Jackie Chan’s parents didn’t live ordinary lives, and this was a revelation for the actor himself, who wasn’t aware of their intriguing backgrounds. As per The Guardian, Jackie Chan’s father had once been a spy. According to Screen Rant, his dad, Fang Daolang, acted as a spy in the 1930s and 1940s, working for Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Party. He was also a “gangland boss” but eventually gave it all up for a quieter life.

By the time he’d decided to forge a new life with Jackie Chan’s mother and shifted base to Hong Kong, he’d let go of his past and was living under a different name like his wife. According to filmmaker Mabel Cheung, Chan’s dad wasn’t excited at the prospect of discussing his past and got very upset at some point during her interview with him. Cheung said, “We had to befriend him, sing karaokes with him, dance a little bit, before he was willing to talk again” (via The Guardian).

While it may seem like Jackie Chan mostly sticks to doing his own stunts without any help, this is not always the case. According to The Guardian, he has admitted to working with stuntmen when he felt like it was needed. This might be surprising news to many, considering Chan’s reputation for taking risks with panache while working.

He was quoted as saying, “I will use stunt doubles if you ask me to ride an F-16 jet fighter, or to jump over a series of hurdles with a crazy horse, or to perform two 720-degree somersaults. But one somersault, I’ll do it myself.” As per the Associated Press, Chan acknowledged that his fans do hold him in high regard and believe that he does his stunts without any assistance. He said, “I do my own stunts most of the time, that’s what audiences expect from me. I used doubles in a few shots but I do over 90 per cent of my stunts.”

Also, according to Mental Floss, Chan definitely does not hesitate to let stuntmen take over when it’s a minor scene and requires his character to do something simple like walking or driving. Chan gets some much-needed rest during these shots.

This may come as a bit of a surprise, but Jackie Chan has admitted that he is fairly indifferent to beautiful women. As per the Los Angeles Times, he always received plenty of attention from members of the opposite sex even when he wasn’t a celebrity. When he got into films and worked as a stuntman, he didn’t really have trouble getting attention from attractive women. Chan explained that things got even easier for him when he became a popular star. He recalled, “Girls would come to me like butterflies. Actually I’ve been numb after so many years. I have seen too many beautiful girls, Chinese or foreign. Now I don’t think anyone is particularly beautiful.”

Also, according to CNN, the actor had been candid about one of his biggest regrets: indulging in an affair while being married to his wife, Joan Lin. Luckily for him, Lin chose to support him and didn’t leave despite the affair. He said that his wife is a far stronger person than him.

Jackie Chan had already been hurt at least 70 times while working as a stuntman and actor when he reached the age of 50. According to Cinema Blend, some of these experiences were incredibly scary, such as the time Chan was badly injured while filming “Armour of God” in the 1980s. He still has a hole in his skull on account of that particular injury. Also, he almost drowned when he was working on the film “Vanguard.”

As described by Mental Floss, doctors had to insert a metal plate into Chan’s head after his “Armour of God” accident. How did the mishap happen in the first place? The scene was simple enough: Chan was required to swing from a tree. In the process, though, Chan ended up hitting his head on a rock and needed immediate medical aid. According to Yahoo, a piece of Chan’s skull had pierced his brain. He said, “My whole body was numb.” After his ear started bleeding, Chan was taken to the hospital, where he received surgery for his injuries. Chan knows he’s lucky to be alive.

As a Hollywood celebrity and a prominent public figure, Jackie Chan hasn’t chosen to hide the fact that he’s a strong supporter of the Chinese government. As per Forbes, this has really helped Chan in terms of making sure that his films get showcased in China without facing hiccups from the local authorities. However, his attitude hasn’t gone done well with certain members of the public. In 2015, Emily Lau, chairperson of the Democratic Party in Hong Kong, commented that Chan possibly benefits professionally on account of the fact that he never goes against the government. She said, “If you are someone who’ll always do and say what the authorities want, maybe it’s easier for them to approve your ventures.”

Chan isn’t a fan of such criticism. He responded with, “Should I not be close to [the] Chinese government? We are Chinese! … I think everybody should love your country.” As per VICE, Hong Kong’s citizens don’t like Chan at all. They believe that his stance on communism is too problematic to ignore. He also hasn’t shied away from saying some truly controversial things. For example, in 2009, Chan publicly remarked, “I’m gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we’re not being controlled, we’ll just do what we want.” He was implying that freedom for Chinese citizens wasn’t the best idea.