HONG KONG (November 5, 2006) — It may be a well-worn cliche, but for Hong Kong star Jackie Chan, action really does speak louder than words at least when it comes to English dialogue.
The actor is often frustrated by his inability to deliver his English lines smoothly during shooting of “Rush Hour 3,” according to an entry on his Web site Saturday.
“To me, action scenes are so easy, but dialogue scenes drive me crazy. The directors and producers want me to speak everything perfectly,” he wrote while filming in Los Angeles.
“Sometimes when a word is in the past tense or plural, I get confused. It is hard to remember lengthy dialogue and still sound natural.
“I have to say my lines over and over again until I get it right,” he said. “I want to ask them ‘Can I speak Jackie Chan English?’”
Chan is a prolific actor, but he has said his roles there are limited because of his grasp of English. Chan dedicated one diary entry to co-star Chris Tucker, thanking him for helping with the dialogue. Chan also said he was grateful to director Brett Ratner who tried to simplify the lines.
In the “Rush Hour” series, Chan plays a Hong Kong police officer and Tucker portrays his Los Angeles counterpart, with the movie’s humor drawing on cultural differences between the two. “Rush Hour 3” is due for release next year.
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