The chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the Rush Hour films is certainly something special to witness. The duo lead three films for the franchise that were packed with both exciting action sequences and comedic scenes that left people in stitches. The films are filled with little Easter eggs, including references to Jackie Chan's Hong Kong film days, and almost had Eddie Murphy, who was huge at the time of the films, portray Detective Carter. And while Chris Tucker was easy to bring on board after the first few picks for Detective Carter weren't available, Jackie Chan needed some convincing, with director Brett Ratner flying to South Africa to coax him into joining the films.
The films brought endless entertainment to fans of both actors, but it took some hard work, including fighting through a language barrier and Chan adjusting to America's standard of stunt precautions. Even still, the pair were able to build a franchise that is still loved after all this time.
A Language Barrier Made Their First Encounter Tense
Prior to Rush Hour, none of the films Jackie Chan worked on showed him speaking English and often showed him speaking either Cantonese or Mandarin. This lead to a bit of tension on the set between Chan and Tucker, who was already a seasoned comedian at the time.
Tucker often improvised lines, something that rubbed Jackie Chan the wrong way because he was already having a hard time understanding what Chris Tucker was saying throughout their time together on the first Rush Hour film.
Chris Tucker also had his reservations about working with Chan, recalling how tough it was to work with him initially because he "thought [Chan] didn't know English 'cause he didn't say one word. I said 'This man's not talking, how we gonna do this movie?'"
Subsequently, Chan said both were at fault for the communication issues between the two, admitting that his English isn't the best but that Tucker also "speaks very terrible English, too," even saying that his manager had a difficult time understanding what Tucker was saying.
In the end, Jackie Chan admitted that working with Chris Tucker ultimately helped improve his English, taking the time to show Jackie how to properly pronounce specific words and phrases. It was Chris Tucker's help that lead to more English-speaking roles opening up for the action mega star.
Jackie Chan Thought The First Rush Hour Was Horrible
Rush Hour marked Jackie Chan's big break into the American market, something the action star had been attempting to do for the better part of two decades, and it is because of this that the film almost did not happen.
According to an interview he did with Yahoo, his former attempts at breaking into the American market failed with Chan saying "Nobody knew who this little Chinese guy was that spoke no English. I was disappointed and thought, 'No more American market'."
Thanks to a push from his manager and a personal visit from the films' director, Chan agreed to sign on as a cast member for Rush Hour, a film he initially told his manager was "terrible" because he wasn't allowed to do his own style of action and was confused at why audiences were laughing at the movie.
Chan ended up leaving Hollywood briefly and going back home to China. It was here that he found out that Rush Hour did poorly in the Asian market, something that greatly upset him as he was already incredibly popular because of his Hong Kong films and almost made him not return to America.
This almost lead to him not returning to Hollywood for good, even telling his manager that he "should never make this kind of movie!" It was shortly after this that Chan got the call telling him how much of a box office hit the film was in America, and the entire trajectory of his career changed from there.
Chan and Tucker rode the success of the first film, making two Rush Hour sequels after that. And Jackie Chan learned that the American market is very different from the Chinese market, and now takes hints and guidance from his English-speaking co-stars to produce the best films possible.
The Pair Remained Friends Long After The Rush Hour Movies
The on-screen chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker is part of the reason why the Rush Hour films did so well. While there certainly was a language barrier to work though, especially during the first film, the duo still managed to bring action-packed sequences and laughs to the big screen.
While Chan has been busy in both the American and Asian markets, and Chris Tucker working on re-building his career from the ground up, the pair still managed to keep their friendship intact, even if they have not worked together in some time.
Chris Tucker has actually visited Jackie Chan in China before, and spoke very positively of the experience, saying Chan essentially "owns everything" in China and walks around with a huge posse around him.
The duo apparently did karaoke together and Jackie showed Chris and his son a good time while they were there.
Fans of Tucker and Chan will be able to relive the magic of this duo on screen, as Chan has confirmed that Rush Hour 4 is in the works, finally settling the rumors about the film that date back to 2017.
The film's IMDB page, which has very few details on it, shows that the pair will be working together on screen.
