by Katharine Schroeder

Because of a change in the schedule for filming Rush Hour 3, Jackie found himself with several weeks of unscheduled time during August and decided to use part of it to shoot a commercial in Hong Kong. If you thought that maybe Jackie would spend some time relaxing by the side of a pool, you'd be very wrong. He likes to keep active and with the filming of this commercial he got his wish - what a workout! There was so much action and comedy packed into the three-day shoot; it was like watching the Rob-B-Hood filming in fast-motion (without a screaming baby, of course).

There were several locations for the first day of shooting; one of them was a small shop on a narrow street in Kowloon City. The street was immediately filled with people pointing their mobile phones or digital cameras in Jackie's direction; craning their necks to get a better view of the action. It's just a fact of life that no matter where Jackie goes, he draws a crowd. The only way he can avoid this is if he keeps moving very quickly. But on this summer day on a normally quiet street in Hong Kong, Jackie's presence seemed to have people coming from every direction to have a look.

As it happened, this would be where a meeting between Jackie and a very special little boy would take place. His name is Lau Tsun Ming and he was the winner of the Global United Nations Environment Program's International Children’s Painting Competition. He also happens to be from Hong Kong. When Jackie read about Lau Tsun Ming's achievement, he was very impressed. Then he was saddened. Why? Because the Hong Kong papers and television news shows barely mentioned the boy's stunning accomplishment! Instead there was extensive media coverage of a loud argument that occurred on a public bus the same week. Jackie was disheartened that the papers seem to be filled with only negative and sensational news. He even wrote about it in his diary.

Jackie asked me to put the story of Lau Tsun Ming's award up on the Jackie Chan Kids Corner, which I did. A few days later an email came in to the Kids Corner mailbox. It was from Ming's aunt and she was writing to say that she'd seen the report about her nephew on our website and said that the boy would love to meet Jackie. Well, it took several emails and many phone calls but we finally arranged to bring Ming to the set of the commercial so Jackie could meet him.

Ming arrived with what looked like his entire family in tow: aunts and parents and a little brother all came to see Jackie meet the little boy. I was alarmed when I saw the number of people with Ming and the tiny size of the area that Jackie was using as a dressing room. I felt a bit worried since I was the one who had arranged this meeting. Ming's aunt had said it would be just the boy, his mother, and herself. Somehow that had turned into what looked like a family reunion. "Oh boy," I thought to myself. "Where am I going to put all these people?" Well, I needn't have worried; Jackie is just about as adaptable and flexible as anyone could be. It was actually pretty comical because as I tried to get at least some of the family to wait outside, behind my back Jackie was waving them all in. He does this all the time - he will work against the efforts of his staff in order to give a fan a chance for a photo or an autograph. He really loves his fans and will do anything to make them happy. Never mind that this gives his staff something extra to worry about - like keeping to schedules and appointments!

Once the family had left, it was time to continue with the filming. As I told you, we were confined to a very small area in the back of a tiny store. While Jackie was filming we had to keep ourselves out of the camera's line of view, and that meant sitting on metal boxes low to the ground while the camera was rolling. Now, you may wonder what fun could be found in being squashed into a small space with a half dozen other people in the middle of a swelteringly hot day in Hong Kong. The answer? Jackie Chan. He's just a lot of fun to be around. I thought about this as I sat next to him on a metal camera case, my knees practically under my chin, a bottle of soy milk in one hand, my camera in the other. (Jackie believes in the health benefits of drinking fresh soy milk.) I thought about his easygoing nature and his sense of fun, his knack for finding humor in situations, of seeing the lighter side, of not taking himself too seriously. Jackie knows how to draw people out and make them feel comfortable. He's kind of like your favorite cousin or the guy next door who you grew up with. He's comfortable and interesting, funny and smart, and that's why it's neat to hang out with Jackie. Even in a 3 x 4 foot space in the back of a store on a steamy summer day.

As I said earlier, this commercial was filled with action and comedy so it was really enjoyable to watch the filming. Here are a few photos from the Kowloon City location:

Jackie helps direct some of the extras during the shoot.

An onlooker can barely control his excitement.

Jackie's hair stylist Ronald and make-up artist Maggie hard at work.

Dorothy throws ping pong balls for a special effect in the commercial.

Stunt team members Lee In Seob and He Jun between takes.

Mr. Lee demonstrates some moves on an innocent bystander.
(Just kidding - this man was with the production.)

After spending a little more time talking with Jackie between takes, I decided to call it a day and head home. As I was packing up, I saw Jackie grab one of his t-shirts (not one of his nice ones - these are almost like disposable undershirts) and start mopping something up off the floor. Since he was dressed in a beautiful suit for the next shot, I tried to relieve him of the job of cleaning up what turned out to be cola spilled on the floor. Of course he would not let me; he proceeded to clean it up himself. When he was finished, I noticed him looking around for a garbage can to toss the cola and dirt stained t-shirt into. "Wait a second," I exclaimed. "That shirt is worth a forutune on ebay!" He laughed and just so that you know, I didn't take the t-shirt and no, it won't be for sale on ebay! It is just a running joke we have everytime I see Jackie throwing something in the garbage.

The second day's shooting also was in several different places and Fibe and I headed off to a soccer field in Kowloon Bay so she could record the diary with Jackie and I could take some photos and find some interesting things to tell you about. The team was filming at a soccer field in Kowloon Bay and when Fibe and I arrived in the area we found that there were soccer fields in every direction, so we got a little lost. After a phone call to Dorothy and an interesting driving maneuver by Fibe (backing up nearly an entire block), we finally saw the tell-tale signs of a film crew. A big white truck was parked to the side of a small stadium and there were bright lights and reflectors peeking through the trees. Jackie was filming an action scene with several extras and a few of the stunt guys. I said hello to everyone and went to find a place off to the side and out of the way. I successfully remained anonymous and unnoticed until I was spotted by Ken Lo who proceeded to shout "No photos!!" and then bellow, "Security!! Security!!" The Assistant Director, who was just at that moment calling for quiet on the set, looked over at us, saw my camera, and immediately screamed out at me, "NO FLASH!!" At this point I was wishing I'd stayed back at the office since I had - thanks to Ken - failed miserably in keeping a low profile. While all this was going on, Jackie looked over from where he was standing to see what all the commotion was, but when he saw that Ken was invovled, a tolerant smile crossed his face. Just Ken, at it again.

When Jackie finished with the scene, we went into his dressing room to cool off; it was a very hot day in Hong Kong. As usual, the first thing Jackie asked was "Any news?" When I was first getting to know him and he would ask this, I thought he was talking about JC Group business or website news. But he wants to hear about all kinds of news; he's very curious about what is going on in the world and loves to hear interesting stories. Of course, I was ill-prepared and instead of talking about world news, we talked about an idea for getting some of his younger fans involved in donating to charity. It's called "Build a School for a Dollar." A friend of mine had helped out by having some young kids she cares for make some samples and when I showed them to Jackie, he was charmed. "Let's take some photos!" he said. I had three drawings with me and Jackie insisted on holding all three together in the photo - he didn't want any of the kids to feel left out. After we took some photos, he and Fibe settled in to record the diary while I talked quietly to Ronald and Dorothy.

Just as Jackie was finishing up the diary, he noticed Ronald trying to show Dorothy how to trim his hair. Jackie couldn't resist and he immediately jumped up and turned the tables on Ronald, giving him a quick haircut. After that we sat and talked a little more. We talked again about the charity work and about how the press chooses to ignore Jackie's trips into China. Jackie is very frustrated by this, but there is little he can do about it. Instead, he just told me to keep

encouraging his fans to help out any way they can. The "Build a School for a Dollar" campaign is certainly a good start. I told him that since the Scrapbook article about the Guizhou trip was posted, over three hundred US dollars had been donated to the Dragon's Heart Foundation. This made him very happy. He said that he used to spend so much time asking himself why things were so unfair; why some children couldn't even afford to go to school. But then he decided that it was a waste of time to constantly sit and question why. Instead, he said, he decided that the only choice he had was to take action and to do as much as possible to help. He knows that it will always be unfair; that there will always be poverty. But his dream is to allow every child the chance for a better life through education. That's why he works so hard.

The third and last day of shooting was certainly the most interesting. In the afternoon Fibe and I drove over to a tourist area in Sai Kung called Seafood Street. Again we had a little trouble finding the production; finally we pulled over and Fibe called Dorothy. When Fibe completed her call, I asked her where we needed to go and she just pointed straight ahead and said, "We're here!" Seems we had stumbled right into the location. We parked the car and went up to the fourth floor of a building on the waterfront to meet Jackie and the crew. When I got into the main room, I noticed Ken Lo sitting on a bench sleeping meditating. He must have been very deep in sleep thought because he didn't even notice Osumi and Jackie playing some pranks on him and didn't appear to hear me saying "You call yourself a bodyguard?"

We went into a conference room and Jackie immediately began recording his diary with Fibe while I had a look out the window. When Jackie was finished he came over and told me what he was thinking about. He was embarrassed, he said. This area was a tourist area; people came from all over the world to eat seafood here and to look at the sites. "And look at it!" he complained. "What a mess! It's poor planning, that's what it is. Take some photos; I want

everyone to see. It shouldn't look like this, it's disgusting!" After talking some more with Jackie about the dirty, broken down shacks right near where the tourists come to eat, I tried to console him and tell him that often these things take time to evolve; I described some places in Manhattan that took years to become beautiful and attractive to tourists. I was surprised by how strongly he felt and wondered where his feelings were coming from. After listening to him a bit more I realized that he wanted to be proud of his hometown and when he saw something so run down, he was saddened. He wants Hong Kong to present its best face to the world.

Soon we received the call that they were ready for Jackie down in the street behind the building. As we approached the elevator, Jackie was stopped several times for autographs and photos, and he happily obliged. In all the time I've spent with him, I've never seen him sigh or roll his eyes or become annoyed by people asking for autographs or photos. He always does his best to stop and say hello to fans, posing for photos and signing bits of paper or business cards. One thing is certain and that is Jackie loves his fans and considers them the main reason for his success. The support of his fans is very precious to him and he makes sure to let them know that.

Outside, they had designed the street to look like a marketplace in China. There were props all over the place and probably a hundred people working on the set. There was a large trampoline set up for a stunt scene, a tower of boxes stacked up for another scene, and what looked like an active fruit market in Beijing. It was very colorful and noisy - really neat to look at. Between takes Jackie chatted with the director, talked to the fans who were nearby, did an interview, and joked with just about everyone within earshot. Here are a few more photos:

Ken Lo demonstrates talents no one knew he possessed.

Jackie gives an interview.

Performing a stunt out in the street.

Talking with the director.

Listening to some fans calling to him from a nearby window.

Cardboard boxes stacked for a stunt.

Jackie does a stunt in the market.

Another view of the waterfront that Jackie hopes will be cleaned up.

While Jackie was in Hong Kong shooting this commercial, there were Counting Down to the Olympics ceremonies in Beijing which he was forced to miss attending. So he asked me to take a few "Olympic" photos to show you that he was there in spirit, even if he wasn't there physically. We went to a gym with just about the worst lighting I have ever seen. Nevertheless, here are Jackie's Olympic photos!

Because a commercial is in some ways a mini-movie, a lot happens in just a short period of time. Rather than write too much more, I will show you some photos from the set:

Jackie on the set.

Ronald with his water bottle.

Jackie surveys the waterfront.

Chatting with the crew.

Photo shoot.

Stuntmen Han Guan Hua and He Jun work in the rafters of the stadium.

Jackie on the set.

The set can be a dangerous place.

At the end of the day, Fibe and I said goodbye and left for home. Unfortunately, neither of us knew which way to go and we ended up getting pretty lost. I found a map in her car and after figuring out where we were, I gave her directions.
"You have to go east," I said. "So as soon as you have a chance, turn right."
At the next intersection, Fibe turned left.
"What are you doing?" I exclaimed.
"Well, you said to turn right, so I turned left. And see? Here is the road towards home."
"But how did you know that I was mistaken?"
"I don't know," she said. "I just knew that if you said turn left, I should turn right. If you had said turn right, I would have turned left."
The logic of this completely escaped me, but the two of us ended up laughing until we had tears coming out of our eyes.
"I guess that's what makes us a good team!" Fibe said.
Although it's true that we make a great team, the fact that one of us does the exact opposite of what the other says and things still turn out for the best is beyond explanation. And that's just fine with me.

P.S. The next day, Jackie came into the office, walked over to my workstation, and took a seat. This was a signal that he wanted to tell me a story.

"I want to tell you a story," he began. "It seems that the Australian crew that was filming the commercial heard that I was difficult to work with. That I wouldn't work more than 9 hours, that I needed to rest after each take, that I had to have special food."

"Ridiculous!" I cried. "That's so silly. You've always said how frustrated you were by slow-paced productions. Where could they have heard such a thing?"

"I don't know!" he continued. "On the first day of the shoot, I went to the dressing room after a scene was finished and I sat there waiting for them to call me back. They thought I was taking a nap. They thought it was my requirement. When I realized what was going on, I told them that we should keep going, no stopping! We ended up finishing the shoot early. They were very happy with the way I worked and they wanted to buy me a present. They asked my assistant what kind of gift they could get for me and they were told, of course, that I don't want any gifts, just donations to my charities. So they got together and gave me a check for HK$30,000 for the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation. Now that's a great gift."

And a great story.

Photos ©2006 The Jackie Chan Group. All Rights Reserved.

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