“I’m gone”: Jackie Chan Didn’t Want Arnold Schwarzenegger to Steal His Spotlight, Rejected Sylvester Stallone’s Offer to Star In Expendables
Jackie Chan is one of the biggest action stars of all time. Known for his swift martial arts moves with impeccable comic timing, Chan has made a lasting impression on people’s hearts. Chan can’t be missed when speaking of big action stars, his acrobatic combat style set him apart from his peers.
However, it is certainly strange that when the most popular action stars of Hollywood got together for Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables franchise, Chan wasn’t one of them. Chan was offered a part in those films but The Rush Hour star denied it because he did not want celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger to steal his spotlight.
Jackie Chan Denied Being Part of The Expendables
Sylvester Stallone‘s The Expendables was a dynamic action-packed get-together of all legendary names in the world, who are known for their action sequences. From stars from previous decades to currently popular names, the whos and whos of action were part of Stallone’s project. The star-studded ensemble included actors like Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, and, Jean-Claude Van Damme.
The Expendables is a team of fighters who go on adventures to fight the evils of the world. The franchise largely profits from materializing every action pairing fans could dream of. The nostalgia factor largely contributed to the film’s success. Strangely enough, Jackie Chan was missing in these films.
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As revealed by the Chinese star himself, the offer was made to him multiple times, before each one of the franchise’s films, but he ended up denying it every time.
Jackie Chan’s Reason for Not Doing The Expendables
The reason why The Expendables made a special place in the hearts of millions is the exact reason why Chan denied being part of the franchise.
As it turns out, the lineup of action stars is why Chan backed out from the franchise. In an interview with Den of Geek in 2014, Chan expressed his thought process on the subject saying (via Cinemablend):
“…this morning I did hear – the office called – Sly [Stallone] wants me for Expendables 4. I said, ‘Okay.’ Because they already asked me to be in two and three, but I refused. Well, I didn’t refuse, but I said, ‘Sly, can’t we just do you and me? Not just a bunch of people and me only coming out for five minutes.’ Because then the audience is, ‘Oh!’ And then I’m gone.”
Chan argued that his presence in the film would be redundant and would be overshadowed by the greats he would be sharing the screen with.
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Source: Cinemablend
