"Thank you most for helpin' to raise Jaden": Will Smith wishes Jackie Chan a happy birthday with words of gratitude

Actor Will Smith took to his Instagram account on Sunday, April 7, 2024, to send his best wishes to Jackie Chan on the occasion of his birthday. He thanked the actor for helping raise his son Jaden Smith in a heartfelt message and recalled the time his family spent with Chan during the filming of the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid, which also starred Jaden.

"I thank you most for helpin’ to raise Jaden. Our time with you in Beijing during the Karate Kid left an eternal impact on our entire family. We wish you the deepest Love & Revelation on your next trip around the sun," Will Smith wrote.

In the film, Chan played the role of Kung Fu master Mr. Han and mentored Jaden's character, Dre Parker.

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Will Smith wishes Jackie Chan a happy birthday as he shares pictures from the sets of The Karate Kid

Will Smith took to Instagram on the occasion of the Rush Hour actor's birthday and shared several pictures from the sets of the 2010 movie. He included a photo of the trio that featured Chan and Smith carrying Jaden and smiling from ear to ear.

Apart from thanking him for helping "to raise Jaden," he also thanked him for making some of his "favorite movies of all time" and "creating some of the craziest moments that have ever been captured on film."

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith were among the producers of The Karate Kid and in a 2010 interview with George Lopez, Jackie Chan recalled the time the former called his office to pitch the blockbuster. At the time, the action star quipped:

"I said, 'OK! Who's the teacher?' I thought, I'm the karate kid!"

Laughing, he added:

"I already forget how old I am. I still think I'm the kid. He said, 'No, you're the teacher. My son's gonna be the Karate Kid.'"

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"We don’t know how lucky we are to be able to grow old": Jackie Chan pens a note on the occasion of his birthday

Jackie Chan also took to social media on his 70th birthday and shared several images of himself from over the years. He explained that his team went through his archives and found "memorable photos" that he eventually shortlisted. The actor expressed gratitude for being "able to grow old" and said:

"My big brother, Sammo Hung once said: 'being able to grow old is a fortunate thing.' Especially for us stunt people, we don’t know how lucky we are to be able to grow old."

The stuntman and actor also laid rumors regarding his health to rest. He explained several friends and well-wishers had been worrying about his health after seeing recent photos of him online. Urging everyone not to worry, Jackie Chan stated that the pictures in question were of him dressed up as a character for an upcoming movie.

"The character requires me to have white hair, white beard and look old. Over the years, I’ve always been willing to try new things for a movie, no matter if it’s a challenging stunt or a breakthrough appearance for a character," he said.

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Jackie Chan is set to star in the next Karate Kid film alongside Ralph Macchio, who played the teen protagonist in the original 1984 film. The duo announced the news in a YouTube video in November last year, adding that they are looking for the "next Karate Kid."

Macchio starred as Daniel LaRusso or the Karate Kid in three movies and later reprised his role in the Netflix series, Cobra Kai. The show was a sequel to the 1984 movie featuring LaRusso and his rival Johnny Lawrence. As per People, in a later post, it was announced that American Born Chinese star Ben Wang would play the teen lead in the title.

Further details about the film are currently awaited.