February 27, 2009

Things That Happened Before Resuming Work, Part 3:

After spending a very busy day filming action scenes in the middle of a sandstorm, I had a meeting with the director and Leehom Wang. When the meeting ended, I was afraid to go to sleep because I knew that I had to leave Yuanmou at 3.30 in the morning and drive to Kunming airport. So I started sorting out my things and packing my bags instead. I really had a lot of things to pack. Today was my last day in Yuanmou because after I finish doing promotional activities for Shinjuku Incident, the next time I come back to China I’ll be in Kunming. Therefore, I needed to take my time and sort out my belongings into different categories such as things I need to take back to Hong Kong, things I need to bring with me to Kunming, and things I need to send back to Beijing. By the time I finished, it was already 2:12 a.m. and I wondered if I should sleep for a little while or not sleep at all. In the end, I really didn’t have anything else to pack so I decided to lie down in bed and rest my eyes for a while. Of course I fell asleep.

I don’t know how much time had passed before I was awakened by my assistant. When I opened my eyes it was already three o’clock in the morning. I don’t know if I slept for 20 minutes or maybe half an hour.

When we left Yuanmou, we had to drive two cars because we had to return one of the cars to someone else, so I was in charge of driving one of them. Initially I had planned to drive just half of the journey and then let the other driver take over the other half but the driver was from Beijing and he wasn’t very familiar with the directions; even I was more familiar than he was. So for safety reasons, I decided to drive the whole way.

Throughout the journey I saw so many stars. I don’t usually get to see this in the big city. While I was at the gas station filling up the car, I looked up towards the sky and wow! An infinite blanket of stars covered the sky. It was so beautiful.

After filling the car with gas, I continued driving to the airport. On the way, I saw some small vehicles that had fallen into the ditches on the sides of the village roads. The roads were quite bumpy and uneven and I noticed that the highway department was doing some reconstruction, although some sections of the road hadn’t been completed yet. I drove on a completed section of the highway that was flat and smooth for one and a half hours. Afterwards, the road became a little rough and bumpy again, and there weren’t even any street lights on the side of the road. Even so, I saw that they were in the process of fixing and improving the roads. I believe that over the next couple of years, this road will definitely be a good road to travel on. But for the meantime, everyone will just have to endure the bumps for a little while longer. We started driving in the early hours of the morning and I think because it was really early and drivers on the road were tired so they couldn’t concentrate. I saw three separate car accidents throughout the journey.

When I starting driving in an area that I wasn’t too familiar with, I let the other car lead the way and I followed behind them. As we were driving inside a tunnel, I suddenly saw a truck hit the side of the wall, rebound, then swerve back onto the middle of the road. The truck nearly hit the car in front of us. I think the driver of the truck must have fallen asleep at the wheel otherwise this wouldn’t have happened. He nearly caused a car accident.

I was driving behind the cars and I saw everything happen in front of me. The incident gave me such a fright that it instantly woke me up. In my mind I kept telling myself that I was driving a car, I had to stay alert. I was very relieved that staff members in the other car were okay because if that truck really did collided with the car traveling in front of us, I don’t think I’d be able to make it back to Hong Kong. Not only that, all the passengers in the other car would have to be admitted into the hospital.

After driving a rather dangerous journey, we managed to arrive at the airport ahead of schedule. The check-in counters at the airport weren’t even open yet. Fortunately, it was still early in the morning and there weren’t many cars around so the police officer allowed me to park my car on the side of the road. I was so tired that I fell asleep inside the car.

In the end, the group of us traveling together boarded the plane. After sitting down in our seats, I immediately went to sleep. The flight took less than two hours and I was back in Hong Kong.

Arriving into Hong Kong marked the start of my nonstop schedule. I didn’t go home, I went straight to the hotel, washed up, changed my clothes, and then started doing the thing that I dislike doing the most - promotional work. But doing this is all part of making a film. As actors and crew members of the production team, when a movie is complete, we have to make an effort and assist with promoting the film. The main actors and the director were going to attend the event so how could I not go! I was told that several female actresses had only just gotten off the plane and were rushing to get from the airport to the venue of the promotional event as well.


I’ve just come from a place with sandstorm conditions and smooth flowing traffic to a city with tall buildings and lots of traffic congestion, and I’m walking into a venue where everyone is elegantly dressed and looking glamorous. It was only yesterday that I was in the wilderness wearing antique period clothing. Now I’m in a modern city wearing a beautiful outfit. It’s surreal; I feel as though I’m dreaming.

After bustling around for an entire day, I had dinner with an actor whom I like a lot, Jiang Wen, and we discussed some plans to work together in the near future. I only drank two glasses of red wine with him but it affected me as though I’d taken some medication; I had that complacent drifting sensation. I must have been exhausted so I quickly said my goodbyes and then went straight home.

When I got back home, I fed my two cats and dogs and then went to sleep. By the time I opened my eyes again, I looked at the clock and it gave me such a fright because I had to work again today and I was nearly running late. So I quickly got out of bed, washed up, and then set out to attend another event for the upcoming Hong Kong International Film Festival.

I am very lucky and extremely happy that my new movie, Shinjuku Incident, was selected to be the opening movie for the Hong Kong Film Festival. After several screenings of the movie, there have been a lot of comments and criticisms that have come to light. Some people said that the movie was shocking; they never imagined that I would make this type of movie, and they raised the question about whether the film was too violent and graphic. I think real the problem for me is that when a lot of people watch my films, they still think of me as “Jackie Chan.” I hope that when other people watch my films, they don’t see me as Jackie Chan. I want them to see me as the character in the movie, as an actor. I truly hope that one day I will become the Robert De Niro of Asia or the Dustin Hoffman of Asia, being flexible with acting in any different kind of character and performing the role well. I’m not the young Jackie Chan kid that I used to be anymore. I need to change. Over the years I’ve been continuously changing, starting from when I made Gorgeous, then later with New Police Story, The Myth, and Rob-B-Hood. I recently finished The Spy Next Door. I’ve been changing during this time. The theme for Shinjuku Incident is actually quite serious; I play a small role in Big Soldier, the film that I’m making at the moment; in Karate Kid, the role I’m going to play is a teacher; after that, I’m going to play a character called Emperor Chu the Conqueror. I want to try various roles in different areas because I want people to know and identify me as an actor. I want you to see a different me, the different sides there are to me.

A lot of people have been asking me when I plan on retiring. Well, the thing about retiring is that it seems so far away for me yet it also seems so close. The reason why I say it seems close is because I can pretty much retire whenever I feel like it. But it also seems far away because I honestly don’t know when. Why do I say this? Mainly because I just recently set up a new company in China and I hope to nurture some new artists as well as produce more films and television series. As for my own plans with filming, my schedule is full of work up until 2015. The planning has never stopped. Every script is still in the process of being produced.

The film Shinjuku Incident is about people from different countries around the world. There are people from Africa, Sudan, Vietnam, China, and many other nations. Their greatest desire is to live in other developed countries and they are willing to do anything to achieve this – even if it means that they become illegal immigrants. There are a lot of untold tragic stories here, some of which I already know about because after traveling the world for so many years, especially in Japan, I was told a few. About twenty or thirty years ago, there were a lot of Chinese people who went to Japan illegally and worked there illegally in the black market. I know there are a lot of people from different countries around the world working illegally in Japan. Now I’m only taking one part of the story from a Chinese person’s perspective, making it into a film, showing the viewers what it’s like to be an illegal immigrant and the consequences of working illegally in the black market. I honestly think that living and working in one’s own country is always the best option. If you’re living in your own country, you will always be top priority citizen. If you’re in another country, you will only ever be treated as a second-class, third-class, or even a forth-class citizen. How I think of it is that there is no other country like your own home country.

Shinjuku Incident is directed by Derek Yee and the story took over three years to write. They researched and found a true story about a person, and then re-wrote the account into a script based on this story. When I decided to cooperate with Derek Yee, I never actually asked him about the script and I didn’t ask him about what character I’d play in the movie. I was willing to do whatever he wanted me to do because Derek is a director I respect very highly. When other directors come to me wanting to cooperate, the first thing I ask them is can they pay me my asking price; the second thing I’d ask is that they let me read the script. I have to ask these things before I even consider making a film with them. However, when making a film with Derek Yee, I don’t need to contemplate about the money issue and I didn’t even think about whether or not the script would be good. I totally trust him because he is a director worth trusting.

People who have already seen this film have said that it was a shocking movie. They never imagined that I would make that kind of film. This is the type of reaction that I’m looking for, the type of change that I want. I want to give people a different and refreshing feeling that surprises them. When you watch Shinjuku Incident, you will see a different Jackie Chan. I am an actor.


A lot of people have asked me why I gave up the market for this movie in China. I know there are a lot of young viewers who enjoy watching my movies and while I was making this film, I knew there were going to be some scenes that might be too violent or gruesome for the audience to watch. I already chose to shoot some scenes from two different angles; one as a long shot from a distance, the other a close up shot. I even thought about some other things after we finished the film. I might think that the final cut is good but how were we going to release it in the cinemas around China? What about the young kids? So, we decided to edit a gentle version of the movie that was more suitable for the general audience and then tested it on some viewers. But after they watched it, they came out shaking their heads saying that they didn’t know what the story was talking about. For example, the movement of the hand by someone holding a knife was cut out; someone saying, “You better leave…” was also cut out. So a lot of the times throughout the movie, viewers got the feeling that something was missing and it didn’t make sense. If we really edited the movie into this version and it was released in cinemas around China, I’m pretty sure that the audience watching the movie would definitely have no idea what the story was about. They would question our ability, asking why we even bothered making such a terrible and incomplete movie. If this version were released in the European markets, they definitely wouldn’t accept it there either. So, after making some serious considerations, I decided to sacrifice one of the cinema markets and not release the film there. I might end up having to give up several cinema markets because different countries have their own film standards. The film might seem violent and graphic in Southeast Asia, but it might not seem as bad for the European countries. Ultimately, I had to make a decision and I decided to retain the completeness of the film. The movie will be available for everyone to watch very soon so I’ll let you be the judge of it. I hope you will give me your honest feedback; did you like or dislike the movie? Should I continue to make this kind of film in the future? Do you like my changes?

Apart from being surrounded by this news over the past couple of days, a lot of headlines and stories in the newspaper have been discussing and criticizing my antique historical houses. The actual story behind my antique houses is that I first wanted to buy a house for my dad but I ended up buying seven antique houses and a pavilion. I initially had plans to look for a piece of land somewhere in China so I could put all these houses together in one place. I looked around for quite a while and I wasn’t able to find a suitable location. On top of that, I’ve been very busy with work, and my dad has already passed away, so I thought about maybe constructing a museum in Hong Kong and allowing everyone to view these antique Chinese houses there. However, I’ve been having discussions with the Hong Kong government for ten years already, requesting them to allocate some land for me so I can construct an area where I can put all the houses in one place. The government gave me many reasons and a lot of excuses that dragged the matter up until this day. Recently, the Singaporean government found out that I had some antique historic houses and they got in contact with me. Seven days later, they replied with an offer, promising to allocate me land, cover the shipping costs of relocating the houses, provide people to renovate and restore the houses, and cover the maintenance and operating costs. They’ve given me a lot of freedom and flexibility. I took one breath and then accepted the offer from the Singaporean government, entrusting them with the antique historic houses.

When newspapers announced the news that I gave the historic houses to the Singaporean government, the Hong Kong government became anxious and continuously questioned me about it. I never blamed the Hong Kong government for anything. I did have meetings with two successive governor generals and I know that if they gave me land for my museum, people would disagree and the government would be criticized. But if I give the antique historic houses to the Singaporean government, they would also be criticized. A lot of people have said to me, “Jackie, why don’t you be the governor general?” My instant reaction was an unmistakable no. But if I did become the governor general, I know I would definitely become a strong and powerful governor because I am willing to do anything as long as it doesn’t harm the country, it doesn’t harm Hong Kong, it doesn’t harm Chinese people or people from Hong Kong, and it’s beneficial for Hong Kong.

I think that people these days are trying to make themselves stand out, always wanting to be heard. If the government does something left-wing, they will criticize; if the government does something right-wing, they will also criticize. No matter what the government does, they will always criticize. Sometimes you might wonder why I like the Singaporean government so much. Well, it’s because I think that their government is strong and powerful and they have principles. They will never do anything without a good reason. That is why a lot of people who come to Singapore praise this place for being clean, safe, and environmentally friendly. I’ve always said that if there was ever a perfect dream city, I would definitely choose three particular things and combine it into one. The things I would combine would be Vancouver’s weather - I think it’s because when I was Vancouver filming Rumble in the Bronx, the weather was very pleasant, the place wasn’t crowded, and it was extremely comfortable. Other elements I want to incorporate would be the polite nature of Japanese people and the management system of Singapore. I think that if I can combine the three advantages from these countries and put it into one, it would make my ideal dream city that I’ve always wanted.

Fibe helped me finish recording my diary and then I quickly had to rush off to the airport again and catch a flight to Beijing. I’m off to Beijing to promote the song “Country.” The following day, I’ll be making the MV for the song. The day after that, I’m going to fly from Beijing to Kunming and continue with filming for Big Soldier.

Time really does fly. At a blink of an eye, it’s nearly March already. I don’t think it’ll be long before Christmas and New Year is here again. So I hope that everybody values and cherishes everything they have at this very moment. Treasure each day and try your best at everything you do. Never say that you’ll do something tomorrow; do whatever needs to be done today. I’ll also try my best to take some time out and record my diary for you to read. Okay. I have to go to the airport now. Bye bye!

Feb 27（星期五）

 

复述之前发生的事情之三：

 

          当我尝尽了满天风沙和忙碌的一天把戏拍完以后，我还跟导演和王力宏他们开会。开会完了，我也不敢去睡觉，因为凌晨三点半就要开车从元谋去昆明机场了。那我就开始收拾行李，真的有很多东西要收拾呢，因为今天是我最后一天在元谋，我做完《新宿事件》的宣传活动后，再回来大陆已经是到昆明了。于是，我要慢慢的把东西分类，那一些带回香港，那一些带去昆明，那一些寄回北京。当我分好以后，已经是两点十二分，我在想到底睡一会儿，还是不睡呢？最后，真的是没有东西可以收拾了，我就躺在床上，以为闭目养神，可是不知不觉就睡着了。

          不知过了多久，我被助手叫醒了，张开眼睛已经是凌晨三点钟，我真的不知道自己睡了二十分钟，还是半个小时。

          我们离开元谋需要开两辆车，因为有一辆要还给他人的，所以我负责开一辆车。本来我打算我开一半路程，司机开另一半，可是开车师傅从北京过来的，他对这里的路比我还不熟悉，为了安全，那我自己开车了。

          沿途看到很多星星，这些平常在大城市都不可能看得到的。在加油站加油的时候，看上天空，哗！繁星密布，真的很漂亮。

          汽车加油后，继续开车前赴机场。途中看到有些小车掉进乡间路旁的沟渠，虽然这些路仍是凹凸不平，可是我看到有关部门已经在筑路中，只是有些路段还没有完成而已。我开了一个半小时都是平坦建好的公路，之后就是一些很烂的路，路旁还没有照明灯，虽然如此，看到有关部门正在改进当中，我相信未来几年，这条路一定会很好走的，现在大家还要忍耐路途颠簸吧。由于是凌晨开车上路，可能有些司机累了，精神不集中，所以沿途也看到三宗交通意外。

          当我开到一段不太熟悉的地方，就让另一辆车带路，我跟在后面。当我们两车开进隧道时，突然看到一辆货车撞向隧道的墙壁，又回弹到路上，差点儿就撞在我们前面的车，我想司机一定很困睡着了才会差点儿造成车祸。

          我在后面开车看到这事情，整个人都吓得清醒了，一直心里叫自己要打醒精神开车，我也庆幸前面的工作人员的车没事，如果那辆货车真的与我们前车相撞，不仅我回不了香港，而且车上的人也要住进医院了。

          一个惊险的旅程后，我们比预定时间早到了机场，机场的办理登机手续的柜台还没办工。幸好清早没有太多车辆，警察就让我的车停泊在一旁，我太累了，就在车上睡着了。

          最后，我们一行几人登机，坐在飞机以后，我马上睡觉。不消两个小时就到达香港。

          抵达香港，我可以说是马不停蹄了。我没有回家，立即去酒店梳洗换衣服，开始做一些我最不喜欢做的事情，就是宣传工作了。可是，拍电影就是这样子，戏拍完了，身为工作人员、演员等都要协助电影宣传，每一个主要演员、导演等都出席，我又怎可能不出席呢！我知道很多女演员也是刚下机，就赶到宣传场地。

          我从一个满天风沙，不塞车的城市，突然间来到一个塞车，四周都是高楼大厦的城市，走进一个衣香鬓影的会场，昨天还穿着古代衣服在荒野里，现在已经穿着华衣美服身处一个现代城市，感觉就像在发梦。

          忙碌了一整天，我就跟一位我很喜欢的演员姜文吃饭和谈谈未来合作的计划。我跟他只喝了两杯红酒，就彷佛吃了药一样，整个人飘飘然的，我想我实在太累了，我马上告辞回家去了。

          回到家，喂了两头狗和猫以后，我就睡觉了。

          我再次张开眼睛的时候，一看钟，吓了一跳，因为今天我又要工作，差点儿过了时，我立即起床梳洗，出发去参加香港电影节。

          好幸运和开心，我的新戏《新宿故事》被选为电影节的开幕电影。看过电影以后，有很多评语和话题出来了，有人说很震撼，想不到我会拍这一类型的戏，会不会有血腥的感觉？我觉得我的问题是有很多人看我的戏仍然觉得我是成龙，我希望别人看我的电影不要看我是成龙，把我看成戏里面的角色，是一个演员。我真的很希望能做到亚洲的罗拔迪尼路，或是亚洲的德斯汀荷夫曼，可以做任何不同的角色，都能表现得很好。我已经不再是以前的成龙小子了，我是需要改变的，这么多年来，我不断的改变，从《玻璃樽》开始，及后的《新警察故事》、《神话》、《宝贝计划》，还有现在刚拍完的《The Spy Next Door》都一直在变。《新宿事件》的题材是挺严肃的；接下来的有《大兵小将》，戏里面我饰演一个小人物；《Karate Kid》将会演师傅的角色；跟着就会做楚霸王。我作多方面的尝试，就是希望大家知道和认同我是一个演员，你们可以看到不一样的我，多方面的我。

          很多人问我到底何时退休？退休这一回事，似是跟我距离很远，又似是很近，很近是我随时都可以退休，很远是我不知道何时。为什么我这样讲呢？因为我刚刚在中国成立了新公司，希望培育一些新人，也会制作电影和电视剧。而我自己的拍戏计划会一直到2015年，所有的计划都没有停过，每一个剧本还在进行当中。

          《新宿事件》是讲述不同国家的人，有非洲、苏丹、越南、中国，甚么人种都有，他们都很向往到其它发达国家，他们不惜偷渡移民，当中有很多不为人知的悲惨故事，有些我都知道的，因为我在江湖闯荡了那么多年，特别是在日本，在二十多三十年前已经有很多中国人偷渡到日本当黑工。我知道有很多不同国家的人偷渡到日本做黑工，现在我只是把中国人的一部份拍出来，让观众看看偷渡和做黑工的结果是怎样的。其实，任何人在自己的国家是最好的，你在自己的国家里，你永远是一等公民，到其它国家，你永远是二等，甚至三等、四等公民，我自己认为，没有一个国家比自己的国家好。

          《新宿故事》由尔冬升导演，故事写了三年，发掘了一个真人真事，改编了一个半真人真事的电影剧本。跟尔冬升合作，我是没有过问剧本，也没有问他我做什么角色，他叫我做什么就做什么，因为尔冬升是我非常尊重的导演。有些导演找我，首先我会问能否给我要的价钱，第二给我看剧本，我才考虑是否接拍。可是，尔冬升的戏，我没有考虑价钱的问题，也没有想剧本好不好，我就是信任他，因为他是一位值得信任的导演。

          看过电影的人都感到很震撼，想不到我会拍这一类电影，这就是我想要的效果，我想要的改变，我要给别人新鲜感和惊喜，你们看《新宿故事》会看到另一个不同的成龙，我是一个演员。

          很多人问我为什么会放弃中国市场？有很多小孩子看我的电影，当我拍电影的时候都知道可能会太残暴和血腥，已经选择分别拍一个远的镜头和一个近的镜头，也想过电影拍完以后，觉得很好的时候，怎样进入大陆市场呢？小孩子怎办呢？所以，我们决定剪辑一个温和版本给大家看看，可是很多人看了以后，都在摇头，他们说不知道故事讲什么？例如手上的刀稍作移动就被剪了；有人说：「你走吧．．」又被剪了，所以很多时都给人突然中断了和不伦不类的感觉。如果我们把电影剪成这个版本，在国内上映的话，国内的观众肯定看得一头雾水，质疑我们为什么会拍这样一部烂戏，一部不完整的戏？就算电影到欧洲，更加不会接受。经过考虑以后，我决定放弃一个市场，可能最后要放弃几个市场的，因为不同国家有不同的电影尺度，在东南亚可能觉得血腥，在欧洲可能不觉得那么血腥，那我最后作了取舍，保留了电影的完整性。电影很快会跟大家见面，由你们去评论，希望多给我意见，觉得好还是不好？是否以后不要再拍这一类型的戏？还是喜欢我的改变？

          这两天除了围绕这些新闻以外，很多新闻头版就是谈论我的古屋。古屋的故事是起源于我想买一间屋送给爸爸，最后买了七间古屋和一个凉亭。本来打算在中国找块地，把这些古屋建在一起，可是迟迟也找不到合适的地，加上我工作也很忙，爸爸又去世了，我想倒不如在香港建一个博物馆，让市民可以参观这些中国古屋。但是，我跟香港政府商讨了十年了，请求他们给地我们建这些古屋，政府给了很多理由把事情一直拖到现在。最近，新加坡政府知道我有这些古屋，就跟我联系，七天后已经给我答复，还承诺了给地、包船运古屋、给人才维修古屋、包保养，给了我很大的自由度。我一气之下，就答应了新加坡政府，把古屋交给他们了。

          当报纸刊登了我把古屋交给新加坡政府这消息以后，香港政府就急了，不断问我。我没有怪香港政府，我曾经跟两届特首见面，知道他们给地我会给人骂，如果我把古屋给了新加坡政府他们又会给人骂。很多人叫我：「Jackie，你去选特首吧．．．」我一口拒绝了，如果我选特首，我一定是一个强势的特首，只要不会伤害到国家、不会伤害到香港、不会伤害到中国人和香港人，而且是对香港好的，我就一定会去做。

          我觉得现在的人已经习惯了突出自己，老是想出位，政府做左他们会骂，政府做右他们也骂，总是动辄得咎。有时候，为什么我会喜欢新加坡政府呢？因为我觉得这个政府既强势，也有道理，绝不是无理取闹的。所以，很多人到新加坡都赞地方清洁、治安好、环保工作做得好等等。我老是说如果有一个天堂城市的话，一定要三合一，分别是加拿大温哥华的天气，可能那个时候我去温哥华拍《红番区》，当时的天气很好，地方又大，非常舒服；其次是日本人的礼貌；以及新加坡的管理，我想这三个地方的优点结合起来，就是我心目中的天堂城市了。

          Fibe帮我录完这个日记，我马上要赶去机场，坐飞机去北京了。这一次到北京是为了宣传《国家》这一首歌，第二天就要拍MV，第三天就要从北京坐飞机回昆明为《大兵小将》继续开工。

          时间过得很快，转眼间又将到三月了，我想很快又是圣诞节和新年了，所以大家都要珍惜现在拥有的，珍惜每一天，做好每一件事情，永远不要再说明天做，今天的事今天做，我会尽量抽时间更新自己的日记给大家看，好了，我要去飞机场了，拜拜！

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