Jaycee Chan

Jaycee Chan talks to Squat's Gerry Ho about music, movies, girls and Jackie Chan

"I didn't think I could act"
One look at Jaycee Chan and you should be able to guess who his dad is. Having Jackie Chan as a father has advantages and disadvantages.

Jaycee had some famous "uncles", including Sammo Hung and Anthony Wong, to call on, when he wanted advice on how to break into show business.

However, his dad's formidable reputation can at times feel like a never-ending eclipse.

"I have to work ten times as hard, to step out of his shadow," Jaycee says.

"Everything, people can relate to my dad: 'Oh the reason he's making movies is because he's Jackie Chan's son.'

"I'm sure there's no way that that is why the director would hire me to do a movie. It's their movie. It's not my dad's movie."

When in college in the US, where he studied Japanese, Jaycee discovered another drawback of being the son of one of Hong Kong's favourite action stars.

"At the College of William and Mary, some western people get drunk and want to fight me, because they want to prove that they're strong," he says, raising his eyebrows in mock confusion.

"I just laugh and walk away, because they are drunk," smiles Jaycee, who confirms that he will turn 25 this December.

There was confusion about Jaycee's age, because his dad's autobiography Jackie Chan: My Life In Action, published in the Nineties, said Jaycee was born in 1984, probably to avoid the fact that the conception was out of wedlock. Jackie has since become more open – a sign of how times have changed.

Jaycee, part of the MTV generation, has always been nonchalant about it and adds jokingly, "I like 82 more, because it is a good year for red wine."

Jaycee's godfather, Albert Yeung of Hong Kong media giant Emperor Entertainment Group, came in handy when Jaycee wanted to start a music career a few years back.

"I liked dance when I was young," Jaycee reveals. "At the age of about 13, I started learning music. At first I was going for piano, but I stopped – I dunno why – I just stopped. Then I started picking up guitar."

At the time, Jaycee had no intention of becoming an actor.

"I never thought about acting," he says. "First of all, I didn't think I could act. And, second, I thought you had to be a really handsome, good-looking guy to act in Hong Kong."