Action movie veteran Jackie Chan admits doing stunt work is “not like it used to be” as he no longer bounces back from big scenes.

“The next morning, you realise wow, it hurts!” says the actor, who turned 60 earlier this year.

“Now my body tells me to slow down 30 per cent and probably in another two years, 20 more, then 50 per cent. So slowly, slowly.”

Then it will tell the whole world, stop doing action, he says.

Chan may recognise it’s time to slow things down but he didn’t let that stop him going all out for what he describes as his last “big” action movie – Chinese Zodiac.

The action star gives an acrobatic display in which he becomes a human torpedo on wheels, fights in the air while skydiving and engages in his trademark hand-to-hand combat and physical comedy.

“That’s not special effects, that’s not Iron Man, not Spider-Man, that’s the real Jackie Chan,” he says.

For his next movie, Dragon Blade with John Cusack and Adrien Brody, Chan has swapped the somersaults and leaping around for some good old-fashioned swordplay.

And when it comes to future projects he says he will start to take the foot of the gas.

“Slowly, slowly I will let more people do it for me. Myself, I’ll only do the tight shot, close shot, otherwise the big wide shot, I’ll let someone else do it.”