They say “never meet your heroes,” and it sounds likeMichael Ceracan vouch for that. The actor, who has been doing the rounds on a press tour for Wes Anderson’sThe Phoenician Scheme, recently crossed paths with the legendaryJackie Chan, promoting his latest filmKarate Kid: Legends, but it didn’t exactly go how Cera might have planned. He recalled the hilariously awkward encounter while speaking to NME, as he admitted that Chan had no idea who he was and probably thought he was a “competition winner,” wanting to meet him.
“[A photographer] asked if I knew Jackie Chan, which I don’t, so she said, ‘Come meet him,'” Cera said, setting the scene, which unfolded at the studios of BBC Radio 2 where both actors happened to have a simultaneous press stop. “When I met him though, he was like ‘who is this person, what’s going on?’ We took a picture, but I think he thought I was a competition winner. He was like, ‘OK let’s do a picture real quick. Come on.’ Not rudely. But I felt like I was invading his little personal time with his team before he goes on the radio. So I was like, ‘What am I doing here?’ But everyone was very sweet, and I got to meet Jackie.”
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Cera and Chan are yet to share the big screen together, but their most recent films shared the same release date. BothThe Phoenician Scheme,starring Cera as Bjørn Lund,andKarate Kid: Legends,featuring Chan as Mr. Han, opened in theaters in the United States and Canada on May 30 — arriving at the end of a blockbuster month that has ushered in several hotly anticipated movie releases, includingThunderbolts*, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,andLilo & Stitch,among many others.
‘The Phoenician Scheme’ and ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Fight It Out at the Box Office
The Phoenician Scheme,which received a limited release but will expand wide on June 6, opened with $570,000 from six screens (averaging $95,000 per location), landing it the top limited opening of 2025 ahead of its nationwide rollout, according to Variety.Karate Kid: Legends, meanwhile,earned $21 millionfrom theaters in the U.S. and Canada and opened at No. 3 behindLilo & StitchandMission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. However,Legendsperformed a bit better overseas ($26 million) to bring its worldwide total to $47 million.
The Phoenician Schemefeatures a star-studded cast, which includes Cera in his Anderson debut, in a “story of a family and a family business.” The film centers around wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro), who appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate during the final stages of a decades-long, career-defining project that has made him a particularly hot target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins. The film currently hasa 78% approval rating from criticson Rotten Tomatoes.
Karate Kid: Legendsis the sixth film in the beloved martial arts franchise, and sees Chan reprise his role as Mr. Han,15 years after he starredin 2010’sThe Karate Kidwith Jaden Smith. The plot hearkens back to the original 1984 movie, as it follows a young kung fu prodigy who relocates to New York City and embarks on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition, guided by the wisdom of Han and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). The film has so far proven divisive, with a 59% score from critics, but a 91% rating from audiences.
Sources:NME,Variety
Michael Cera
