'I wasn't happy having to act even in real life': Jet Li explains his absence from public eye, Entertainment News
The 62-year-old China-born action star, who has been a Singaporean since 2009, explained his disappearance from the public eye in a Douyin Reel uploaded on June 20.
"I think I may be a bit of a recluse. As to whether it's serious to the extent that it has become a health condition, I don't know, but I do believe I may have some slight mental health issues," he said.
Jet, who debuted in showbiz in 1982, shared that he gained fame too early in his life.
He said: "After gaining popularity, wherever I go, people would want to get my autograph, and I realised I had lost myself. I can't even eat a meal outside because everyone would crowd around me to have a chat. If I don't smile, they would say I am not courteous.
"Eventually, I grew to be afraid of crowds. I didn't want to go outside, I didn't want to meet anyone."
He added that if someone wants his autograph or to take a photo with him, he must oblige, even though he had already fulfilled many of them and when he wasn't able to meet the requests, they would be unhappy.
"I can't satisfy everyone. When I see others unhappy, I feel a sense of fear and worry. I was unwilling to interact with others, go to gatherings or crowded places."
Jet felt that he should have been an athlete instead of an actor, as he would only have to focus on his performance.
As an actor and public figure, there would be people who take care of his appearance and he would have to take the centre position on stage and be everyone's focus.
He said: "I especially dislike things like these. I feel that as an athlete, I just need to show my results. It's good enough as long as someone watches my movies, why do I have to act as someone who is not my usual self? I am already acting (in my career), I wasn't happy having to act even in real life."
Jet added that because of this, he wasn't willing to do media interviews and go to crowded places other than for filming.
He also shared that to get out of being a recluse, he turned to doing charity work.
"Doing charity work and setting up One Foundation is not about me wanting to gain something out of it. I was thinking about what I should do for society, so I had to go and communicate with people and get them to donate.
"At the time, I spoke to all my friends in the entertainment and sports industry as well as people I didn't know... Because of that, I didn't have any struggles about my ego, I just felt it was something that I should do."
One Foundation is a charity founded by Jet in 2007 in China and focuses on disaster relief, children's welfare, training of public welfare professionals and funding grassroots charities.
He believed because he got himself to step out of his shell, it helped him to improve his social skills in public.
"Sometimes I think, when I am helping others, I am also helping myself to become someone who is more open to communicate with others," he said.
[[nid:719439]]
yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com
No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Want to be the next Anna Wintour? Famed editor role at US Vogue now up for grabs on LinkedIn
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox While some netizens were excited about the prospect of becoming the magazine's new head, others were more sceptical. Ever dreamt of becoming the next Anna Wintour? You can now have a shot at snagging her highly coveted role at US Vogue, as advertised on LinkedIn by the magazine's parent company on July 2. A week after British-born Wintour shocked the fashion world with news that she was stepping down as editor-in-chief , Conde Nast took to LinkedIn to call for applicants for the position, now renamed as Head of Editorial Content at US Vogue. In its post, the global media firm shared a collage of pink couture dresses and simply said: 'We are hiring.' Those interested were asked to send in their resumes to a leadership consulting firm. The post has since garnered significant traction on social media with over 4,000 reactions on LinkedIn, and several reactions from TikTok and X users. While some netizens were excited about the prospect of becoming the magazine's new head, others were more sceptical. Some were also at odds about the hiring process. One LinkedIn user said that the company's move was an indication of a 'cultural reset', while another joked if candidates who 'don't rock a bob and sunglasses indoors' would be considered. However, one X user quipped: 'What if all of this is just marketing for The Devil Wears Prada 2?' Known for her iconic bob haircut and black sunglasses, Wintour, 75, is among the most influential figures in fashion journalism, having held the position as US Vogue editor for 37 years. She was widely believed to be the inspiration behind the lead character in The Devil Wears Prada, played by Meryl Streep. The sequel to the 2006 film, The Devil Wears Prada 2, was announced on June 30, just days after Wintour announced her departure at a staff meeting. Wintour has said that she would remain as Conde Nast's global chief content officer and editorial director at Vogue. It is not known if Conde Nast has reached out to any applicants. While some media outlets have speculated that the company could look for a replacement internally, there have been no official announcements yet.
AsiaOne
5 hours ago
- AsiaOne
'I learnt my lesson': Jackson Wang recounts losing '30% to 40%' of income after lending money to someone, Entertainment News
Jackson Wang's popularity stems not just from his good looks and talent, but also his kindheartedness, which has often captured the hearts of his fans worldwide. But it seems that his good nature has also resulted in him losing a large sum of money. Speaking on YouTube talk show Figuring Out with Raj Shamani released on Tuesday (July 1), the 31-year-old Hong Kong-born pop star, who was in Mumbai in June to promote his upcoming album Magic Man 2, revealed to the Indian entrepreneur-influencer about his predicament. Jackson, who is a member of South Korean boyband Got7, was asked how he spent his money, to which he responded: "I just put it in the [bank] account and probably more than half of that I just give to my mum." He added that he spends most of his money on production work rather than splurging on luxuries. When asked what was the most expensive item he had bought for himself, he told Raj that money he lent someone was "the most expensive thing" compared to anything he had bought. Jackson then explained he had once loaned money to someone whose name he didn't reveal, and the money "vanished". "The relation's f***ed up and the money is gone, so I learnt my lesson," he said. He recounted: "I lent someone [money] for their family... I can't really say here, I got to respect that, whatever it is, and it turns out it's not for family. It was at the time, like, 30 to 40 per cent of my income." Forbes reported in 2024 that Jackson generated approximately US$115 million (S$146 million) in revenue in 2023 from businesses that he backs, including performances and design. Jackson added during the talk show that he had since learnt that "it's life" and he had "accepted everything and moved on". He was also asked if he would still lend money to a friend in the future. "It depends on the level of trust I have in this person but usually I don't suggest. I would say 'Yes, I would lend you [money], but I think our relationship might end here so let's not hurt each other'," Jackson shared. He also said that he had considered lending money without expecting it to be returned and to continue having a friendship with the person, but he believed it would be "awkward". A song written for his parents in upcoming album Jackson also got candid about his parents during the show, where he revealed that they are his biggest idols in life. He said: "I am not from a middle-class family. When my mum first moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and my dad moved from Guangzhou to Hong Kong to become the head coach of Team Hong Kong (Fencing), they didn't have s***. "I saw my mum and dad doing shifts, especially my mum. I saw she did a lot of shifts every day, for three to four different jobs and she would come home, sleep for a few hours... She would provide all the stuff for us, but she wouldn't take anything for herself. She would let us eat first and eat the leftovers, but as a kid, what did I know?" Jackson also recounted how his mum would come home every day from work and laid on the floor before getting up to take care of him and his elder brother's daily needs, because his father was mostly travelling for work. He added: "She wanted to save up everything so that my brother and I [could] live in a healthy environment because she also knows that [if we live in] a healthy environment, we will also have healthy friends. Even later on, my mum thought that even if we were very bad at studying, we could still have some place to live with her. "She saved up 30 years of her salary to get a house for my brother and I, thinking that in case we failed in our life, [and] she is not going to be here forever... at least we still have this house to live in." He shared that he only found this out from his parents in recently and his mum would always get "so emotional" when talking about it. "That's why I'm a mama's boy. It's like we always lived under their wing, but now I feel like our wings have the capacity and I can work now, so I want to always protect them." Jackson also revealed he wrote a song for his parents in his album, believed to be the track named Sophie Ricky, after his parents' names. Magic Man 2 is set to release on July 18. [[nid:719518]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
ByteDance mass food poisoning: Catering company Yunhaiyao pleads guilty
Scroll up for the next video X ByteDance mass food poisoning: Catering company Yunhaiyao pleads guilty
