just ask Jason Statham, our most successful Hollywood export. He's very happy
with his lot. The mosT surprising Thing abouT Jason statham is how apologetic ...
Men
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action Being typecast as an all-action hero is not to be sniffed at – just ask Jason Statham, our most successful Hollywood export. He’s very happy with his lot Photograph DA N IEL SMITH Words Rosamu nd Dean
The most surprising thing about Jason Statham is how apologetic he is. This is the man, after all, who has made a career out of flattening adversaries with a flick of the wrist. From 1998’s Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, through hugely successful action franchises – The Transporter, Crank and The Expendables – he plays characters who are anything but humble. Despite his success – Statham is now Britain’s biggest Hollywood export, in terms of box-office receipts – he seems to anticipate criticism, jumping to defend his films, completely unprompted. ‘Some people think they’re just mindless fun,’ he begins, in that south-east London burr that reminds you he is a Sydenham boy done good. ‘But audiences want to be entertained. They decide what film to spend their $10 on.’ And, very often, it’s a Statham film: the British Bruce Willis, complete with shaven head, charisma and a knack for the one-liner. ‘I think I’ve got an approachable sort of face,’ he says, with a huge grin. Sitting up straight on a sofa in London’s Soho Hotel, wearing a Maison Martin Margiela jumper and sipping a cup of tea, he’s happy chatting about a shop in his adopted Santa Monica that sells British products. ‘They do builder’s tea, Walkers crisps – all that stuff,’ he beams. (The second most surprising thing is how much he smiles.) Okay, so maybe Statham won’t be troubling the Academy any time soon, but it takes a brave man to hold his own alongside Sylvester Stallone, JeanClaude Van Damme and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Statham did in The Expendables (and The Expendables 2 130
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and, presumably, the rumoured Expendables 3). When I mention the franchise, he is defensive again. ‘Some people are snobby about the films but the public love those guys,’ he says. ‘They coined the phrase “action heroes”, and they are iconic. I’ve been around the world with Sylvester Stallone and, no matter where you go, people love his movies.’ Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, Statham must have loved Rambo, Die Hard and The Terminator, too. Surely he got starstruck on set? ‘You have to get over that. You can’t be walking around like you don’t know what you’re doing,’ he pauses, then laughs: ‘even if you don’t!’ At 45, Statham is positively a spring chicken compared to the rest of the 60-plus Expendables cast. ‘They are machines,’ he exclaims. ‘I’ve seen how hard they work and it’s impressive.’ Keeping your body in peak condition is crucial when you’re an action star. Do Statham’s nights out involve protein shakes alone? Does he ever cut loose and have six pints and a bag of scratchings? ‘Yeah!’ he exclaims, his voice leaping up an octave, aghast at the thought he might be considered boring. ‘I do that all the time! You have no idea. You should see me. If you were a fly on the wall, you’d be shocked. If I have a job coming up, I’m tremendously focused, really strict. But, when I have a break, I definitely let the air out of the tyres.’ It’s a rare candid moment from Statham, who keeps his private life extremely private. He is dating 25-year-old model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, but I am firmly informed before our interview that he will not talk about their relationship. You don’t need me to tell you about it anyway: photographs of the couple
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‘I get to travel the world and get paid handsomely for it. It’s a good job’ are all over the Mail Online seemingly every day. The intrusion is clearly not something he enjoys, but he is too much of a pro to complain about it. ‘It’s the job,’ he sighs. ‘Let’s not lose sight of what we’re doing here. It’s a business; it puts bread on the table. I go to work and I like what I do. Sometimes it’s rewarding, sometimes not so much. But to be working is a privilege. A lot of people have studied hard to be actors, they’ve worked at it for years, and they never got a break. I never went to drama school, or the RSC. I can’t abuse this position.’ Statham is genuinely appreciative of his lot – perhaps because, in his late twenties, he could never have imagined the career he has today. He worked as a black-market salesman (like his character in Lock, Stock…) and briefly as a model for French Connection, before deciding to be a stuntman, ‘because it seemed like a realistic goal’. But everything changed thanks to director Guy Ritchie. ‘Guy is by far the most significant person in my career. Before I met him, I was working on street corners. I did three films with him, and I would do another three. I’d do 33!’ Statham’s success is also down to good oldfashioned hard graft. He doesn’t just turn up and take the money. He does his own stunts and, for his latest film, Hummingbird, he threw himself
into the research. Written and directed by Steven Knight, who wrote 2007’s Eastern Promises, Hummingbird stars Statham as an ex-Special Forces soldier who finds himself homeless on the streets of London. To prepare for the role, Statham sat down with soldiers, psychologists and homeless people, and talked about demons. ‘I’ve never been so sucked into a story as when I read this script,’ he says. ‘I normally play tough guys who run around dishing out their own justice with no thought for the consequences. But this story has a transformation.’ Even now, after all his success, Statham is wary of getting ideas above his station. When I ask if there is anyone he would love to work with, he won’t name names. ‘Unfortunately, it’s not that easy,’ he sighs. ‘You have to see what’s available to you. I try so hard to pick the right things but, at the same time, I like working, so…’ he trails off. It’s safe to assume he means, like most actors, that he sometimes accepts a role for practical, rather than creative reasons. Those export crisps in Los Angeles won’t buy themselves. Jason Statham is a man who has grabbed his opportunity and run with it. In the 15 years since Lock, Stock…, he has averaged two films a year. And I get the impression he’s only just hitting his stride. ‘They say it takes 10 years to know what you’re doing and I believe that,’ he says. ‘I could sit around on the sofa quite easily. I could watch mindless TV and be lazy, but it’s better for me to be working. Look,’ he continues, in that gruff whisper, ‘I get to play physical roles, which I really enjoy, I travel the world and get paid handsomely for it.’ He smiles, again, and leans back on the sofa, relaxing at last: ‘It’s a good job.’ e Hummingbird is released nationwide, May 10th
JASON STATHAM’S Best Things in Life ▼ BEST BOOK: I’m reading Viva La Madness by JJ Connolly (Gerald Duckworth, £7.99). It’s brilliant.
BEST FILM: Spartacus (above) is a classic. BEST MUSIC: I actually listen to a lot of Radio 1 online. I like dance music. And Elvis (above, right) – my mum and dad listened to a lot of Elvis when I was a kid.
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BEST THING IN LIFE: Good people, familiar faces (above, with girlfriend Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) – that’s comforting.
BEST DESIGNER: Anderson & Sheppard on Savile Row (ab0ve). I’m really into tailoring, but obviously I don’t sit in front of the TV in my suit.
Photographs istock, rex
BEST WAY TO RELAX: I find being in nature really therapeutic: up a mountain skiing, or swimming in the sea. But I also love sitting in the pub with a few pals.
