‘Rush Hour’: Jackie Chan Teased Chris Tucker for Not Performing Stunts
In hindsight, the Rush Hour movies had all the makings of a blockbuster franchise. But no one expected how popular pairing Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker would actually be. Chan’s signature stuntwork and Tucker’s fast-paced comic style perfectly complemented each other. But on the set of the first movie, Chan apparently teased his co-star for not committing to the physical part of making an action movie in the same way.
Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker were both relatively new to Hollywood
On paper, Rush Hour falls into a long tradition of buddy-cop movies. The movie clearly hoped to match the success of films like 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon. Eddie Murphy — who starred in the former — was even at one point eyed to star in Rush Hour before Tucker entered the picture. But it was the match of Chan and Tucker that made the movie become the breakout hit that it is. At the time, both Chan and Tucker were relatively new to Hollywood
While Chan had worked in Hong Kong for decades, Rush Hour was his first major lead in the United States. Likewise, Tucker had almost exclusively supporting roles behind him with only one lead role in the previous year’s Money Talks. As a result, the two actors struck up a real-life friendship on the set. In the end, the Rush Hour franchise spanned three movies and a worldwide gross of nearly $850 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
The ‘Rush Hour’ stars had a very different approach to the movie’s stunts
But just because Chan and Tucker were similarly new to Hollywood doesn’t mean their views on everything lined up. In particular, Chan was known for doing his own stunts, something Tucker had no experience with. In fact, in a 2007 interview on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Tucker revealed that Chan gave him a hard time about it.
“On the first movie, I got in shape because I heard Jackie does his own stunts. So I said, ‘Let me get in shape,’ and I started doing it and everything. Because if you don’t come out there, Jackie will tease you. ‘Chris Tucker, you scared? Come, we’ll do your stunts! Stop acting like a punk! Do your stunts!'”
It’s unclear whether Chan was able to get Tucker to participate in any of his own stunts. But it sounds unlikely, as Tucker admits his stuntman was injured on the set of the movie. Still, it’s not a total surprise that Chan and Tucker mostly stick to their own individual skill sets. It actually mirrors their characters’ relationship in the films.
Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker’s friendship has evolved with the movies
Lee (Chan) and Carter (Tucker) find some common ground and learn to work together by the end of Rush Hour. So too did the actors themselves. Thanks to their combined strengths, the movie became a runaway success in the fall of 1998. And it didn’t take long for Hollywood to come calling for a sequel, which hit theaters in summer 2001.
Rush Hour 2 was so in-demand, in fact, that Chan and Tucker both received significant pay increases. Tucker negotiated a $20 million salary that made him one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors. And both men outdid themselves yet again with Rush Hour 3 in 2007, another blockbuster hit.
