HONG KONG (AP) -- Rising Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu says Jackie Chan was a good mentor on the set of "Rush Hour 3," helping her through difficult scenes in her Hollywood debut and offering encouragement, a magazine has reported.

Zhang said in an interview published in the August issue of the Hong Kong edition of Elle magazine that Chan helped her get through a day of crying scenes.

"Jackie Chan helped me. He arranged a chair for me and let me sit down to build my mood. He said calmly, 'When you're ready, stand up from the chair.' Then he told the crew, 'We'll start when Jingchu is ready,"' Zhang was quoted as saying.

Zhang, one of China's rising stars, plays Soo Yung, the daughter of Chinese Ambassador Han, who is kidnapped in the first installment of the "Rush Hour" series, which stars Chan and Chris Tucker.

The Chinese actress also reportedly said that Chan would bring her water and comfort her by putting his hand on her shoulder.

"He knows the kind of difficulties you face as a newcomer very well. He'll help you. He's a true big brother," Zhang said.

Zhang, who studied at China's Central Academy of Drama, is known for her sharp personality on screen. In "Peacock," which won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2005, she plays a petulant, conniving homebound daughter who tries to chart her own course in life.

She portrays a villager caught between two loves in "Seven Swords."