"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 fami

ABOUT THE AUTHOR John M. Whalen is freelance writer, astrologer, and editor of a business publication based in Washington, D.C. He writes about film, TV, music and travel for various magazines and newspapers. He contributed a chapter on the life and films of director Sam Peckinpah to the new book, The Astrology of Film: The Interface of Movies, Myth, and Archetype. Send an email to the author. For more information about John Whalen, click here. Other StarIQ articles by John Whalen: Astro-Zen    9/10/2004 Polarized Politics    8/20/2004 Saturn and the Vanquishing of Illusion    11/3/2003 The Grand Illusion    1/9/2003 Two Degrees of Scorpio    10/10/2002 Venus Elements    2/14/2002 Timothy McVeigh: The Day of Judgment    5/9/2001 Kevin Spacey: A Mystery Wrapped in an Enigma    4/9/2001 Keanu Reeves' Excellent Adventure    3/8/2001 Steven Soderbergh: Putting the Cuffs on Oscar    3/5/2001 The Christmas Eclipse: Bringing Your Heart's Desire    12/25/2000 Robert DeNiro: Master of Form and Essence    11/18/2000 Sylvester Stallone: A Fallen Star, Rising Again?    10/28/2000 Yasser, Ehud, Can We Talk?    8/31/2000 Alec Guinness: Reluctant Jedi    8/19/2000 Human Genetics: O Brave New World!    8/16/2000 Survivor: Candid Camera Runs Amok    7/8/2000 Samuel L. Jackson: Shaft for the New Millennium    7/1/2000 Astro-Zen    4/9/2000