Chan son shuns life of a dragon

Stephanie Wong

Jaycee Chan may be trying to move out of the shadow of his Hollywood action star father Jackie Chan Kong-sang, but as soon as he slumps into his chair the resemblance is unmistakable.

"I've just got up," says the bleary- eyed 25-year-old - a confession that suggests a hell-raiser, which was until recently the basis of his reputation.

But thanks to a string of well- received performances, Chan is being taken seriously as an actor, though in a very different style from his martial arts supremo dad.

Chan's latest film is The Drummer, an independent drama in which he plays a Hong Kong crime boss' rebellious teenage son who is transformed into a disciplined and spiritual drummer by performing in a Zen drum troupe.

Chan can also be seen as another teenage son in mainland director Jiang Wen's The Sun Also Rises, this time of a mentally ill mother in a drama that took him to this year's Venice Film Festival.

The more serious roles add a dimension to appearances in two comedies, a fantasy-action flick and a love story.

But no martial arts films. "I did this on purpose," said Chan.

"Why do I make so many dramas, why don't I make more comedies? I didn't get paid that much by Jiang Wen. For what? So I can go to Venice and tell the world that the second generation can do it, too.

"I realized I could take the film to Venice and have foreigners applaud me. So I don't have to follow [my father's] path. I can make things how I want them to be and no one can control me."

He says he is not interested in learning kung fu and only learned Thai boxing for self-defense. But the desire to be taken seriously is palpable.

"People used to not respect me, people in show business didn't take me seriously because I like to play," he said, referring to frequent reports about his love of the night life.

"I work hard too, but people just don't see that and think I can't succeed," he said. "People really look down on the second generation."

Chan sees the criticism as a "slap in the face," adding: "Now I want to slap people's face too. I heard so many stories that people who work hard would succeed, so I believe this is true."

Although seeking to succeed on his own terms, Chan draws inspiration from his father - nicknamed Sing Lung, which means "Already the Dragon" in Cantonese.

"Things like `I'm tired' cannot come out of my mouth," said Chan. "When [my father] would keep filming even after breaking his bones, you realize you are not qualified to say such things."