Jackie Chan gets bored with being asked to be an action star.

The 56-year-old actor confesses he has little appetite to recreate roles such as Inspector Lee in 'Rush Hour' and would prefer to work on more serious movies.

He told BANG Showbiz: "I keep saying to myself, 'How long can I keep doing action stunts?', so many action stars have a short lifespan... in Hollywood whenever I present a script people are like, 'No, no. 'Rush Hour 3'.' Or 'Rush Hour 4'. And I say, 'I can't do that any more!' "

However, the Hong Kong-born star was thankful when Will Smith came along with The Script for new movie 'The Karate Kid' with his son Jaden in the starring role, as it meant he could display his acting abilities in a Hollywood movie.

He said: "Will actually called me and said , 'Let's do 'Karate Kid.' And I was unsure, I said send a script. I thought I was the karate kid and I wondered who the master would be. I read the script and I thought, yes, you have cast me without action and I can act. Now it's proof I can act. I want to be the Asian Robert De Niro!"

'The Karate Kid' has already been released in the US and UK, and hits international cinemas throughout July and August.