The Spy Next Door

[GeneChing]

We needed a new thread on this. Jackie films always deserve their own threads

Jackie Chan to star in 'Spy'
Action comedy to be directed by Brian Levant
By Steven Zeitchik and Borys Kit
Aug 5, 2008, 01:00 AM ET

Jackie Chan is taking his martial-arts high jinks to the neighbors, signing on to star in "The Spy Next Door," an action comedy to be financed by Relativity Media and directed by veteran studio helmer Brian Levant.

Robert Simonds, a longtime comedy producer on such movies as "The Pink Panther" and the Adam Sandler films "The Wedding Singer" and "Big Daddy," will produce. Solon So will executive produce. Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh will produce, and Tucker Tooley will exec produce.

Jonathan Bernstein and Jim Greer are penning the screenplay for "Spy," which centers on a man (Chan) who is called to baby-sit his neighbor's children and winds up having to fight off secret agents after one of the kids inadvertently downloads a secret code.

Chan is one of the biggest-grossing comedy action stars of all time, with his "Rush Hour" films earning more than $500 million in the U.S. alone. "The Forbidden Kingdom," a which showcased his trademark brand of action chops and comic timing, earned $51 million in North America for Lionsgate in the spring.

Chan recently has turned to action drama, starring in and producing "The Shinjuku Incident," about a Chinese immigrant who moves to Japan to pursue his former girlfriend.

Levant is the helmer behind such studio comedies as "Are We There Yet?" the Ice Cube film that earned $82 million for Sony in 2005.

Chan and Levant are repped by WMA, as are the writers and producers on "Spy."

The project continues a torrid pace for Relativity, which has been snapping up projects at a rapid clip since the WGA strike ended. Kavanaugh's outfit also is behind the Judd Apatow creation "Pineapple Express," which opens Friday, and the upcoming Paul W.S. Anderson action film "Death Race."

[doug maverick]

this movie doesn't deserve ****. i'm ****ed at jackie for taking on a crappy film like this one. i think he just takes anything they throw toward him. its sorry

[GeneChing]

Jack Tu said something about being in NM. Now that makes sense.

Jackie Chan Movie to Film in Albuquerque

Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan will be high-kicking his way around Albuquerque soon.

Gov. Bill Richardson announced Chan’s new flick, “The Spy Next Door,” will film in and around the city in November and December. The production expects to hire about 150 local crew members and more than 600 actors, including principals and extras.

Chan plays a man who is asked to baby-sit for his neighbor’s children and winds up having to protect them from secret agents after one of them accidentally downloads a code.

The film will be produced by Relativity Media and directed by Brian Levant, who directed “Are We There Yet?” “Snow Dogs,” “The Flintstones,” and “Beethoven.”

Mayor Martin Chávez recently announced that over the past five years, film productions in the city have produced a direct economic impact of about $300 million. In June, he said the industry was on track to bring in $150 million this year alone.

The film industry has exploded in New Mexico over the last several years, due in large part to the state tax incentives that encourage film production and were put in place by the Legislature and Richardson in 2003. Since that time, more than 100 major film and television projects have shot in the state with an economic impact of more than $2 billion.

[GeneChing]

Eraserhead, Hannah Montana and Jackie all in the same article. Nice!

'Eraserhead' director inspired Billy Ray Cyrus
August 25, 2009 -- Updated 1440 GMT (2240 HKT)
By Lisa Respers France
CNN

(CNN) -- Billy Ray Cyrus may be a country boy at heart, but he is also pretty savvy when it comes to navigating Hollywood.

When others wrote him off as a novelty act after the 1992 hit "Achy Breaky Heart," Cyrus kept making music and eventually turned to acting.

It was a decision he said came after some well-timed fatherly advice.

"In the mid-'90s, my dad said to me 'Son, you've got all of your eggs in one basket and you are living and dying by music,' " Cyrus recalled. "He said 'I want you to have a career like Kenny Rogers.' "

Cyrus said his dad suggested he branch out into acting. Cyrus eventually auditioned for and won a role in what appeared to be an unlikely vehicle -- David Lynch's 2001 film "Mulholland Drive."

After Lynch, known for such works as "Blue Velvet" and "Twin Peaks," suggested that Cyrus should continue to pursue the craft, he went on to star in the television drama "Doc," which also helped spur the career of Cyrus' greatest production -- "Hannah Montana" star, and Cyrus' daughter, Miley Cyrus.

Now, with the release of "Hannah Montana: The Movie" on Blu-ray and DVD, a music tour and an upcoming role in a film featuring comedian George Lopez and martial arts expert Jackie Chan, Cyrus is staying busy.

He recently took some time out of his hectic schedule to talk to CNN about how he keeps it all together, how he manages raising a family full of performers (son Trace is a member of the band Metro Station, daughter Brandi performs with the band Frank and Derol and also acts, as do younger children Braison and Noah) and what makes him a good fit for Hollywood.

CNN: What do you like about "Hannah Montana: The Movie?"

Billy Ray Cyrus: I think it's got a certain amount of realism to it with art imitating life imitating art. It certainly parallels a lot of things in mine and Miley's real world and real lives.

I wrote the song "Back to Tennessee" and as I read the script for the movie, "Back to Tennessee" became a cornerstone of the film and the title track off the album. The realism of the film translates into the music, and I think vice versa.

CNN: The film speaks to never losing touch with your roots. How important is that to you?

Cyrus: Extremely. My dad told me as a kid to always be aware of where you are, always have a vision for your future, but never forget where you came from.

CNN: You've had careers in both music and acting. Do you still feel a bit like a fish out of water dealing with Hollywood?

Cyrus: I love Hollywood as far as being an actor. Getting to work with Jackie Chan and George Lopez in this new film we have coming out in January ["The Spy Next Door"], working with Heather Locklear and Patricia Neal in the Lifetime movie "Flying By" and Brooke Shields, who has appeared as my deceased wife on "Hannah Montana."

I look back at it now and think that I may fit in more to the film community than I do Nashville, to tell you the truth. I love what I do.

CNN: Do you have a preference, then, for acting over music?

Cyrus: My preference is to find projects that can combine the two. I also love to write scores. I wrote a lot of the scores for "Doc" and I love to write scores for other projects.

CNN: How do you balance being a star with being a dad?

Cyrus: The very best I can. I just take it one step at a time and do the best I can.

My dad was to me what I try to be to Miley, which is somewhat of a best friend. I try my best to be a good daddy and if she wants to talk about business or music I try my best to be a good manager. I try to be all of those things because that's what my dad was to me.

Unfortunately, my dad passed away four years ago from mesothelioma, but I feel like in some ways my dad is looking down on me and smiling.

His name was Ronald Ray Cyrus and a lot of people say Miley changed her name to Miley Ray because of Billy Ray, but that's not true. She did that in honor of my dad, because the two of them just loved each other to pieces.

CNN: So will Miley ever remake "Achy Breaky Heart"?

Cyrus: I doubt it, but anything is a possibility. In 1991 I recorded "Achy Breaky Heart" and we are not too terribly far away from the 20-year anniversary, and there are some major stars who want to re-do that song.

I'm flirting with the idea. There's one cat in particular that if I told you who it was, it would blow your mind. But I've got to keep it under my hat right now.

[GeneChing]

This looks...harsh.

Spy Next Door trailer

[GeneChing]

Enter to win a deluxe prize pack for THE SPY NEXT DOOR, in theaters January 15th. Contest ends 12:00 a.m. PST on 01/18/2010. Good luck everyone!

SPECIAL OFFER! During January 2010, THE SPY NEXT DOOR will receive a special Prize Pack for Jackie Chan's THE SPY NEXT DOOR, in theaters January 15, 2010.

[GeneChing]

You can catch the recap on the Tonight Show site:
part 1
part 2
part 3

[GeneChing]

I think Ellen's interview was better than Conan's.

Jackie is really plugging his clothes line. I got to get me some of those J.C. collection threads. He Tao said he could hook me up. I should call in that favor.

[doug maverick]

my mother and i have a bet going on for this film...i told her it would crack the top five...she says it will. and im like only rush hour and its sequels and shanghai knights and its sequel... were hits for jackie chan in his american made movies. the rest flopped(except the forbidden kingdom, which honeslty doesnt count because that was technically an independent film). my mom is a giant jackie chan fan and i mean giant and has been that way for literally my entire life. every since she saw snake in the eagles shadow, she's been a chan fan and doesnt want to admit that he has declined...so i feel sorry for her when i win....lol, besides that im really good when it comes to box office numbers, i havent been wrong in five years.

[Jimbo]

I realize I'm pre-judging this movie without giving it a chance, but I'm going to give it a miss. I like Jackie's movies up until Drunken Master II, though a couple of his post-DMII movies had some good fights (Who Am I? and Gorgeous).

IMO, Jackie's recent movies, esp. his American productions, have been sub-par. And they only seem to be going downhill. It's as if he'll take any role offered to him. Many of his roles are getting more and more demeaning, something unimaginable when he was at his peak. I could foresee his next American movie role as something like this: Jackie plays the owner of a Chinese laundry who is suddenly thrust into international intrigue when he discovers a top-secret microchip hidden in a customer's sport coat (or something to that effect).

[GeneChing]

It's a great kid's film. If you're expecting hardcore kung fu action and extreme stunts, you best check your calendar. Jackie is 56 now. He's past that. You would be too if you'd taken as many hard knocks as he has. I enjoyed it, but I'm a stalwart Jackie fan. I cherish his films from the 70's, 80's & 90's (three freaking decades!). I respect what he's doing now too. At the very least, SND is far better than Tuxedo. If you're looking for something recent from Jackie that's not a kid's film, check out Shinjuku Incident.

[GeneChing]

He's already talking sequel. Another Hollywood Jackie franchise?!

Jackie Chan still kicking
By Jamie Portman, Canwest News ServiceJanuary 12, 2010 11:03 AM

LOS ANGELES - There's a moment in The Spy Next Door when Jackie Chan performs one of his age-defying acts: leaping nimbly onto a roof to rescue a stranded kitten.

Ask Jackie about the challenge of bringing off the scene, and he responds with a disarming grin.

"The roof was nothing," he shrugs. "But the cat was not easy. He grabbed me a few times."

Actually, Chan was badly scratched. However, that sort of injury he can still handle. There's no way he'll make a big deal out of it. But there was another, far worse mishap during the filming of the family adventure opening Friday - and it shouldn't have happened.

"I tore a hamstring - doing nothing," he sighs. Basically, he was careless. There's no way anymore that he can skip essential warm-up exercises before starting a strenuous day before the cameras.

"So these days, I have to tell myself, 'Warm up! Warm up! Warm up!' But on location, you forget some days to do it."

At 55, the world's most likable action star can no longer afford that kind of negligence. There was a time when he could be breezily casual about the nose that has been broken three times, or the 1986 misjudgment that led to a collision with a rock, emergency brain surgery and a permanent hole in his skull.

When he broke his right ankle 14 years ago in the Vancouver-filmed Rumble In The Bronx, he was jumping from a bridge onto a hovercraft - and miscalculated. He was back on the job 48 hours later with his leg in a cast, and, off-camera, was on crutches for the rest of the shooting. But when he had to go before the cameras to perform another awesome feat, cast and crutches were nowhere in sight. He coped without them.

In a 1995 interview, Chan joked that he had broken "everything from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet." It's less easy to joke about such things now. Chan is still an exuberant, outgoing personality, but beneath the bonhomie, there's a realistic acknowledgment of the passage of time.

Still, there remains this readiness to try new things and break new ground - even to have his first onscreen kiss in The Spy Next Door.

He's lost count of the number of movies he's made - both in China and in North America - but he's firm on the fact that this is his first Hollywood family movie. And yes, it's different from anything he's tried before.

He plays Bob Ho, a nerdy pen salesman in his public persona, hopelessly in love with his next-door neighbour Gillian, played by Amber Valletta, and actively disliked by her three children, who see him as a threat to their own home life.

If Bob is ever to marry Gillian, he's going to have to win over three hostile kids, played by Madeline Carroll, Will Shadley and Canada's Alina Foley. Adding to his problem is that he hasn't told her about his real profession of undercover super-spy for the CIA. On the very weekend when Bob is babysitting the children while their mother is away, he's forced into a confrontation with a Russian terrorist gang - a confrontation that reveals his true identity to the kids, and places the whole family in jeopardy.

Chan ended up feeling like a babysitter throughout the entire shoot; he constantly worried about his young co-stars during the action sequences.

"It's not easy being a babysitter. You have to protect people on the set, make sure everybody's safe, especially the children."

He had never worked with youngsters to this extent. And they were worshipful. "Oh, they asked so many questions. They want to see this. They want to see that. They want to hold my hand. They want me to do magic. They just loved me. And I liked them, but it was my first time with kids - and difficult." Then there were the household animals: a pet pig, a turtle who plays a key role in an action sequence, and that formidable feline.

Jackie manages to sound cheerful about the whole thing because, after all, he hopes to reunite with this brood in a sequel. "We get married, adopt all these extra children. I don't know if it will happen, but everybody hopes for that."

As for kissing Valletta: "It's my first, ever. I finally get the girl!" But this doesn't mean romance will become a fixture of future movies: The Spy Next Door is an exception to the rule. "In my movies, we don't have kissing or love scenes. I don't want to see Jackie Chan naked. Also, so many children watch my movies, but a small kissing scene is OK."

After all these years in the business, Chan seems to have a firm idea of what his international audience expects of him. But he's also clear-eyed about the fact that he's now middle-aged. There's no denial, but rather, an honest pragmatism, leavened by his own personal Jackie Chan brand of humour.

Talking to Canwest News Service, he insists that his 55th birthday passed almost unnoticed, because he doesn't worry about such anniversaries.

"I don't want to have a birthday until I'm 60. For the Chinese, every five or 10 years is the big birthday. Other birthdays, I don't care."

But fans do observe every one of his birthdays, and that is a problem. "Every time I have a birthday, all these flowers and letters from all over the world remind me that I'm getting older, while I say - no, forget the birthdays.

"So I try hiding every birthday right away. I'll go on location or I go somewhere else - hiding. But I still get a lot of messages on the telephone. Yeah, I don't like birthdays anymore."

But that doesn't mean he ignores the signs of advancing age. He can still do a splendidly choreographed fight scene - witness a dazzling Eiffel Tower sequence two years ago in Rush Hour 3 - but now he constantly monitors himself.

"Every morning, the back, the knees, the ankle can hurt a little bit. Sometimes my mind doesn't trust my body. Every day, I want to go and do something, and my mind says: 'Stop! Can you do it? Let's try, first.' The mind is telling my body, the body is telling my mind. It's not what it used to be, to do whatever you'd like to do."

Yet he keeps constantly busy, and will be on view later this year in his own personal spin on The Karate Kid. With this one, he will take on a serious role as an aging martial arts teacher. "I have a moustache, white hair, an unhappy life." And there's also the musical he's writing about his life and career.

Retirement is not in the books. Chan, whose cinematic action style is modelled on the physical comedy of silent-movie great Buster Keaton, abhors the very thought.

"As soon as I retire, I might just ..." He breaks the sentence off, and slumps into his chair, deflating before your very eyes into a mere fragment of the real Jackie Chan. " ... just not care any more," he says finishing the sentence. "I just might not want to do anything. The work makes me young."

Which reminds him - he does have a problem with his shoulder.

"I have to go to hospital to put two screws into it," he says matter-of-factly. The problem is finding time. "I haven't gone for two years, and my shoulder hurts."

I guess Jackie doesn't want to see Shinjuku Incident released in the west.

[TaichiMantis]

This is perfect movie for him. He does slapstick and physical comedy so well. I'm a kid at heart so I know I'll like it

[GeneChing]

I wonder if Jackie will be in Parade this Sunday. I hope so. Parade is considered one of the biggest U.S. periodicals.

January 13, 2010
Jackie Chan: 'I Forget How Old I Am'
by Jeanne Wolf
Jackie Chan joins the ranks of action stars who've gone PG in the family comedy The Spy Next Door. He plays a Chinese intelligence agent who gets stuck babysitting his girlfriend's three kids. But, of course, he also takes on a bunch of bad guys with some acrobatic kicks and punches.

Parade.com's Jeanne Wolf found out why Chan is aiming for a younger demographic.

His big makeover.
"For the last couple of years, I've done something different in every movie, and being with the kids was another way to surprise my fans. The audience still wants action and comedy, but slowly I want to change my image."

This time, it wasn't easy.
"You have three challenges. First, acting in English. Speaking English is like tongue-twist for me. I can speak each word perfect, but then you have to string them together like, 'Blah, blah, blah.' That's when I get crazy. Second, animals and the children. You know, is not easy. The kids never listen to you, especially the youngest ones. I'm in a scene with one little actress and she suddenly started singing. I was like, 'What are you doing? Am I that boring?' And she just walked away. Then we had a turtle and cat who were even more difficult than the kids."

But kids won't leave him alone.
"In the real world, children love me. On the set, I would teach them the tricks, the martial arts moves. But they wouldn't let me take a rest between takes on the set. When I'd rest, then they come and say, 'How do you do this kick?' And they want me to play hacky sack and all kind of things from 6 o'clock in the morning until I leave the set at night."

As for his own son...
"I never see him. He knows who I am and he's so proud of me, but he's 27 now and he never calls me. I think he's the luckiest boy, but maybe he's not. I know there's a lot of pressure because you are the son of Jackie Chan. He never wanted to be an action star. He wanted to be a composer and performer. So he released an album and then was in a movie. Unfortunately, they didn't do too well."

Wait until he gets ambushed by TMZ.
"My driver says, 'Jackie, there are paparazzi in that car parked behind us.' I turn around and the windows are tinted, they're all black so you can't see anything. So I go over and knock on the window and say, 'Don't hide there. Just come out. Ask me what I'm doing. It's OK to take my picture.' I was with these two girls who are my assistants. We had just finished a session in a recording studio. So I explain that and the next day I read, 'Jackie Chan out for a night on the town with two girls.' So, no matter what you tell them, they just write whatever they want to write. That's bad and I've given up."

Who cares what it cost him to be a part of the Olympics in Beijing.
"I skipped one movie and two commercials. I would have made about $20 million, but I was willing to take the loss. Money for me today does not really matter. It's about doing something for myself, for my country, that's most important. So whatever they need from me, I'm there."

The stunts aren't getting any easier.
"I just forget how old I am and sometimes I just try to do it when maybe I shouldn't. I'm not like I used to be. I tried to jump up the wall and I was going, 'Wow.' It's not easy anymore.' But I don't worry. I will take care of myself. And all my stunt team takes care of me too."

Retirement isn't in his vocabulary.
"I'm on my way to being 60. I should have stopped, but I have so many scripts, so many projects right now! It's just crazy. Now, I'm talking about an ice cream business, restaurant business, theater business, a clothing line, watches and even a school."

Learning to play the Hollywood game.
"They called me for the first Rush Hour and I said, 'No, I don't like to do this kind of movie.' I say, 'Policeman from Hong Kong with a black American cop...what's that about?' But, I do the film anyway, and when I see it, I hate it. The action's bad. The dialogue I don't understand. Then they call and say, 'Wow, big success ... $32 million the first week.' I go, 'Oh, now I like it!'"

Broke his ankle in Rumble? Oh man, this reporter has no idea what Jackie's broken for our entertainment.

Jackie Chan Broke His Finger in His New Film
Date: 13-Jan-2010

Martial arts star Jackie Chan broke his finger during a fight scene in his new film "The Spy Next Door" and had to snap it back into place or risk stalling the movie.

Chan noticed the little finger on his left hand was bent right back and dislocated before he felt any pain - and decided to continue with the scene. He says, "I still do two punches, otherwise you have to do it (scene) all over again. I go, pow, pow and then, 'Cut!' and then I put it (finger) back."

It's not the first time Chan has been seriously injured while making a movie - he fractured his ankle during "Rumble in the Bronx" when he landed awkwardly after jumping from a bridge to a hovercraft.

He recalls, "The cameraman (said), 'Jackie, are you OK?' I said, 'Did you got the shot (sic)?' 'Yes I got the shot.' 'OK, send me to the hospital.'" The tough guy admits he was back on the set, with a cast wrapped around his ankle, an hour later.

[GeneChing]

I'm thinking Jackie did have a kissing scene before, but I can't cite a film. Anyone?

Family Chan: Martial arts star goes 'Next Door'
by Angela Dawson - Jan. 14, 2010 09:58 AM
Entertainment News Wire

HOLLYWOOD - After more than three decades of making movies, martial arts star Jackie Chan finally gets the girl in "The Spy Next Door." The girl in question is model-turned-actress Amber Valletta, who plays his girlfriend in the family friendly action comedy.

"It's just a kiss, not a love scene," Chan assures. "No one wants to see Jackie Chan naked or making love."

Chan, 55, plays Bob Ho, a bumbling pen salesman who appears to be as nerdy and boring as his job. He's actually a CIA super spy who secretly saves the world on a daily basis. Ho lives next door to Gillian (Valletta), a beautiful single mom he's been quietly dating for some time. He wants to marry her but before she'll accept his proposal, he must first win over her three troublesome children.

Gillian is suddenly called out of town on a family emergency, and Bob offers to baby-sit the kids in her absence and hopefully win them over. When one of the kids mistakenly downloads a top-secret formula from Bob's computer, Bob's enemies show up at his doorstep and the secret agent's real occupation comes to light. It's up to Bob to save his future family from the bad guys and keep the formula from falling into the wrong hands.

The Hong Kong-born action star appreciated the opportunity to try his hand at a family comedy that focuses on his relationship with kids.

"I wanted to make a PG movie," he explains.

Working with kids while incorporating his signature action moves into the comedy was a little tricky, though.

"I had to protect them on the set with all the action sequences," he says. "I made sure everyone was safe, especially the children."

The youngest, 5-year-old Alina Foley, was the biggest challenge. "She'd start singing and I'd have to go, shh,' " he recalls with a chuckle. "Then she'd say, I want to go to the bathroom' and walk away. So I had to trick her."

The choreographed fights with the bad guys were nothing compared to his scenes with the unpredictable young actress. In a scene where he is trying to put her to bed, Chan accidentally was kicked a few times by the youngster. The two other child actors (who were older) were less troublesome but just as demanding on the action star's time.

"Sometimes I wanted to take a rest on the set for 20 minutes and it was like, Jackie, show me some karate moves,' or do some magic,' " he recalls, smiling.

Kissing Valletta was the biggest challenge, though, as Chan had never kissed a girl in a movie before.

"We did several takes," he admits.

"He was fine," says Valletta. "(The kiss) was very chaste."

In the future, says Chan, his romantic scenes will be comical. "I love to do comedy action sequences," he says.

Good thing, because that's what he has been doing for much of his movie career - especially over the past 12 years in Hollywood.

After 20 years as a box office star in Hong Kong, Chan co-starred with Chris Tucker in 1998's "Rush Hour." The buddy-cop action-comedy became a huge box office success, as did its two sequels. He subsequently starred in another successful franchise with Owen Wilson starting with "Shanghai Noon," a buddy action comedy set in the Old West. "Shanghai Knights" followed in 2003.

Other recent Hollywood credits include "The Tuxedo," "The Medallion" and a remake of "Around the World in 80 Days." He also was one of the voice characters in the animated hit "Kung Fu Panda."

Born in Hong Kong to working class parents, Chan trained at the Peking Opera School from ages 7 to 17, where he learned various skills such as acrobatics, gymnastics, martial arts, weaponry, dance, singing and drama. By the time he graduated, Chinese opera was declining in popularity and he gravitated toward film.

In the early 70s, Chan worked as a bit player and action director. Inspired by silent film greats Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, Chan developed a unique style, combining humor and death-defying stunts. In the montage of outtakes that typically ends his films, fans see the proof that Chan is still his own most amazing special effect.

Among his fans is director James Cameron, who invited Chan to the set of "Avatar" during production.

"I've been making movies for almost 40 years but after looking at his set, I was like a kid in kindergarten," says Chan modestly. "If you gave me all those cameras and technology, I wouldn't know how to use it. That's why I film the basic things. Two cameras. Simple."

At an age when other action stars move on to more sedentary movie roles, Chan is still kicking it in the action genre.

"Movies, stunts, fighting - it makes me young," he says. "It makes me continue to go."

His philosophy: "If you do anything today, you can do it tomorrow."

Chan works with a team of stunt people who help him come up with interesting new ways to entertain. In "The Spy Next Door," they conceived ways of using household items - a microwave, a refrigerator, a pool skimmer and more - as props in fighting the bad guys.

Director Brian Levant ("Snow Dogs," "Are We There Yet?") says he had to work quickly to accommodate Chan's limited availability. A 38-day shooting schedule in Albuquerque meant everyone had to show up prepared. No one arrived as prepared as Chan did, the filmmaker says.

"He's like Michael Jordan," says the veteran family comedy filmmaker. "As he gets older, he changes his process so he can do what he is capable of doing."

Since completing "The Spy Next Door," Chan has shot and produced two more films in China and is in pre-production on another one. He also stars in the upcoming remake of "The Karate Kid," in which he will play a kung fu master to Jaden Smith (Will Smith's son).

"It is more for adults," he says of the drama. "I like to mix it up - comedy, drama, action, then for children again. I want audiences to know me as an actor that can fight, not a fighter who can act."

Having more than 100 films to his credit, Chan says one role has eluded him - firefighter. After seeing "Backdraft," he wanted to make a firefighting movie in Hong Kong, but fire officials there wouldn't allow it, fearing it would be too dangerous in the overcrowded city.

These days, Chan makes his home in Beijing.

"I have nothing to shoot in Hong Kong anymore," he says with a shrug. "All the locations I've already done. In China, I have a new location, new facilities. We have the biggest studio in Asia, which is really helpful."

Amber Valletta is wearing her new stardom quite well
Updated 16h 8m ago

By Arienne Thompson, USA TODAY
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Amber Valletta looks like any other slim, chic California girl in her trendy plaid shirt and skinny jeans, but when her camera-ready face erupts into a rubbery, full-face grin, you know she's an actress.

Not that it has been an easy road.

"I still feel like I'm fighting to get jobs, and I'm fighting against A-listers. I'm still not quite there yet. It's been a tough transition," the former supermodel, 35, says. "There's times where I was like, 'Why in the hell am I doing this?' "

Still, she has managed to land several plum roles alongside some of Hollywood's leading men over the years, including stints with Will Smith in Hitch, Harrison Ford in What Lies Beneath and now opposite Jackie Chan in The Spy Next Door, in theaters Friday.

She and the action star make an unlikely couple in the movie about a divorcée (Valletta) whose son unwittingly downloads a secret spy program meant for her boyfriend, Bob (Chan).

"She's got some backbone, which is what I really like about this character," Valletta says. "She's obviously been through one marriage and has experienced the pain and heartache of having to be a single mom, (and has) lived enough to be ready for someone like Bob, who's just a nice, real person."

Valletta says she's happy to do a family film, not only because her son, Auden, 9, can see it, but because it also helps fill out her résumé.

"It's important as an actor to do all sorts of different roles and be diverse. I love kids' movies because there's so much play and fantasy ... that you just don't get in some of the bigger features. It's chaos, but it's so much fun."

Fun — along with a meaty role — is something the actress is hoping to find in her next gig.

"I'm always being made plain Jane, which is so funny because I come from fashion and was made to be so glamorous, and now in film, they don't make me ugly, but they try to keep it simple and normal, which is fine. But it would be nice to be in a film and look really good and be next to the most hot guy! I'm putting it out there."

And she just may have the connections to make it happen.

Valletta, who's married to Olympic volleyball player Chip McCaw, says her dream list of directors includes the Coen brothers, Noah Baumbach, Pedro Almodóvar and David Lynch. She already has an "in" with Lee Daniels and Tom Ford, who are both earning praise for their respective films, Precious and A Single Man.

Daniels is Valletta's former manager and Ford is still part of the fashion world, having been the creative head of Gucci for a decade. The actress says getting in touch with both men is high on her to-do list for the year.

"I need to call (Ford) and be like: 'Yo! What's up?' "