MAY 22, 2008
by Katharine Schroeder
It was the fifth day of Jackie's trip to France and England and he was enjoying some leisure time with friends. Today's schedule included a business lunch and a few other activities, one of which will certainly make you smile.
At the hotel where we were staying, all of our rooms were gathered together at the end of a long corridor, and my door was always propped open so I could stay aware of what the others were doing. As I sat working at the computer, Jackie walked in and when I looked into his eyes, I could see that he’d been crying. I asked him what happened and he said that he’d been watching the news reports from China again. “I tell myself every day that I won’t turn on the television,” he said. “But I can’t stop looking. And every time I watch, I can’t stop crying.” He talked about some more of the stories that were being reported. “Amazing stories,” he said. “You can’t believe what some people do to help each other. So many heroes...so many sad stories.” I reassured him that we would all do our best to make sure that these stories were told and he talked about his desire to make a movie out of some of them. He feels very strongly that these stories have to be told; that it would be a sin not to let people know of the kinds of selfless acts that have taken place in the wake of the earthquake. As he talked, his sadness was quite evident – I’m sure you’ve seen it as well in recent photos. Even when we were in Cannes, he said that he felt no joy at being there; all he could think about was the earthquake. He talked a bit more until it was time to leave and we walked downstairs.
You may wonder why we didn’t take the elevator and I’ll tell you. Jackie believes that if you have a choice to take the elevator or the stairs, you should always choose the stairs. Why ride when you can walk? Often he will stand outside an elevator, blocking its entrance, and after examining you for your level of physical fitness, he will instruct you to either walk or ride. You end up wondering: “Am I taking the stairs because Jackie thinks I’m fit or because he thinks I’m out of shape and need the exercise?”
Eventually we reached the lobby and joined the others. We were going to visit a store that one of Jackie’s friends is an agent for. When we got to the store something very unusual happened.
Jackie went on a shopping spree.
As you might know, Jackie has his own clothing line, and therefore he does not need to shop for clothes or shoes or accessories. All the things he wears are manufactured by his own company and his Chinese suits are all bought at Blanc de Chine. Because he is so easily recognized, it is virtually impossible for him to shop in stores like a normal person. If he wants to buy things, he finds them in catalogs or on the Internet (or, as he did when he was filming Rush Hour 3, from the home shopping channels on television). Being able to shop in a real store was a tremendous treat for him and he took full advantage of it. He spent the next two hours choosing gifts for his friends, family, and staff. If he didn’t know someone’s size, he immediately got on the phone and found out. Each thing that he bought, he carefully chose himself, picking out just the right color, just the perfect style, just the right size. He bought nothing for himself.
During the entire time we were shopping, no one recognized Jackie, or if they did, they kept quiet about it. Well, except for one little fellow who just could not contain himself when he realized who it was that was standing next to him:
When Jackie was finished, he sorted everything out into what was coming back to our hotel and what was being boxed up to take back to Hong Kong, and then we left. As we walked out, Jackie turned to me and asked, “Have you ever seen me do something like that?” I confessed that I hadn’t. “I haven’t done that in twenty years!” he happily exclaimed. Jackie really does get a lot of pleasure out of giving to others.
"All done! No more!" declares Jackie, as he spots another potential gift.
After we left, we stopped at two more stores because one of Jackie’s friends wanted to buy some clothes for his children and another wanted to buy some headphones. The stores we went to were quite crowded and Jackie was being recognized more and more. He very graciously stopped for photos several times, but it was starting to become a problem, so we just walked faster and some of us walked in front of him. When we were finished, we went back to the van and drove to the luncheon since it was too far to walk to.
Since the luncheon was related to business, I can’t really tell you much about it. I can tell you that the table was exquisite; probably twenty feet long and set so beautifully. The room where the luncheon took place was decorated with murals and paintings – it was quite elegant. All the people who we had lunch with were interesting and gracious; it was a wonderful experience.
After we left, we went on a tour of a design studio and then we went for a walk. I took some photos of Jackie for you while we were out and about:
The next time you're walking around your town, pay attention to the people passing by. You never know who you might see!
Solon helps a fan get a photo with Jackie.
Jackie went into someone's front yard for this photo. As I took it, he was saying "Hurry up and take the picture before I get arrested!"
We went back to the hotel to rest for a while and later went for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, the restaurant was very small and crowded and Jackie’s presence was causing a tremendous disruption; people were standing up and shouting out his name. We stayed only a few minutes and then left. As luck would have it, there was another Chinese restaurant across the street that had a private room, so we went there. The food at this restaurant was identical to the food in Hong Kong, so Jackie was quite happy. We didn’t stay very long, and we ended up getting back to the hotel relatively early. We had another busy day coming up and everyone needed some rest.
ON THE ROAD WITH JACKIE CHAN:
TRIP TO EUROPE: CANNES FILM FESTIVAL IN FRANCE
(DAYS ONE AND TWO)
ON THE ROAD WITH JACKIE CHAN:
TRIP TO EUROPE: OFF TO LONDON!
(DAYS THREE AND FOUR)
ON THE ROAD WITH JACKIE CHAN:
TRIP TO EUROPE: CHINESE EMBASSY AND OXFORD
(DAY SIX)
Text and photos ©2008 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.