Jackie Chan admits he 'can’t talk to young people' and is 'completely out of touch with their language'

Jackie Chan, 69, recently made an appearance on Chinese host Lu Jian’s talk show to promote his new movie Ride On.

Lu Jian first described Chan’s character in the show to be “a very hardworking person who is fully devoted to his work”. The star immediately agreed, saying that he is like that in real life too.

In Ride On, Chan plays an impoverished stuntman who seeks help from his estranged daughter when he finds out that his stunt horse may be auctioned off to pay for his debts.

When the host mentioned that the character seemed to have a “disconnect” with the current generation, Chan admitted that he is similar in that aspect as well.

“I admit I can’t talk to young people. For example, I’m shocked when I see the [equipment] used during shoots these days. Sometimes, when filming a reality show, there are more than 40 cameras around. I don’t understand what youngsters are talking about now. I can’t grasp what they’re saying. I am completely out of touch with their language,” said Chan.

Unlike the rest of humanity, Chan isn't on social media and doesn't use messaging apps to communicate. In fact, he thinks it’s “a waste of time”.

He said: “I don’t even have WeChat. I've come to realise [young people] waste too much time on their phones. I would rather waste my time thinking, watching good movies, listening to music, learning Mandarin, listening to more poems, looking at useful things, attending meetings, reading scripts, and working on my [martial arts] skills.”

After the talk show aired, Jackie was praised by many netizens for his “positive learning attitude”.

This story was originally published in 8Days.