Jackie Chan 'Finally' Grabs an Oscar, After 56 Years in the Industry!
At long last, Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan, who is popular as a kung fu star, has finally won an Oscar! Chan is among the four veterans who received an honorary Oscars at the Governors awards in Los Angeles due to their career achievements.
It was Michelle Yeoh, Tom Hanks, and Chris Tucker who presented the award to Chan. Tom Hanks said that the blend of martial arts and comedy was "historically underrepresented at the Oscars". Hanks further compared Chan to Buster Keaton and John Wayne.
Chan accepted the award and said, "standing here is a dream". He further added, "After 56 years in the film industry, making more than 200 films, breaking so many bones, finally this is mine." He further joked "My dad always said, 'Son, you get so many movie awards in the world, when are you going to get one of these?' Then I just look at my dad. 'Ha, ha, ha. Dad, I only make comedy action movies,'"
The 62-year-old actor admitted that winning the award is a fulfillment of a dream he'd conceived 23 years ago after touching statuettes at the house of Sylvester Stallone. Apparently, Stallone was also at the event.
Other honorees were Frederick Wiseman, a documentary maker renowned for his works like Titicut Follies, La Danse, High School, and Public Housing. Casting director Lynn Stalmaster also received the award for the exemplary works of The Graduate, West Side Story, Harold and Maude and Tootsie. Editor Anne V Coates is also a recipient with her works like Lawrence of Arabia, Out of Sight, and The Elephant Man.
This year, Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs admitted that changes were made in picking the winners in response to #OscarsSoWhite controversy. She admitted that they are not on the "mountain top yet" and that they will need to do lots of works still, but at least they can now "see the peak up ahead".
