Karate kid proves to be 'sleeper' US box office hit.
Jul 23 2010 by Rob Driscoll, Western Mail
His father’s one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, but young Jaden Smith is doing a good job following in dad Will’s footsteps, as Rob Driscoll reveals
IT’S tough being the kid of one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars. Jaden Smith, 12-year-old son of Will, is looking distinctly unimpressed at the London press conference for The Karate Kid, the blockbuster remake of the ’80s favourite which has proved to be the ‘sleeper’ hit of the summer at the US box office.
After all, this should be Jaden’s shining moment; it’s his first starring role in a major movie, and one where he’s delivered an acclaimed performance opposite no less than the legendary Jackie Chan, who plays the wise and mature kung fu mentor to Smith Jr’s eponymous young hero.
The only thing is, Jaden’s very famous parents (who also produced the movie) have decided to turn up too, which means that Will Smith and his gorgeous wife Jada Pinkett Smith are hogging a lot of the limelight.
But who needs mom and dad around when you’re trying to big up your own product?
All of which might explain Jaden’s stony-faced demeanour – looking straight ahead with no hint of a smile – while his clearly-proud father teases him about the astounding success of the movie in cinemas back home.
“If one more person calls me the Karate Kid’s Dad...” laughs 42-year-old Smith, putting on a tone of mock annoyance. “People have started calling me that, and I say, ‘Alright – Men in Black 3 is coming out immediately’.”
When the fooling stops, however, it’s clear that Smith is very excited about his son’s potential for being a big movie star in his own right.
“As far as how big he’s become, The Karate Kid opened and the three-day box office was $56m in the United States, which was bigger than any of my movies, other than Han**** and I Am Legend.
“So I’m wondering if he still needs to even live at our house,” says the proud dad.
“Very seriously, he’s such a fantastic, disciplined young man and if there’s one thing that stands out from him and other children I’ve worked with and tried to assist with this journey, it’s that he has the combination – he’s really sensitive, so he can capture emotion, but he’s always ready for another take.
“He has the mentality it takes to bear the weight of what this type of success this film has had is going to bring in his life.”
Jaden has previously been seen starring alongside his father in The Pursuit of Happyness and sci-fi remake The Day the Earth Stood Still.
This new version of The Karate Kid has struck a significant chord with Stateside family audiences, who have connected with its old-fashioned tale of courage, conviction and self-worth, and looks set to repeat that success on this side of the Atlantic.
In the title role (famously played a quarter of a century ago by Ralph Maccio), Jaden stars as all-American schoolboy Dre Parker, who could have been the most popular kid in Detroit until his widowed mother’s career takes them both to China.
Dre has a tough time making friends at first, but does make a connection with his pretty classmate Mei Ying, until cultural differences make such a friendship impossible.
Even worse, Dre makes an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. Dre knows only a little karate, and in the land of kung fu, Cheng puts “the karate kid” on the floor with ease. Dre has no friends to turn to except the lonely and sullen janitor of his apartment building, Mr Han (Jackie Chan).
Secretly a master of kung fu, Mr Han begins to train with Dre, building a unique friendship and moving towards a final showdown with Cheng at a kung fu tournament.
As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punching and parries, but maturity, patience and calm, Dre learns that facing down the bullies will be the biggest fight of his life.
The decision to film The Karate Kid in China was not taken lightly by the production team – but proved an extraordinary homecoming and a dream-come-true for Hong Kong-born Jackie Chan.
“I am so proud, and thankful to the production company, and to Will Smith and his family, for choosing to make this movie in China,” says the 56-year-old Chan, who boasts a staggering 100-plus movies.
“It means I have been able to introduce my culture, and locations from the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, and especially my beloved martial arts to so many people.
“I remember a long time ago, with the first Karate Kid, when so many people wanted to learn martial arts, and right now it’s all happening again, thanks to this movie.”
What about Jaden’s time in China – did he like the food?
“I had hamburgers the whole time,” he replies. “I think it was fun but nobody spoke English, so it was a little bit weird with that.”
Father Will rolls his eyes in despair.
“You filmed on the Great Wall of China, that had to be cool,” he offers. “I didn’t get to go up it.”
Jaden adds: “You made me run on the Great Wall.”
For the record, Jaden put his body and soul into learning to fight in the movie, by learning wushu kung fu, a physically demanding, active kung fu sport taught and practiced in China.
He was trained by Wu Gang, the stunt co-ordinator for the Jackie Chan stunt team, which is responsible for all the stunts in the films that Chan directs.
The Karate Kid may well introduce a new young Hollywood star to the world, but in many other respects, it shines a whole new light on his older co-star Jackie Chan, perhaps receiving the greatest reviews of all for his powerful portrayal of a man haunted by tragedy – a mature performance full of unforced emotion, with no sign of his trademark mugging and martial arts pratfalls.
Might this, I ask Chan, herald the beginning of a whole new film career, where it’s all about the acting, and less about the action? “Yes!” is his overwhelmingly enthusiastic reply.
“Back in Asia I can do whatever I want, as I’m the producer and director.
“But in Hollywood, whenever I present a script, they say, ‘No, no, we want Rush Hour 3, Rush Hour 4’, and I say, ‘I’m not young any more, I want to do some serious thing’.”
Chan recalls how he met Will Smith a few years ago in Japan, and before they parted, Smith suggested they do a movie together.
“I said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah’ because in Hollywood, everybody does that,” quips Chan, throwing Smith a cheeky smile.
“Then finally Will called me and said, ‘Let’s do The Karate Kid’. I thought I was going to be the kid, and I asked who the master was – and they said I was. I sometimes forget how old I am.
“So I looked at the script, and saw that it would be in China, and that it’s not karate, it’s martial arts and I said, ‘Yes, as long as you can trust me without action, only acting’, and they said they trusted me.
“I really appreciated that. Now I have proved I can act.
“I want to be the Asian Robert De Niro.”
The Karate Kid opens on Wednesday
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Originally Posted by SPJ
