Martial arts legend Jackie Chan has spoken candidly about his strained relationship with his son, Jaycee Chan, 43, admitting that his overly harsh parenting played a key role in driving them apart.
Recently, while promoting his latest Chinese film Unexpected Family, the 71-year-old star revealed that a father-son reconciliation scene at the end of the film deeply moved him, prompting him to reflect on his real-life relationship with Jaycee.
Reflecting on his past belief that “a strict father raises a filial son”, Jackie acknowledged that this mindset was a mistake and only served to instill fear.
Looking back, he said he was constantly critical of his son.
“In the past, whenever I saw my son, I scolded him. Whenever I went on television, I criticised him – there was never said a kind word,” said Jackie.
“I was wrong. Education shouldn’t be like this, I should have given him more freedom instead.”
The tension between them worsened over time.
He recalled that Jaycee used to call him once a year to wish him a happy birthday, but after being scolded and told to “call at other times” instead, the calls stopped altogether.
Jackie admitted that it was only with age that he began to let go of his “strict father” attitude.
These days, he no longer forces expectations on his son and hopes that Jaycee can live a safe and happy life.
The only child of Jackie and Taiwanese former actress Lin Fengjiao, Jaycee followed in his parents’ footsteps and entered showbiz, appearing in several film and TV productions and releasing albums.
His career took a major hit when he was jailed six months for drug offences in Beijing in 2015.
He has largely stayed out of the spotlight in recent years, starring only in a couple of movies since his prison release, including 2016 action comedy Railroad Tigers and 2021 romcom Good Night Beijing, which he directed.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
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