Awkwafina and Paul Feig Talk Jackie Chan Inspiration, Wild Stunts Behind 'Jackpot!' (Exclusive)

'Jackpot!', starring Awkwafina, John Cena and Simu Liu, premieres on Prime Video on Aug. 15.

By Anna Rumer

Paul Feig hopes to win the comedy lottery with his new Jackie Chan-inspired film for Prime Video. Ahead of the Aug. 15 premiere of Jackpot!, the director behind comedy classics like Bridesmaids and Freaks and Geeks opened up to PopCulture.com about channeling the "relatable" energy of Chan's filmography as lead actress Awkwafina revealed just how much went into filming the movie's wild stunts.  

Jackpot!, also starring John Cena and Simu Liu, follows reluctant hero Katie (Awkwafina), who finds herself in a fight for her life after winning the multi-billion dollar jackpot of the "Grand Lottery." There's just one catch when it comes to winning the jackpot – any lottery ticket holder can kill the winner before sundown to legally claim the money as their own. Joining forces with amateur lottery protection agent Noel Cassidy (Cena), the duo has to face off against Noel's rival Louis Lewis (Liu), who also wants a piece of the pie. 

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(Photo:

John Cena and Awkwafina star in 'Jackpot!' on Prime Video.

- Prime Video)

Feig was inspired by "the master of funny action" Chan as he directed Jackpot!, telling PopCulture it's the reluctance of the protagonist that makes hits like Rush Hour so charming. "Most action movies are about a guy [saying], 'I'm going to go in and we're going to fight them.' [Chan's] like, "'Let me out of here!' So all his fighting and his action is just like, 'Get away from me. Get away from me!'"

He continued, "I find that very funny because it's very relatable as an audience. Then all you can do is go like, 'Oh my gosh, I wonder if I could get out of it the way he did.' And so when I read this script, that's the character of Katie to me – this person who's like, 'What's happening? Why is everybody trying to kill me? How am I going to defend myself?'"

With shoes like Chan's to fill, Awkwafina told PopCulture that things got "wild" preparing for the stunts of Jackpot!. "I have thanked Jackpot! for introducing me to my fitness journey," she joked. "I've never set foot in a gym. I've done action movies before, but not really action roles. ... So this was the first movie that I really had to spend a couple of weeks training for, especially the opening sequence."

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Working with the stunt team to nail the action-packed sequences, the actress noted, "There has to be preparation that goes into stuff like that, which I didn't know previously." As for whether fans will see her jumping out of cars in future films, Awkwafina waffled, "Probably not, no. I think I'm alright," before adding, "No, I don't know. I'm not against it. ... Is [the car] stationary?"

Jackpot! premieres on Prime Video on Aug. 15.

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