Jackie Chan quitting action films, wants to be 'Asian Robert De Niro'

The 58-year-old Hong Kong actor made his comments at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in France on Friday, May 18. He has been dominating the action film world for some 50 years, starring in a number of films including "Rush Hour" and "Shanghai Knights." He is in Cannes to promote his new adventure flick, "Chinese Zodiac."

"This is my last action film," Chan told reporters at a photo call for the film, according to Us Weekly and the UK newspaper The Telegraph. "I tell you, I'm not young any more. I'm really, really tired."

Fans of Chan don't have to worry, however, because the veteran actor isn't going anywhere - he's merely shifting his focus.

"For the last 10 years I have been making some other different movies," Chan added. "I want to be an Asian Robert De Niro. I don't just want to be an action star; I want to be a true actor. I want to get rid of my image."

He said "Chinese Zodiac" will be his final action film because it is one of the "most important" films in his career.

"For the last 10 years I've been choosing the director to direct me. This one I direct myself." he told the Associated Press. "I hope this movie, 20 years later, people still remember it. For me, for the audience, for my future, for my history - it's very important."

Chan has helmed and written films before, mostly ones in Mandarin and Cantonese. He is also the writer of "Chinese Zodiac." In the film, Chan plays Asian Hawk, a fortune hunter who is searching the world for a set of mystic artifacts. The veteran actor said at the festival that the new film and many other past movies have taken their toll on his body.

"It hurts, it really hurts," he told AP. "The shoulder, the ankle, it really hurts. You don't know because I still look healthy."

Chan attended the 2012 Cannes Film Festival on Friday, May 18. Check out photos of the other celebrities at the Cannes Film Festival, including Eva Longoria, Jessica Chastain and Marion Cotillard (See photos).

Aside from his work in action films, Chan also hosted a fictionalized version of himself in the animated series "Jackie Chan Adventures" which ran for five years in the early 2000s.