ABSTRACT
Jackie Chan is a superstar, or dragon, of the Hong Kong cinema. In becoming a dragon, certain life experiences mould his star image as a narrative of work, pain and triumph, such as his childhood operatic training, his knock-about brand of kung fu comedy and the high-risk on-screen stunts that he performs himself. But star images are made, not born. They are made of everything we know or think we know about a star and this knowledge has a complex, changing and sometimes controversial history that projects a particular star’s style, persona and context (Dyer 1986: 2-3; Dyer 1998: 33-86).1 As an actor, however, Chan’s star image has been remarkably stable for three decades. It relies on a high-octane physical performance that is excessive, painful and often painfully funny – even though he always triumphs in the end.
