- Jean-Claude Van Damme claims he is braver than Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone due to his willingness to take his action movie talent international.
- Van Damme has visited “dangerous countries” and remains in demand for various film projects around the world.
- Upcoming projects for Van Damme include a neo-noir thriller, a treasure-hunting adventure, and a film where he plays a fictionalized version of himself.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, star of Bloodsport and action movie legend, has stated that he is braver than Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, as he is more open to taking his action movie career international. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Van Damme explains that his willingness to travel all over the world for different projects has kept him consistently employed, unlike Schwarzenegger and Stallone.
Van Damme said, “It’s impossible for a guy like me to not work. I speak French, a bit of English. I am doing two French movies next. Arnie and Sly, they are afraid to go international but I am a globetrotter. I’ve been to Azerbaijan, Khazakstan… all over. They can be seen as dangerous countries I guess, but I have been welcomed there.”
While his career may not be as prominent as it was during his heyday in the 80s and 90s, Van Damme has several interesting projects in the works. His upcoming neo-noir thriller, Darkness of Man, has him playing a former Interpol operative embroiled in a turf war with ruthless gangs. He is also set to star in Silent Kill, a story about mercenaries who discover treasure in the Congo and make plans to split it among themselves, only for things to go awry. Most intriguingly, Van Damme will appear in What’s My Name, playing a fictionalized version of himself who has lost his memory following a car crash and must fight various opponents from his past to uncover the truth.
In the same interview, Van Damme addressed his long-standing rivalry with action movie star Steven Seagal. Despite admitting that Seagal does not like him, Van Damme expressed nonchalance about their relationship, saying, “I don’t mind him not liking me. I really don’t mind. I don’t think there’s any sort of problem.”
Beyond acting, Van Damme has also ventured into filmmaking, having written, produced, edited, and directed the upcoming action film Frenchy. First introduced at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, the movie has undergone reshoots, re-edits, and even a title change from The Eagle Path to Frenchy, as it continues to search for a distributor.