“I want £12million like Jim Carrey”: Jean-Claude Van Damme Got Blacklisted in Hollywood After Rejecting A Golden Offer Out of Arrogance
Jean-Claude Van Damme is a martial artist who gained international fame for his roles in action movies in the 1980s and 1990s. He started his career as a martial artist and competed in various martial arts tournaments. He also worked as a bouncer and a model before pursuing an acting career. In 1984, he landed his first role in Monaco Forever, followed by a series of small roles in various films.
Van Damme’s breakthrough role came in the 1988 film Bloodsport, where he played Frank Dux, a martial artist who participates in a dangerous underground fighting tournament. The film was a commercial success and established Van Damme as a rising action star. However, the actor claims that he was forced into retirement.
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Who Pushed Jean-Claude Van Damme For A Retirement
Jean-Claude Van Damme had previously alleged that he was forced into an untimely retirement during the 1990s. This occurred after he rejected a lucrative film contract to negotiate a salary comparable to Jim Carrey’s. Unfortunately, his request was met with rejection from influential figures in the entertainment industry. However, Van Damme has candidly admitted that his struggles with alcoholism had left him oblivious to the fact that he had essentially sabotaged his own career.
During his appearance on the British TV program Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors, the actor recollected a significant moment in his career. Following his role in Timecop, he was presented with a substantial proposition for a three-film contract. Each movie offered a staggering £7 million, amounting to a grand total of £21 million.
“I was wasted. I said: ‘I want £ 12 million like Jim Carrey’ and they hung up on me. I was not myself. I was completely f***ed up, and I made a bad mistake, and I was on the blacklist in Hollywood for years.”
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Jean-Claude Van Damme Tried Reviving His Fighting Career
Van Damme also admitted that he started declining film opportunities in order to concentrate on preparing for his first fight in almost three decades. Despite his reported rejection of a proposal to reunite with fellow action stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis in a highly anticipated Sylvester Stallone film, The Expendables, Van Damme remained steadfast in his focus on his fight.
“Slowly, they want me back for making those theatrical movies, but now I’ve decided to fight. If I win that fight, which will be exceptional, it will bring me another 10 years of health. It’s like a repair. So I’m very happy today where I am,” he said.
Van Damme will next be seen in the film Darkness of Man, where he will be portraying the role of an Interpol operative Russell Hatch, who has to protect the son of a dead informant from a gang of dangerous people. The film was written and directed by James Cullen Bressack.
