Jason Statham is one of the finest action heroes of this generation, some says he’s our last action hero.
However, before he stepped foot on his first movie set, he had a past life that would rival any of the characters he’s been on the screen.
1. Diving was Jason Statham’s first calling.
Before becoming a big-screen tough guy, Jason Statham spent 12 years as part of the British National Diving Squad, highlighted by competing in the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
He admits and says “I started too late, It probably wasn’t my thing. I should have done a different sport.”
2. Jason Statham doesn’t need a stunt man.
– From hand-to-hand combat to dangling from a helicopter 3000 feet above downtown Los Angeles, he performs them himself.
– He’s almost dogmatic in his belief that actors should be doing their own stunts.
3. Jason Statham practices a range of martial arts.
– Statham’s fitness is more than just weights and core work. He is involved in a variety of different fighting disciplines like boxing, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
– He says – “That’s what I have to give most of my time to these days: training for what I have to do in terms of providing action in an authentic manner”
4. He used to sell jewelery and perfume on the street before Guy Ritchie cast him in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
– After years of high dives, modeling, and pelvic gyrations, Statham was still looking to make a real living in the late ‘90s.
– Ritchie was introduced to Statham through his modeling gig at French Connection and saw the potential this real-world con man had for the movie.
– He wrote the role of Bacon specifically for Statham, which would end up being the movie that propelled him to Hollywood stardom.
5. He has been in a long-term relationship with model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
– The couple has been together since 2010 and has a son named Jack Oscar Statham.
– While they haven’t officially tied the knot, the couple have celebrated plenty of major milestones together, including the births of their two children, Jack and Isabella.
6. He nearly died while shooting an Expendables scene.
– His co star told – “He faced death. He was test-driving a three-ton truck, and the brakes run out.” Statham, doing his own stunts per usual, crashed the runaway vehicle into the Black Sea.
– Statham said – “It’s a real recalibration of everything. From that day on, I’ve been so appreciative of life and being able to walk on the ground. I think we all need [an experience] like that — one that puts things in perspective.”
