Actor Chan apologises for drunken episode
Jackie Chan apologised today for his drunken disruption at a concert last week, when the actor climbed on stage and verbally sparred with audience members.
Chan was an invited guest at Taiwanese singer-songwriter Jonathan Lee’s concert last Sunday, but showed up unannounced on stage the following evening.
His surprise appearance was filmed by an audience member, apparently by mobile phone, and posted on the video-sharing website Youtube.com.
The three-minute film showed a surprised Mr Lee asking Chan: “How come you came up?”
Viewers heckled Mr Chan, yelling “pull him off stage”, “go away,” and “you’re so annoying.”
Chan responded with a Cantonese insult.
Preparing to sing, Mr Chan motioned Mr Lee’s band to start playing then abruptly stopped the music with “shut up".
He then walked up to one of the musicians and said: “You’re quite defiant, starting to play before I say ’one, two, three.’ Where are you from?”
The crowd eventually applauded after Mr Lee and Mr Chan start singing a duet.
After the incident, the Ming Pao Daily News quoted Mr Chan saying on stage that he was drunk.
Meeting with reporters after a promotional event for his upcoming action comedy Rob-B-Hood, Chan was initially reluctant to address the incident, but later he apologised.
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t play with my friendship with Jonathan Lee in public,” Chan said. “I apologise to Jonathan Lee and I apologise to the audience that night.”
Asked about the video footage of his disruption, he said: ”I don’t care. I’m not a saint. I’m an ordinary person.”
Separately, he said Rob-B-Hood, in which he plays a character who must protect a baby from kidnappers, is currently wrapping up post-production and will be released in Hong Kong on September 29.
Chan said he was also set to film Rush Hour 3 this summer. He said filming will take place in France, New York and Los Angeles. The actor also said he will make a film called Shinjuku Story next year. He didn’t give details.
