“It’s more instinctual”: Jason Statham Reveals How He Went From Generic Action Hero to Most Badass British Tough Guy of Hollywood
Many actors in the industry get typecasted to a certain genre or type of role. Whether it’s romantic comedies or violent gritty thrillers, actors tend to get pulled in a certain direction. Along similar lines, Jason Statham is one of the actors who love doing thriller movies that have a brooding and serious hero at the epicentre. However, by choosing a few diverse roles, he is trying to reimagine his genre and expand his range of acting.
Jason Statham In The Beekeepers
While The Beekeepers is still an action-thriller movie at best, it does delve into some aspects of beekeeping and human backstory to add more layers to the plot. Jason Statham plays a tough guy in this flick as well, working on a farm and burying his past. Directed by David Ayer, the movie charts the vengeance path of a former operative when someone scams his landlord. Statham said on the Red Sea Festival red carpet,
“I can’t wait for people to see that. It’s really sophisticated and cool, full of heart and excitement. The whole movie escalates in terms of the action. And it goes through an incredible, great crescendo. The whole world [of the film] has a mythology of the ‘beekeeping’ world. If we were fortunate enough to make a sequel, we have a whole world that we can dive into.”
The Expendables and The Meg superstar is exploring roles with more range within the action genre to monetize his martial arts abilities. Statham looks best in a violent avatar with over-the-top action sequences that pump adrenaline into the plot. Talking about his journey from a random British actor to one of the most popular tough guys in Hollywood, he told Variety,
“It’s not a conscious path that I’m following. It’s more instinctual. I landed on a few ladders, and you can certainly land on a few snakes. The film industry can take you up, it can take you down. I stuck to playing to my strengths. I had a physical start to my youth, developing skills in martial arts, sort of aerial awareness, and I integrated those skills into the action genre.”
Statham cannot believe how far he has come from his humble beginnings. He still pinches himself to fathom the success and love he has received over the years. While some people believe action films are not valued as more plot-centric movies, he knows how most people love the heart-thumping action and thrill of the movies.
Jason Statham’s Upcoming Movie
Apart from The Beekeepers which is set to release in January 2024, Statham and Ayer are working on bringing another script to life on the big screen. The title of the movie is reportedly Levon’s Trade with a script penned by Sylvester Stallone.
“We said, we got to do this again. And so we’re now in the process of putting together the heads of departments for this new movie that was originally conceived by Sly. He’s a great writer. Some people are not aware of his writing talents. He writes great characters. And David, an Academy Award-winning writer, has tweaked the script and done a rewrite. So we’ve got a really great movie that we’re about to start.”
In the end, Statham is a huge admirer of stunt people who risk their lives every day to give that one perfect shot. Body doubles and stuntpeople are undervalued in the industry when they are the ones making a movie successful in the first place. Statham believes in playing to his strengths and making the most of his skill
