Even today, there’s a great deal of fascination towards action movies, although they can range from incredible to boring. It may be due to the heart-stopping action sequences and stunts, just like those we see in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ or ‘Fast and Furious’ films. On the other hand, the actors themselves also help sell the films to the public. This is especially true for actors who prefer to do their own stunts, just like British star Jason Statham.
Over the years, Statham has been enjoying an incredible Hollywood career. And while he’s mostly known for action films, you might be surprised that this actor has dabbled in animation and comedy too. Intrigued? Here is a breakdown of the biggest, most unforgettable roles that he has landed so far:
15. He Was Cast In Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, A Film Directed By Guy Ritchie Who He Trained In Martial Arts With
This film is directed by Guy Ritchie, the same man he would start training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with. While speaking with BJJ World, Statham explained, “We started training jiu-jitsu many years ago. We first started out in a garage, where we parked our cars, then later we moved over to a gym. This was 10 years, no maybe 12 years ago.”
14. In The Transporter Films, Jason Played Frank Martin, A Character Written For Him
Statham told BBC, “My manager, Steve Chasman, introduced me to Luc. He started to write a script just for me. It wasn’t like he had a script and was searching for an actor to fill the role.” He added, “We wanted to do an action movie without having action just for the sake of action.”
13. He Played Handsome Rob In The Italian Job Reboot And Was Surprised With Co-Star Charlize Theron’s Driving Skills.
During an interview, Statham told IGN, “She was very good, actually. I was very surprised. (He laughs.) She’s a bit of a tomboy deep down. An extremely good driver.” He later added, “I love to get behind the wheel and get competitive. I’ve always had that competitive nature…” Statham and Theron were also joined by Mark Wahlberg.
12. He Made A Brief Cameo In Collateral And Some Say He Was Still Portraying Frank Martin.
In his scene, Statham’s unnamed character purposely bumps into Tom Cruise’s Vincent. And just like in ‘Transporter,’ Statham was there to deliver something (a briefcase), no questions asked. Meanwhile, according to Cinephilia & Beyond, “(Film director Michael) Mann says the Stath’s London accent is there to deliberately clue the viewer in to Vincent’s international connections.”
11. In The First Crank Film, He Sort Of Sent A Guy To The Hospital After Shooting A Fight Scene.
“We was [sic] fighting in and around outside of the helicopter…,” Statham told Movie Web. “So, in an attempt to make it realistic, you get a bit carried away – poor old Jose (Pablo Cantillo) reached in for a punch, and he reacted so much, he cracked his head on the side of the helicopter.”
10. In War, Every Fight Was Emotional As He Portrayed An FBI Agent.
“It’s a good action film because all the action is parlayed off the drama, every piece of action that comes is a really emotional fight, and most of my battles are really violent because his life has just crumbled and he’s in a really terrible place,” Statham told IndieLondon in an interview.
9. He Was Happy To Play Good Villain Terry Leather In The Bank Job.
While discussing the film, Statham told IndieLondon, “To do something where I could go home and not take a pain killer was a relief. It was also good not to have to endure such a regime of physical preparation. It was more about getting under the skin of the man… a family man and essentially a good guy.”
8. He Played Jensen Ames In The Death Race Reboot And Was Told He Didn’t Have To Watch The Original.
Statham told Rotten Tomatoes, “I remember sitting down with Paul and I said, ‘I bought the original.’ He said, ‘Don’t worry; you don’t have to watch it.’ The only similarity is that it’s a race to the death and it’s got Machine Gun Joe and Frankenstein – they’re two characters from the original – the rest is more homage.”
7. He Joined The Expendables As Lee Bishop And Got Directed By Co-Star Sylvester Stallone.
“The way the movies get made when Sly’s doing it is that he shoots a lot of the stunts in the camera. A lot of the action directors of today tend to rely on the movie as a visual,” Statham told IndieLondon. “It becomes very boring because there’s a lot of CG and you don’t care too much about it.”
6. He Played Arthur Bishop In The Mechanic And Came Up With His Character’s Back Story.
To prepare for the role, Statham said he had to come up with the character’s history in his mind. “You have to understand how he became this type of guy,” he told Cinema Blend. “It’s a creation that you have to do for every role you play. You have to justify why he speaks the way he does, how he got the skills, why he lives on his own.”
5. He Voiced The Character Of Tybalt In The Animated Film Gnomeo & Juliet.
The film is directed by Kelly Asbury who told Den of Geek, “You know, with Jason, I really wanted to do the unexpected in the movie. I love the fact that Jason was so keen to do it, and he was such a great guy to work with. We had a really fun time in the recording studio with him.”
4. He Could Have Had A Larger Role In Fast & Furious 6.
“I remember there was a…we had conversations even before 6 where in the latter part, they’ve just finished 5. They wanted me to be in 6…you know, for some reason, the creative wasn’t right for me, so they put me on at the end…,” Statham revealed during an interview with CinemaBlend.
3. He Played Joey In Redemption And To Prepare For The Role, He Spent Some Time With The Homeless.
“We sat there with numerous homeless people and some people find that they get so used to sleeping in the street that they get opportunities to sleep in a bed and it’s difficult,” Statham told The Source. “They’re just used to the cardboard on the pavement. So it was an eye opener for us…”
2. He Took On The Role Of Phil Broker In Homefront, A Role That Sylvester Stallone Originally Wrote For Himself.
“He did a couple of other things and this one stayed on the shelf, so Sly was always talking about, I should do something that shows a little bit of a different side,” Statham told Den of Geek. “He said ‘I’ve got a script, there’s a relationship with the daughter’ and he said ‘it’d be really good for you.’”