Two martial arts legends — Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee — had a humorous encounter in the early 1970s. The two have a reputation as the two biggest kung fu movie stars of all time. Bruce Lee made a handful of movies from 1971 and 1973, while Chan, who had a far different style and image, dominated the genre over the next three decades. While the two actors never co-starred in a picture, the two did meet — and the true story of how Chan met Lee is as charming as the actors themselves.
Kung fu movies were being made in China long before Bruce Lee came onto the scene, but it was the arrival of “the Dragon” that transformed the genre — especially how it was viewed by countries outside of Asia. Bruce Lee made an explosion in the entertainment industry with the release of The Big Boss in 1971. Bruce Lee’s skills as a martial artist wowed audiences, and as a result he became a worldwide sensation. Following the release of The Big Boss, Bruce Lee starred in four movies before his death. He died during the filming of Game of Death, and his most famous film (and arguably the most iconic martial arts movie ever made), Enter the Dragon, was released after his death.
Jackie Chan at first, was groomed to be the next Bruce Lee, but after a while, studios realized that Chan was at his best when he was allowed to create his own brand of movies. Even so, his experience with Lee still had a great influence on him. Jackie Chan has said in the past that working with Bruce Lee is what inspired his trademark method of doing all his own stunts.
