When Jackie Chan saw an Oscar at Sylvester Stallone’s house 23 years ago, he said that was the moment he decided he wanted one.
On Saturday at the
annual Governors Awards, the Chinese actor and martial arts star finally
received his little gold statuette, an honorary Oscar for his decades
of work in film.
“After 56 years in the film industry, making
more than 200 films, after so many bones, finally,” Chan, 62, quipped at
the star-studded gala dinner while holding his Oscar.
The
actor recalled watching the ceremony with his parents and his father
always asking him why he didn’t have Hollywood’s top accolade despite
having made so many movies.
He praised his hometown Hong Kong for
making him “proud to be Chinese,” and thanked his fans, saying they
were the reason “I continue to make movies, jumping through windows,
kicking and punching, breaking my bones.”
The actor was
introduced by his “Rush Hour” co-star Chris Tucker, actress Michelle
Yeoh and Tom Hanks, who referred to him as “Jackie ‘Chantastic’ Chan.”
Hanks
said it was especially gratifying to be able to acknowledge Chan’s work
because martial arts and action comedy films were two genres often
overlooked during awards season.
from Reuters.com