Ever since Jason Statham was picked out of the street by Guy Ritchie to star
in Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels, his stokc has been rising and he's
finally popped the cork with the new action film The Transporter.
The Transporter is about an Ex-Special Forces operator Frank Martin [Jason Statham] lives what seems to be a quiet life along the French Mediterranean, hiring himself out as a mercenary "transporter" who moves goods - human or otherwise - from one place to another. No questions asked. Frank's newest transport seems no different from the countless ones he's done in the past. He has been hired by an American known only as "Wall Street" [see Rule Two] to make a delivery, but when Frank stops along route, he notices his "package" is moving. Violating his own personal rules, Frank looks inside the bag, finding its contents to be a beautiful, gagged woman.
This script was written especially for Statham by Luc Besson the French action director and it is directed by legendary Hong Kong director Corey Yuen.
Dan Epstein: I heard this movie was written for you especially by Luc Besson. What's that feel like?
Jason Statham: It's a huge privilege. I don't think it gets better than that. I've always been a fan of Luc's movies. He makes movies you can watch over and over again. They are inspirational movies.
DE: So you didn't have to fight with Jean Reno to get this movie.
JS: I never met Jean. I know he's a great friend of Luc's. I would love to do a movie with him. He's one of my favorite actors.
DE: Do you feel a lot of pressure with everyone calling you the next action star?
JS: I don't know. People like to pigeonhole you. Because there aren't a lot of people doing this kind of movie people keep saying that.
DE: People have been comparing you to Vin Diesel.
JS: It's probably because of the short hair and a rough voice. That's where it ends.
DE: You worked with Jet Li on The One [which was choreographed by Transporter director Corey Yuen]. Did he give you any tips?
JS: Jet was very busy. I've been inspired by a lot of his movies. We didn't get to do anything together on The One. There was a 2 big action sequences we didn't get to film because of time and money. We went over budget and 5 weeks over the original estimate. So all the stuff I signed on to do we never did. I was really upset but looking back it was a great thing because I met Corey Yuen and we established a relationship. He got to assess me physically and he said one day we would do a great action film together and within a year we were. I'm very familiar with his previous films.
DE: What new stuff did you have to learn to do this movie?
JS: I had to learn to scuba dive. That was something that was necessary. We were diving in caves. It wasn't totally safe. I suppose that's the European way, dangerous and hairy.
DE: What was it like meeting with Luc?
JS: We had a lunch in Paris and we spoke about the movies I've done and what he wanted from me. We spoke incorporating me doing some action because I grew up doing martial arts. He wanted to give the character motivation. A lot of action movies today seem to have scenes that just lead up to the action. Luc wanted this guy to have a backstory of formerly being in the army and now he has a somewhat quiet job of delivering packages. He gets dragged into this world and just when he thinks he's safe after delivering the package they try to kill him. So he goes to rectify. He's a driven character and that's what Luc is good at.
DE: When you get a script for action movie do you try and figure out how they would do these huge action sequences?
JS: A lot of the action isnt on the page. So you do get excited. Once Corey gets his hands around a scene it all comes to life. When you see Corey get excited that's when you know it's going to be good.
DE: You have a huge fight scene in an oil slick and you're covered in it. What was that like?
JS: It was hell [laughs]. It was very cold. We were in Marseilles in France and it hadn't snowed there for fifteen years and that night it was snowing. We were shooting in an open-air garage. The stuff was sticky and disgusting. We would do a couple of takes then shower then get covered in it again. Then when I put on the pedals it's supposed to give me a grip but in reality you can't get a foothold even more. When I read that scene I wasn't happy because I had to take my shirt off [laughs]. I'm going to get ribbed when I get back home but it had to happen for the oil gag to work.
DE: What was it like doing you first love scenes?
JS: It wasn't that hard because she is a very beautiful and sexy girl. But it's not like its supposed to look like. She was on a countertop, which was digging into her back. It's about as unnatural as it could be with the camera crew there.
DE: What was it like doing those driving scenes?
JS: They were great. My first day was on the Champs-Elyses roundabout, which is about five lanes. That was my first day behind the wheel of a French car. I don't think anyone has ever filmed car chase scenes where we did. We drove on the cobble French streets. We had the same stunt driving team as Ronin [released in 1998 starring Robert De Niro].
DE: What's your favorite action sequence in The Transporter?
JS: A lot of the stuff I liked didn't make it in because of censorship. Many scenes were longer and were cut because they were too intense. So we'll put them on the DVD.
DE: What's it like being directed by someone who doesn't speak English?
JS: There was no communication barrier at all. Corey speaks a little English but he's very expressive and he works very closely with a translator that's been with him for all his movies.
DE: Are you going to work with Guy Ritchie again?
JS: Oh yeah. We had such a good time making those films. It's a very testosterone charged set. There's a lot of gambling, practical jokes and sarcastic humor. You do have to stop yourself and ask whether you'll get a movie made.
DE: How did your previous life of selling stolen jewelry prepare you for Hollywood?
JS: Well I'm used to rubbing shoulders with crooks and criminals. I think I just answered that [laughs].
DE: What do you think of Guy Ritchie doing a movie like Swept Away?
JS: I think it's a great move for him. It's a different challenge and expands him. He's a very talented man and I don't think there are any limits to what he can do.
DE: What's it like seeing yourself on the poster?
JS: It's a bit weird but I can't analyze it. I've come from nowhere and I'm not shy to go back. I'm enthusiastic and ambitious and I work hard. I think being a competitive diver for years helps you focus and dedicate yourself to what's needed. I'm using that and applying it to my acting. No matter what I do the boys at home are going to rip me.
DE: What are you doing now?
JS: I'm in a remake of the Michael Caine movie The Italian Job [released in 1969]. It's a heist movie that's a classic English movie. In the new one there's new characters and I play a guy named Rob who's an expert on cars and he is the driver.
DE: What's it like working with the people in the cast?
JS: They are some of favorites its Mark Wahlberg, Ed Norton, Charlize Theron, Mos Def, Donald Sutherland and Seth Green. I pick up a lot of stuff from them but I dont think there's any great trick to acting. Someone told me that's it living truthfully under imaginary situations. If you got a good imagination, a lot of confidence and you kind of know what you are saying then you might be able to do it. I know a lot of colorful characters at home that would make great actors.
DE: Thanks Jason
in Lock, Stock and two Smoking Barrels, his stokc has been rising and he's
finally popped the cork with the new action film The Transporter.
The Transporter is about an Ex-Special Forces operator Frank Martin [Jason Statham] lives what seems to be a quiet life along the French Mediterranean, hiring himself out as a mercenary "transporter" who moves goods - human or otherwise - from one place to another. No questions asked. Frank's newest transport seems no different from the countless ones he's done in the past. He has been hired by an American known only as "Wall Street" [see Rule Two] to make a delivery, but when Frank stops along route, he notices his "package" is moving. Violating his own personal rules, Frank looks inside the bag, finding its contents to be a beautiful, gagged woman.
This script was written especially for Statham by Luc Besson the French action director and it is directed by legendary Hong Kong director Corey Yuen.
Dan Epstein: I heard this movie was written for you especially by Luc Besson. What's that feel like?
Jason Statham: It's a huge privilege. I don't think it gets better than that. I've always been a fan of Luc's movies. He makes movies you can watch over and over again. They are inspirational movies.
DE: So you didn't have to fight with Jean Reno to get this movie.
JS: I never met Jean. I know he's a great friend of Luc's. I would love to do a movie with him. He's one of my favorite actors.
DE: Do you feel a lot of pressure with everyone calling you the next action star?
JS: I don't know. People like to pigeonhole you. Because there aren't a lot of people doing this kind of movie people keep saying that.
DE: People have been comparing you to Vin Diesel.
JS: It's probably because of the short hair and a rough voice. That's where it ends.
DE: You worked with Jet Li on The One [which was choreographed by Transporter director Corey Yuen]. Did he give you any tips?
JS: Jet was very busy. I've been inspired by a lot of his movies. We didn't get to do anything together on The One. There was a 2 big action sequences we didn't get to film because of time and money. We went over budget and 5 weeks over the original estimate. So all the stuff I signed on to do we never did. I was really upset but looking back it was a great thing because I met Corey Yuen and we established a relationship. He got to assess me physically and he said one day we would do a great action film together and within a year we were. I'm very familiar with his previous films.
DE: What new stuff did you have to learn to do this movie?
JS: I had to learn to scuba dive. That was something that was necessary. We were diving in caves. It wasn't totally safe. I suppose that's the European way, dangerous and hairy.
DE: What was it like meeting with Luc?
JS: We had a lunch in Paris and we spoke about the movies I've done and what he wanted from me. We spoke incorporating me doing some action because I grew up doing martial arts. He wanted to give the character motivation. A lot of action movies today seem to have scenes that just lead up to the action. Luc wanted this guy to have a backstory of formerly being in the army and now he has a somewhat quiet job of delivering packages. He gets dragged into this world and just when he thinks he's safe after delivering the package they try to kill him. So he goes to rectify. He's a driven character and that's what Luc is good at.
DE: When you get a script for action movie do you try and figure out how they would do these huge action sequences?
JS: A lot of the action isnt on the page. So you do get excited. Once Corey gets his hands around a scene it all comes to life. When you see Corey get excited that's when you know it's going to be good.
DE: You have a huge fight scene in an oil slick and you're covered in it. What was that like?
JS: It was hell [laughs]. It was very cold. We were in Marseilles in France and it hadn't snowed there for fifteen years and that night it was snowing. We were shooting in an open-air garage. The stuff was sticky and disgusting. We would do a couple of takes then shower then get covered in it again. Then when I put on the pedals it's supposed to give me a grip but in reality you can't get a foothold even more. When I read that scene I wasn't happy because I had to take my shirt off [laughs]. I'm going to get ribbed when I get back home but it had to happen for the oil gag to work.
DE: What was it like doing you first love scenes?
JS: It wasn't that hard because she is a very beautiful and sexy girl. But it's not like its supposed to look like. She was on a countertop, which was digging into her back. It's about as unnatural as it could be with the camera crew there.
DE: What was it like doing those driving scenes?
JS: They were great. My first day was on the Champs-Elyses roundabout, which is about five lanes. That was my first day behind the wheel of a French car. I don't think anyone has ever filmed car chase scenes where we did. We drove on the cobble French streets. We had the same stunt driving team as Ronin [released in 1998 starring Robert De Niro].
DE: What's your favorite action sequence in The Transporter?
JS: A lot of the stuff I liked didn't make it in because of censorship. Many scenes were longer and were cut because they were too intense. So we'll put them on the DVD.
DE: What's it like being directed by someone who doesn't speak English?
JS: There was no communication barrier at all. Corey speaks a little English but he's very expressive and he works very closely with a translator that's been with him for all his movies.
DE: Are you going to work with Guy Ritchie again?
JS: Oh yeah. We had such a good time making those films. It's a very testosterone charged set. There's a lot of gambling, practical jokes and sarcastic humor. You do have to stop yourself and ask whether you'll get a movie made.
DE: How did your previous life of selling stolen jewelry prepare you for Hollywood?
JS: Well I'm used to rubbing shoulders with crooks and criminals. I think I just answered that [laughs].
DE: What do you think of Guy Ritchie doing a movie like Swept Away?
JS: I think it's a great move for him. It's a different challenge and expands him. He's a very talented man and I don't think there are any limits to what he can do.
DE: What's it like seeing yourself on the poster?
JS: It's a bit weird but I can't analyze it. I've come from nowhere and I'm not shy to go back. I'm enthusiastic and ambitious and I work hard. I think being a competitive diver for years helps you focus and dedicate yourself to what's needed. I'm using that and applying it to my acting. No matter what I do the boys at home are going to rip me.
DE: What are you doing now?
JS: I'm in a remake of the Michael Caine movie The Italian Job [released in 1969]. It's a heist movie that's a classic English movie. In the new one there's new characters and I play a guy named Rob who's an expert on cars and he is the driver.
DE: What's it like working with the people in the cast?
JS: They are some of favorites its Mark Wahlberg, Ed Norton, Charlize Theron, Mos Def, Donald Sutherland and Seth Green. I pick up a lot of stuff from them but I dont think there's any great trick to acting. Someone told me that's it living truthfully under imaginary situations. If you got a good imagination, a lot of confidence and you kind of know what you are saying then you might be able to do it. I know a lot of colorful characters at home that would make great actors.
DE: Thanks Jason
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
fullmoonkisses:
Jason is THE man! "Crank" is cool, and he boffed Kelly Brook! Whataguy!
brubaker:
He was a totaly badass in War, too. I've been waiting for Statham and Jet Li to really co-star in a movie since The Transporter films (and no, I don't count the crapfest that was The One, either. Too much CGI that made it difficult to really appreciate Corey Yuen's awesome fight choreography). There's probably not another Western actor more qualified for the job than him. Plus, Devon Aoki was in it, too! Hot AND deadly!