Actor Explains Why Jason Statham Defines Modern Action Movies

Mutiny and The Beekeeper star Jason Statham has an impressive filmography despite starting his acting career in his 30s. In his younger years, Jason Statham had a passion for sports, namely diving and swimming. During that period, he was chosen to work for a sports-modeling agency while selling jewelry on the street like his father did. While on a modeling gig, Guy Ritchie spotted him and gave him his first movie acting role in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels back in 1998. That marked the start of a prolific, action-packed career for Jason Statham.

Since 1998, Jason Statham has appeared in nearly 60 movies. Fans have noticed that he largely plays the exact same character in every role. Jason Statham was confronted about this years ago, and he provided a well-thought-out explanation regarding the similarity of his roles.

Jason Statham’s filmography explained

In 2017, Jason Statham appeared as a guest on the Jim and Sam Show, hosted by Jim Norton and Sam Roberts. During his interview, he was asked if he ever got offered roles where he plays a completely different character, since his typical roles involve little talking and fast-paced action. “Like a mathematician that’s going through a bitter divorce?” he questioned, jokingly. Jason Statham responded that he does not get offered those parts, but he does not really want to play them either.

Some actors want to push their limits and leave their comfort zone as much as possible, but Jason Statham remains happy with his signature tough-guy, mysterious-past roles. While he has certainly made a name for himself in Hollywood, he says he is really not an actor. Jason Statham still ultimately sees himself as the athlete and salesman he was in his younger years.

“I’m not really some thespian that can adopt and chameleon himself into different roles,” he said. Jason Statham admits that he has not had as many years of training as other actors, and he is fine with that. Although he notes that he has somewhat stepped out of his comfort zone for certain roles—such as in Hummingbird, where his character still possesses great fighting skills and a military past, and Paul Feig’s comedy-action movie Spy—Jason Statham prefers to accept roles he feels confident playing.

Here is his full response:

“A mathematician that’s going through a bitter divorce or something? No, I don’t get offered those [roles]!”

“I only want to do things that I think I could do a good job at, and I think I’d be no good at that. You know, I’m not an actor really. I mean, I used to work jewelry and pinch jewelry on the street. I was a sportsman for years. I’m not really some thespian that can adopt and chameleon himself into different roles. I just got into this by being in the right place at the right time… I got plucked from obscurity into the movie industry.”

“It’s not like I’ve spent years honing out the different accents or working on my craft. That doesn’t apply to me. I accept what I’m good at. I might not be good at any of it, but I accept what I feel that I’m confident at and just try and go with the flow in that direction.”

“A lot of the characters I play are pretty similar in some ways. I get a lot of the physical roles because I can do all that. So there’s an authenticity with that, so I tend to stick with that.”

That strategy appears to be working for Jason Statham, who will reprise two well-known action roles in the coming years. He will first return as Adam Clay in The Beekeeper 2 and then as Deckard Shaw in Fast Forever. Jason Statham will also stretch his wings with a meta role as Jason Statham in Jason Statham Stole My Bike from Deadpool 2 and Bullet Train director David Leitch.