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MANIA INTERVIEW: Jason Statham
Introduction and Transcript by Rob Vaux By
Rob Vaux
November 25, 2008
Jason Statham is back in TRANSPORTER 3
© Mania.com/Josh Gordon
Jason Statham was just a bloke from London when Guy Ritchie gave him a prominent role in his breakout hit, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. That was quickly followed by Snatch, which established his reputation as a reliable character actor. It was the low-budget Transporter, however, which first revealed his abilities as an action star. He's since carved a comfortable niche with similar projects and earned himself a loyal following in the process. The third entry in the Transporter series opens this Wednesday; as part of the promotional push Statham was kind enough to talk about his role in the series, how it's changed his career, and whether driving a car on top of a moving train is really such a good idea.
Question: The success of this series has allowed you to really figure out this character and why he does what he does. How do you approach the need to find something new to do with him for the third film?
Jason Statham: I think in the third film, we've found his weakness, which lies in the lovely female he's with. Obviously, there's the challenge of how to make things more interesting, how to make Frank Martin more interesting, and how to exceed what's happened in the first two films. There's a lot to live up to with the character. Hopefully, we've made this one interesting enough.
Q: How about the physical preparation?
JS: We actually learned a lot about how you have to get ready with the first two films. The fight scenes always present a certain challenge, and if you don't hit the gym and you're not stretched out, you're going to get injured very quickly. You have to be very efficient with your preparation, and we try to give as much time as we can for it: way, way before the first day of filming.
Q: Did your swimming experience help with the underwater scenes?
JS: Absolutely not, no. *smiles* I used to do diving years ago, but you have to hold your breath for about two seconds with diving. You dive in and you swim straight to the surface. I actually learned to scuba dive for the first film with a good friend of Luc (Besson's), Jean-Marc Barre, who's probably the best person you could ever learn to scuba dive with. He's a bit unorthodox in his techniques--I was thrust into a cave and my mask was ripped off--but you gain confidence very, very quickly. It was the best place to learn.
Q: I'm told you like to do your own stunts. Was there anything particularly challenging here? Anything where you said, "stunt double?"
JS: A moving train is never easy to shoot around, and that was a challenge. We had to do some shooting on a green screen, although we kept it to an absolute minimum. It helps to be well-prepared. It's not like we come in here and try to work things out onsite. That's where you save money. Bigger action movies don't actually get as much done in an efficient way like we do. They just cost fifty times as much.
Still, it's difficult with the stunts because we have to try and improve on what's done and find something you haven't already seen. It wouldn't be possible to do if you didn't have some kind of adrenaline coursing through your veins. You have to be aware, because you don't want to do something wrong, and if you don't have the energy, you're going to have to do it again. It's better to get it in the first take or two if you can, so it's best to just switch on and be plugged into that mentally. Obviously, if we've done enough rehearsal, then we get it right. We had a very efficient way of shooting and some very good stuntmen. I think that's why we went back to France, because we have the most creative folks there. We made a great one in Miami too, but Luc has such great stuntmen and such great designers over there. It really seems to be better over there, in my opinion anyway.
Q: What is it about this character that appeals to people?
JS: I think he'd always rather talk his way out of a situation. He has this very firm moral code. What he does is not necessarily on the right side of the law, but it is instinctively good. He's a good judge of what is proper and deep-seated and respectful. I think people also respect someone who can deal with very intense situations that don't necessarily go as planned. He can get out of those situations with minimal amounts of damage. It's not like this guy just waves a gun around and shoots people in the head unnecessarily. He's not looking for conflict. He just wants to have an easy life. And at the same time, the way he protects that is to not get involved with people and live a very lonely life. It's quite different from most of ours, and that may be why we find a bit of interest in it. Generally, we're much more sociable and much less inclined to deal with situations the way he does.
That's part of what made this one fun to do, because this woman comes along and really upsets the apple cart. If you live a certain way, you're protected. Frank has these rules and if it doesn't fall within them, then he leaves it be. But once you integrate something that comes with an emotional bag, then everything gets upset and you can't function properly. That's why some military guys have a certain regime that they like to stick to. They don't have their wives close to them. They have a solitary existence, a protected existence. When you have someone who you care about very deeply, it affects your mindset.
Q: We see that with James Bond too. Do you think having a love interest softens the character?
JS: I think it makes him more likeable, more human.
Q: Are there any places where you think he overlaps with you? Are there similarities there?
JS: Oh he's much cooler than me. I'm a bit of a fool deep down. Aside from the fact that I'm able to put on a black suit and wear the same haircut, I don't think I'm anything like him. Luc is ultimately responsible for the creation of the character... and frankly for me being here in Hollywood right now. If it weren't for the first Transporter film, I wouldn't be in this position. It was the first movie I did where I had the lead, and certainly the first action movie I'd ever done. It takes a lot of balls to gamble on somebody like me--somebody who didn't have a resumé to back himself up. I'm grateful to have had a chance like that.
Q; There have been rumors circling around that they're going to remake Daredevil, with you cast in the lead. Any truth to them?
JS: Nothing I'd bet the rent on. Someone saw me in a bar with Frank Miller, and put two and two together and thought it would make a good combination. At some point, I think I said, "maybe it would," and it sort of grew from there. I'm a big comic book fan and Daredevil--the movie that got made a few years ago--I thought they could have done a better job with that. If somebody wants to put Frank Miller and me together and do one, let's have a look at the script.
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Yeah, Jason!!! He's such a guy. I call him action man. Hollywood still hasn't really had much of an effect on him, it seems. just maybe his wallet. TRansporter3 Should kick a good amount of ass. I like the idea if him DOin Daredevil. It's been on network TV, lately. And it was hilariously bad. THey really need2 do something wit dat franchise. Dat flick was extra CHEESE!! Awful action, terrible performaces. THey tried2 operate strictly on tha name that is DAREDEVIL. Colin Farrel was the only upside....and Elektra's outfit, maybe. Who knows. They might get it right, next time.....maybe. Oh, Yeah! TRansporter3 sould be fun...heh heh..