Will Smith Small Business
The rich idea of making a remake of Karate Kidcult work created by John G. Avildsencomes from Will Smith. He is also a producer of the film with his wife Jada Pinkett, through their company Overbrook Entertainment. As a true one-man band, the actor also chose Jackie Chan and his son for the two main roles. And it was again he who imposed the Norwegian Harald Blacka good friend, as a director. As a true business dad, he also contractually demanded that his son receive a bonus of two million dollars, in addition to a fixed fee of one million, if the blockbuster exceeds 150 million dollars at the box office. . The film having grossed 176 in the United States alone, Jaden pocketed a jackpot of 3 million dollars. Not bad, at only 12 years old…
A hell of a workout
Contrary to what the title of the film would have us believe, it is not karate, Japanese martial art, but kung-fu, of Chinese origin, Dre Parker, alias Jaden Smithpractical in the image. At 11 years old, the son of Will Smith, who takes over the role of Daniel LaRusso (then played by Ralph Macchio), initiated “in northern kung fu, the most difficult, because it requires the feet and legs. It also requires fighting with long wooden sticks”, specifies Jackie Chan. For seven months, Jaden was trained by Wu Gang, 40-year-old Chinese actor, converted to close combat coaching. Nicknamed “the Master” on set, he, for example, imposed hellish flexibility exercises on his recruit. Like this facial split, way Jean-Claude Van Damme, which can be seen on the screen. Laconic comment from the teenager: “I’ve been through it…”
China, sensitive area
” Bu shi !” (translate: “No!”), was the sharp response of the Chinese authorities to the first requests for filming. The director, Harald Zwart, doubted nothing while hoping to install his technical teams in Beijing (Beijing) place Tian’anmenIn the Forbidden City or even on the Great Wallthree ultra-sensitive sites, patrolled by the army since the student revolts of 1989. To resolve the situation, Will Smith approached the China Film Group Corporationthe state-run cinema enterprise. At the same time, the actor has activated his valuable networks at the White House, where he has some good friends, including Barack Obama in person. A month later, miracle: all authorizations were accepted…
Jackie Chan puts his feet up
“No more antics, the time has come for me to play a wise man”jure Jackie Chan when the film was released in 2010. At 56 years old, the stunt actor, an ace aerialist, is delighted to calmly play the role of the master: this “old” character finally saves him from the fights too violent. A boon for the actor, who admits in one breath: “My body can no longer take the falls, the bruises, the blows and the bumps! I suffer too much from the pain caused by twenty years of injuries. I have broken so many bones and strained so many muscles on my shoots, that 'today, I hurt as soon as I lift a finger!'
The Karate Kid is broadcast on Friday December 3 at 1:50 p.m. on France 2.
J.-B. Right
