While celebrating his 70th birthday over the weekend, Jackie Chan addressed his fans’ concerns over his older appearance.
The iconic actor and martial artist’s comments come after social media users became concerned after a photo of Chan sporting gray hair at an event went viral.
After the photo began circulating on X last month, many fans shared in the comments section that they were worried about the state of his health.
On Sunday, Chan marked his birthday milestone by posting throwback pics of himself on various film sets during his lengthy Hollywood career.
The “Karate Kid” alum then shared that “a lot of friends” were concerned about his health after the photo of him with a “white beard” surfaced.
Though having grays at 70 years of age is certainly not unimaginable, Chan took the time to explain his new appearance to his worried fans.
“Not so long ago, a lot of friends saw some recent photos of me on the internet, and they were all concerned about my health. I want to take this opportunity to let everyone know, don’t worry!” Chan said.
“It’s just a character appearance for my latest movie. The character requires me to have white hair, white beard and look old,” he added.
Chan also shared he’s “always been willing to try new things for a movie, no matter if it’s a challenging stunt or a breakthrough appearance for a character.”
Bertrand Rindoff Petroff via Getty Images
Elsewhere in his post, he wrote, “Even before today, many friends have been reminding me: ‘Jackie, it’s going to be your 70th birthday!’ Every time I hear this number, my heart would stop for a second ― I’m 70 years old already?”
The stunt legend then opened up about reaching the milestone age and shared gratitude for the clever words of his big brother, Sammo Hung, who said, “Being able to grow old is a fortunate thing.”
“Especially for us stunt people, we don’t know how lucky we are to be able to grow old,” Chan added.
The “Rush Hour” star went on to gush over being in the “entertainment business for 62 years,” adding that he’s “lucky” to still be filming today.
“Looking at these photos brings back so many fond memories. All I can say is: I love making movies and I love you all,” he continued.
Wrapping up his message, Chan added, “A big thank you to everyone for all your birthday wishes. Hope everyone stays happy and healthy!”