were sent to him over the years and how difficult it was for him to judge who was good and who wasn't. He said that The Disciple competition was a better way to choose the most qualified because there were many professionals doing the judging and the audience had an opinion as well.
In other news...
Jackie was in northern China today filming a music video for the Olympic theme song "We Are Ready" after which he will head off to several more engagements in China and then will fly to America to continue promotion of The Forbidden Kingdom, which opens on April 18th (USA). He will then return to Hong Kong, where he is scheduled to participate in the Olympic torch relay in early May.
Other opening dates for The Forbidden Kingdom:
Hong Kong 24 April 2008
Text ©2008 The JC Group. Photos courtesy of Sina.