Jackie Chan is revisiting one of the most shocking moments of his life.
In a recent interview with People, the iconic actor and martial artist recalled the life-altering moment when his father Charles revealed he was a spy.
Chan, now 71, recalled being in his forties when his father turned to him in the car and said, “I have a secret to tell you. Son, I’m old. I might sleep and never wake up. I have a secret to tell you. You are not ‘Chan,’ not ‘Jackie Chan.’ Your original name is ‘Fang.’”
For Chan’s most devoted fans, this isn’t exactly new information.
The conversation with his father led Chan to explore his family history more deeply and helped bring their story to light in the 2003 documentary, Traces of the Dragon: Jackie Chan and His Lost Family.
The documentary details his father’s work as a government spy during the Chinese Civil War and his mother Lee-lee’s life as an opium smuggler and gambler.
Elsewhere in the People interview, Chan told the magazine he doesn’t understand why people enjoy his 1998 cult classic film, Rush Hour.
“After the movie finished, I still don’t like it. Because I just don’t understand a lot of things. The culture is totally different,” he said, before pointing to the infamous scene where Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) changes the dial on Detective James Carter’s (Chris Tucker) radio.
“The people laughing [about] ‘Never touch a Black man’s radio,’” recalled Chan. “Why, why so funny? I just don’t understand. Totally different culture. I was very disappointed. I finished, I go back to Asia to make my own film. Then, suddenly, I get a phone call. ‘Jackie! We break all records in three days—$70 million! Let’s do a part two, then part three, and part four!’”
