Rush Hour 3 reunites Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as bickering cops who fall into more silly adventures, this time in Paris. It's been six years since the stars last worked with the franchise's controversial mastermind, director Brett Ratner. It's been six years since Tucker has worked, period. The pair spoke with writer Bob Strauss of the Los Angeles Daily News about the experience.

Jackie Chan

Question: How did you like working on the Eiffel Tower?

Chan: Too windy. The night I was hanging there, there was something like a 140-mph wind. Everyone was saying: "Jackie! Come on down!" No, I stayed, . . . so when the wind suddenly stops, the rain suddenly stops, we can just roll. It was so cold. I waited for, like, an hour.

Q: What was your worst Rush 3 injury?

Chan: The thing that most hurt was the table. I was supposed to just flip it, but I wanted to make it spin. I was in a hurry to finish the shot, not thinking. I just flipped it at the wrong spot, and the table didn't go up. It came down on my chest, right where I'd just recovered from getting hurt on my last movie.

Q: Any idea why Rush Hours are so popular?

Chan: I really have no idea. There are so many buddy-buddy movies; why this one? Honestly, before Rush Hour, I decided to forget the American market. I didn't think audiences liked me here; so I went back to Asia to make my own films. But they talked me into trying it one more time. So I finished Rush Hour, looked at the film and hated it. The action was bad, the dialogue - I don't understand. Bye-bye! Then they call while I'm making a Hong Kong movie. "Wow! Big hit! $32 million opening! Break out the champagne!" I just thought, 'Why?' "

Q: Do you get American humor better now?

Chan: I'm more comfortable with the American sense of humor, but I still don't understand. Whatever they tell me to say, I follow. But a lot of time, especially when Brett makes fun of me, I have to ask Chris, "What did he say?" And Chris tells me, "Don't say that!" Then he tells me what to say back to Brett.

Chris Tucker

Question: Why did it take so long to talk you into making 3?

Tucker: Well, I had to make sure that it was going to be as good as the first two. You have to work with the studio and tell them that. Also, we never planned on doing a Rush Hour 2 or 3. The studio put the word out there they were going to do a third one, and then they come to us and ask, "Do you want to do a third one?" So, that's what really happens, and it takes a little while.

Q: What have you been doing for the past six years?

Tucker: I've been traveling a lot, doing a lot of humanitarian work around the world, taking great trips. I've just been taking advantage of my celebrity and fame and all that stuff, going on trips with Bill Clinton and Colin Powell and people like that.

Q: What's Clinton like?

Tucker: He's just like a regular guy. We went through four or five countries in Africa. Really smart; he was almost genius. So I learned a lot traveling with him. And I think I entertained him; I was doing a lot of impressions. He made me do an impression of him in front of the president of Nigeria!

Q: You've had some nice paydays for Rush Hour.

Tucker: I've never focused on the money. I always focused on the creativity part of it and trying to strategize how to build a career. That's still my main goal, but I guess the money and stuff came about because Rush Hour made so much and I was able to ask for more money. But the real reward, that I want to get back to, is surprising my audience and showing them different sides of me. But I understand totally people wondering what I've been doing.