PH
Jean-Claude Van Damme, the legendary Belgian actor, has addressed his feud with Steven Seagal and how he currently thinks about his colleague in the film industry.
Both performers were regarded as two of Hollywood’s top action heroes, but they were famously feuding in the 1990s.
When Jean-Claude heard Seagal, 71, belittle him in interviews, he is alleged to have dared him to’meet him outside’ during a party at Sylvester Stallone’s Miami home in 1991, but Steven declined.
Speaking about the situation, with MailOnline from his hotel room in Hong Kong, Van Damme said: ‘If Steven doesn’t like me, that’s OK. If someone like Beethovan or Einstein didn’t like me, maybe that would concern me.
‘But Seagal, I don’t mind him not liking me. I really don’t mind. I don’t think there’s any sort of problem.’
Jean-Claude also revealed that he is still getting to film around two movies a year and said he’s much braver than Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone when it comes to taking on work.
He said: ‘It’s impossible for a guy like me to not work. I speak French, and 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.’
Jean-Claude also disclosed that he has embarked on a new venture and is now part-owner of a new Irish whiskey called Old Oak.
He said: ‘I lived in a country house in Brussels, my grandpa would take me on his thigh and dip his cigar in whiskey before smoking it while I sat there.
‘This was the 70s of course. Now people say it’s not good to smoke around children but I liked the woody smell and I’ve never forgotten it.’
‘I’m not an expert on alcohol and obviously it has brought about some ups and downs for me over the years. But whiskey is the liquid of life but I am relaxed about how my new venture goes. If people love it, they love it. We’ll see.
‘It’s like when you film a movie. Sometimes you film things with a big budget and they flop. Other times, something costs 2-3million and it makes 70million.’
