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"Smile
when you say that," was the line that made Gary Cooper famous. The tall,
lanky Cooper personified the western hero as depicted in movies in the
twentieth century. As a new millennium commences, a totally different
kind of cowboy hero has emerged, and he isn't even an American.
Chon
Wang, the name of the character played by Chinese actor/martial artist
Jackie Chan in the new comedy-western Shanghai Noon, is
an obvious pun on the name of all-time western icon John Wayne, and the
film itself, according to one critic, has references to as many as 24
other western films and stars as well. In a fish-out-of-water story, Chan
plays an inept member of the emperor's imperial guard who comes to the
Old West as a baggage handler and winds up rescuing a Chinese princess
played by Lucy Liu (of TV's Ally
McBeal) from kidnappers.
Shanghai
Noon is Chan's third feature film made by an American studio,
following up on the highly successful Rush Hour (1998),
which paired him with Chris Tucker, and the earlier Rumble
in the Bronx (1996). Jackie Chan is one of the most popular movie
stars in the world, and at the age of 46 is close to his goal of becoming
as well-known in the United States as he is in Asia and Europe.
Fearless
Attitude
While
Jackie may never be known as a great actor, his flare for comedy is undeniable.
This, linked with a fearless attitude toward physical danger, has resulted
in Jackie Chan establishing himself in a special niche among film actors—a
comic martial artist and stunt daredevil. His claim to fame is the fact
that he does all of his own stunts, and his movies are filled with some
of the most dangerous, and at the same time the funniest, action scenes
ever filmed.
 Jackie,
as you might already have guessed, is an Aries, born April 7, 1954, in
Hong Kong. Aries is the sign of the daredevil and the fighter (martial
artist). Aries, represented by the ram in astrology, likes to leap without
looking, would rather shoot first and ask questions later and acts on
impulse. The sign is known for its fearlessness and bravery, and Jackie
is something of a legend in the movie world, having performed stunts that
include leaping off a rooftop to land in a small balcony on the side of
an adjacent building (without a safety net), leaping from one speeding
vehicle to another and dangling from a helicopter high above New York
harbor.
Jackie's
lack of fear, however, has resulted in breaking just about every bone
in his body over the years. With ribs or limbs in tape or casts, he has
finished many films that had completion deadlines that could not wait
for bones to heal.
Fire
Grand Trine
A
lot of people were born with the Sun in Aries, and they aren't jumping
off speeding trains. What makes Jackie Chan fly?
Jackie's
Sun is part of an astrological configuration known as a fire grand trine.
A grand trine is a three-planet formation known for its good luck because
it includes three planets all in harmony and all supporting each other.
In a horoscope they form what can be thought of as a golden triangle.
When the grand trine occurs in a fire sign, the emphasis is on pure energy
and action. Jackie's Aries Sun is put into hyperdrive by Mars, the action
planet, in risk-taking, and usually lucky, Sagittarius, and given added
power by Pluto, the Superman planet, in Leo.
The
Aries Sun is full of courage and is always anxious to prove he's as brave
as he thinks he is. Mars in Sagittarius provides two very helpful elements
to Jackie's personality. Sagittarius is, if nothing else, funny. Think
of Woody Allen
or Mark Twain, both Sagittarians. Sagittarius knows how to make you laugh.
The second element is an unusual kind of foresight—the
ability to produce an outcome by thinking of it beforehand. This could
be an indispensable aid to somebody who might want to calculate the time
and distance required to jump from a speeding motorcycle to a speeding
truck, both going 60 miles an hour down a freeway.
The
third part of the grand trine is formed by Pluto in Leo. Pluto is known
as a generational planet, and in Leo it represents the generation that
has a great desire for the limelight—to be a star. On a personal level,
Pluto is sheer guts and a willingness to go beyond what are perceived
as normal limits. Is that Jackie Chan, or what?
Childhood
Poverty
The
fire energy shows how Jackie is able to pull off his amazing stunts and
keep the world laughing as he does it, but what underlying motivation
compels him to take such risks and to drive himself so hard?
Jackie
grew up in poverty in Hong Kong. His family was so poor he was almost
sold to a wealthy British family. Jackie's chart shows Venus, the planet
of money and values, in the sign of Taurus (the sign of wealth and self-worth)
in opposition to Saturn (restriction and limitation) in Scorpio. While
Saturn often brings some form of deprivation, it also in time becomes
a person's greatest strength. Saturn in adulthood becomes channeled into
career and work, and in Scorpio, it provides Jackie Chan with the steely
determination to rise above the poverty of his youth. He has become so
successful that now he not only stars, writes and directs his own movies,
he also has the money to produce them.
If
I were Jackie Chan's astrologer I would give him one word of advice. Transiting
Uranus, the planet that makes us want to do something unique and unexpected,
will make a strong opposition to that powerful Pluto in his chart in March
and September, 2001. He may be tempted to achieve the most death-defying
movie stunt of his career at that time. He will need to avoid carelessness
and ensure his safety by consulting experts to make sure everything goes
as planned. If he does, then all should be well, and another chapter in
the Jackie Chan legend will have been written.
So
pardner, I don't know ‘bout you, but I'm headin' back to the local Bijou
for another look at the Roy Rogers of the twenty-first century. And if
I see you there, don't worry about having to smile. You won't be able
to. You'll be too busy laughing.
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