Jackie Chan at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 8th annual Governors Awards (Photo : Getty Images)
International star Jackie Chan is known for his martial arts and acting skills but he has another side of him that the world barely knows. He sings well.
The Hong Kong-born icon, belted Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" in Mandarin with Taiwanese singer Sarah Chen. "Beauty and the Beast" starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens and Luke Evans will be in theaters on March 17.
It is difficult to simultaneously do two things but Chan is fine with it. The good-natured Chinese actor has a superb vocal prowess. When he was seven, his father enrolled him at Peking Opera School, according to his biography.
Chan released more than 20 albums in various languages, mostly in Cantonese. He sang "Endless Love" with South Korean actress Kim Hee Sun for the film "The Myth" in 2005.
In the 2016 Renny Harlin's film "Skiptrace," Chan was at the helm of a Mongolian village people in rendering Adele's 2010 hit "Rolling in the Deep" with traditional instruments. That scene, however, was nearly cut because Adele initially did not approve it. Chan was instrumental in making the British singer give her nod.
Though the music scene was not in the script, Harlin, a Finnish director who made a name in Hollywood through "A Nightmare in Elm Street 4" and "Die Hard 2," wanted "Skiptrace" to demonstrate cultural mix, and the best way to do that was Adele's music which Chinese people confessed to love.
"I was getting to know people there..... it was a crazy cultural mix," Harlin told Inverse. "I started thinking, 'How do we demonstrate this in the best way?'"
The director then planned to have the east meets west with a musical number in the action-comedy film. They shot the scene but needed permission to have it shown.
When they initially met obstacles to get approval, Harlin refused to give up on showing how music and art can bring countries together. He sought Adele, and emailed her a clip where Chan sang first then followed by the accompaniment of the drums and a Mongolian banjo. The next day, they gained Adele's yes.
Check out Chan singing the "Beauty and the Beast" Chinese version below:
