AUG 16, 2004
The Jackie Chan effect 
Poor Jaycee Chan. People say that he got the lead role in The Twins Effect II because of his father Jackie Chan's name. But he's more interested in singing and wants people to know him through his songs
By Mak Mun San
LIKE father, like son? Not Jaycee Chan, it seems.
Dad - Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan, 50 - is flamboyant, gregarious and loud. But his 21-year-old son is not.
Even the trademark big nose is, well, not as big in reality as Life! discovers when he came to Singapore on Thursday to promote his debut movie, The Twins Effect II - The Huadu Chronicles: Blade Of The Rose.
Although reporters gathered at the Conrad Centennial hotel are clearly more interested in him than fellow cast members Gillian Chung and Charlene Choi of pop duo Twins and Chen Po-lin, Jaycee remains disarmingly low-key.
With his hair pulled back in a ponytail and sporting a pair of nondescript black-rimmed spectacles, the 1.76m-tall star looks unflatteringly casual in a T-shirt, jeans and grey jacket.
Wearing a bashful smile throughout the press conference, he comes across more like a wide-eyed schoolboy than a celebrity with famous parents. His mother is former Taiwanese actress Lin Feng-chiao, 51.
Perhaps it is the result of years of shying away from the limelight, but he is apparently not an attention seeker.
In fact, he appears to resent attention so much he is already contemplating leaving Hong Kong, where he has been based since entering showbiz this year.
He tells Life! in a separate interview after the press conference: 'I want to live somewhere else, in mainland China, because I'll enjoy more freedom. It's not that I dislike Hong Kong. It's just that my presence will cause misery to a lot of people.'
With a chuckle, he elaborates: 'Reporters follow me every day. They have a job to do. If I'm gone, they don't have to bother anymore, right? I'll just go to Hong Kong once in a while, that'll be good enough.'
Ironically, his childhood dream was to become a member of the paparazzi as 'I love photography and everything to do with electronic gadgets'.
He speaks fluently in Mandarin, peppered with the occasional Cantonese phrase, and American-accented English.
His voice is soft and slightly throaty, which makes it rather difficult to understand what he is saying at times because he tends to drawl.
Born in the United States on Dec 3, 1982 - just two days after Jackie secretly married Lin - he grew up being constantly reminded not to acknowledge his father in public.
Jackie had feared that news of his marriage would upset female fans. A Japanese fan committed suicide years ago after hearing rumours of his love life.
'But the more you try to hide something, the more the reporters will want to write about it,' Jaycee says with a wry expression on his lean face.
In any case, Jackie was often missing in action, joining the family in Los Angeles only once in a blue moon. According to Jaycee, Lin once joked that Jackie never spends more than eight hours at home.
In earlier interviews, Jaycee had revealed that whenever he missed his father, he would watch his films. And he saw so little of Jackie that he would even take pictures with the latter's movie posters at cinemas.
It was not until 1995 - when Jaycee was almost 13 years old - that Jackie publicly admitted his relationship with Lin.
If given a choice, would he still want to be the son of two famous names?
He flashes a boyish grin.
'I've never tried what it is like not to be their son, so I really don't know.'
But in his first Mandarin album which will be launched next month, he offers a glimpse of what it is like to be their child.
He wrote and arranged 10 of the 13 songs, some of which are based on his childhood experiences.
'I asked my parents if they mind. They said: 'No, it's fine as long as you're happy',' he says.
SMOOTH RIDE
THERE is no denying that Jaycee has enjoyed a far smoother ride into showbiz than most newcomers, reportedly because of his father's name.
It is not every day that an untested rookie gets the lead role in an HK$80 million (S$17.5 million) movie, with big names such as Donnie Yen, Edison Chen, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Daniel Wu and Jackie himself playing supporting parts.
The Twins Effect was the top-grossing movie in Hong Kong last year. It won six awards for technical achievements at the Hong Kong Film Awards in April this year.
Eyebrows were also raised when Jaycee was named the Most Promising Hong Kong Newcomer in China's CCTV-MTV awards last month, never mind the fact that he has yet to release an album.
He says it does not bother him when people say he is lucky because of his father.
'They're right. They say that because they don't know who I really am. I can say to them: 'You don't know me, please don't judge me.'
'But the only way to convince them is to let them know me better through my songs.'
It is obvious that he is eager to be recognised as a singer rather than as an actor.
He perks up significantly when the topic switches to music, stressing that his singing career takes precedence over acting.
'I entered showbiz to be a singer. That is why I prefer to mingle with friends in the music industry, like Peini and Jingru. We can't stop chatting about music...'
It feels rather cruel to stop him from going on about his pet subject but you cut in since he mentioned two of his rumoured girlfriends, Penny Tai (Peini), 26, and Fish Leong (Jingru), also 26.
The Malaysians reportedly fell out with each other over Jaycee a few months ago.
Shaking his head, he says: 'Peini and I are like buddies. We're just very good friends.'
Ditto for Leong, he adds.
He also denies dating his co-star Chung, who is reportedly romantically involved with him after working on the movie. Incidentally, Jackie himself was also linked to the attractive girl about two years ago.
'I don't have any girlfriends now. I used to before I entered showbiz, but not anymore,' he insists.
Looking ahead, one wonders if Jaycee the singer-actor will still be on the radar once the Jackie Chan-Lin Feng-chiao connection wears off.
'Just listen to my music,' he says confidently.
He might not be as flamboyant, gregarious or loud as Jackie - but, when it comes to self-belief, he certainly confirms the son is like the father.
The Twins Effect II - The Huadu Chronicles: Blade Of The Rose is showing in cinemas.
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DO YOU KNOW THAT...
ALTHOUGH he has reverted to his original family surname, Fong, for his Chinese name, the name on his American passport remains Jaycee Chan Cho Ming. Meanwhile, his official name in the family's ancestral books is Fong Suk Mun. His grandfather, from China's Anhui province, adopted the surname Chan to elude the communists. Jackie Chan has three other names - Cheng Long, Chan Kong Sang and Fong Si Lung.
He is considering giving up his United States citizenship for a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport as he finds it rather troublesome to move around Hong Kong, China and Taiwan with his present passport.
He speaks Cantonese with his parents for convenience but will opt for Mandarin when discussing important matters.
He wears a pair of black-rimmed spectacles because his mother, retired Taiwanese actress Lin Feng-chiao, says it will ward off unwanted girlfriend problems.
Although Jackie Chan wanted him to learn martial arts, he never did because he was not interested.
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Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.
