10 Things You Might Not Know About Jason Statham

Jason Statham is back on the big screen with the action flick, Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre. The film is among 48 big screen credits to Statham’s name since he made his big movie debut in Guy Richie's beloved cult classic, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998. In that time we’ve learned a lot about the bald headed action star but there are still many things you might not know about Jason Statham. In fact, I can think of 10 things you might not know about Jason Statham…

10. Statham Almost Made it to the 1988 and 1992 Olympics as a Diver

No, really, before he became a worldwide action hero, Jason Statham was an aspiring, Olympic level diver on the British diving team. Statham competed at the 1990 British Commonwealth Games and made at least two attempts at making it to the Olympics in 1988 and in 1992. Sadly, and much to his continued frustration, Statham fell short though he’s never forgotten about it. Statham has discussed his brief Olympic dreams in numerous interviews and still feels regret that he was unable to make it.

9. Statham Made His Acting Debut as a Music Video Back-Up Dancer

If you think the sight of the hardest action hero on the planet in a speedo and competing for a shot at the Olympics is odd, wait until you see him in a loincloth performing a choreographed dance routine. Indeed, it happened, more than once. In 1993, Statham landed a gig dancing in a studly loincloth in the background of a music video for a band called. The Shaman.

One year later, Statham continued to find work in Music videos. In 1995, he earned an even more high profile dancing role backing up the iconic 80s new wave band, Erasure, in their music video for Run to the Sun. It might be hard to recognize Statham however as he is covered from head to toe in silver body paint. Can you imagine what Chev Chelios or Deckard Shaw might say about this?

Statham made one more music video appearance in 1998, just before he hit it big in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. This time, Statham busted out his diving speedo to play a Swimmer in a music video for the band Yello, famed for their movie soundtrack hit, Oh Yeah.

8. Statham Can Thank Tom Cruise for His Breakout Role in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

No, Tom Cruise didn’t get Jason Statham his job on Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, that credit goes to Statham’s long time friend, director Guy Ritchie. Rather, it was Tom Cruise who rescued Lock Stock after the film met resistance from distributors. According to legend, Lock Stock Producer, and wife of rock star Sting, Trudy Styler called up her pal Tom Cruise when Lock Stock looked to be on the brink of failing to find a distributor.

One final screening for distributors was booked and while things looked bleak, the room changed completely when the global superstar 'Cruised' into the screening room. Tom watched the film and when it was over, Cruise addressed the assembled executives and said that Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels was one of the best films he’d seen in years. Cruise left after telling the execs that they would be foolish not to acquire the movie and it is said that a bidding war broke out immediately following the screening thanks to Cruise’s glowing endorsement. This is one of several brushes with Tom Cruise that popped up in Statham’s career.

7. Statham Lost His First Starring Role in Ghosts of Mars

Jason Statham may have broken out with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels but he wasn’t a superstar yet. That fact was harshly underlined when Statham earned the lead role in the John Carpenter directed, sci-fi horror movie, Ghosts of Mars. Statham was all set to play the lead role when he was unceremoniously demoted just before production began. Producers wanted a bigger star for the lead role and when they were able to land Ice Cube for the lead, Statham was out, almost. As a consolation prize, Statham took a supporting role in the film.

6. Statham Learned Martial Arts and How to Hotwire a Car for his Role in The Transporter

Statham didn’t wait too long before finally landing his first leading man role. Less than one year after his demotion on Ghosts of Mars, Statham found himself with a role written just for him. The character of Frank Martin in The Transporter was created by Director Louis Letterier with Statham in mind. Statham threw himself into the role which called on him to become proficient in martial arts for the spectacular fight scenes, most of which were done without a stunt double. On top of that, Statham learned how to hotwire a car for real. In interviews promoting The Transporter, Statham joked that he wished he’d learned to hotwire as a kid as it suited his hoodlum years.

5. Statham’s Unexpected Cameo in Collateral Created a Sensational Unconfirmed Fan Theory

Hot off of the back to back successes of The Transporter and The Italian Job, Jason Statham detoured into a cameo role. In a bit of a payback to Tom Cruise for his help on Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Statham made a brief cameo in the 2004 hitman action movie, Collateral. Blink and you might miss Statham as a man in an airport who hands Cruise a bag and leaves as quickly as he came. The role was so small that Statham was credited as ‘Airport Man’ but that didn’t stop fans from speculating about the role.

Soon after Collateral was released, and with the sequel to The Transporter in the near future, fans of Statham began to speculate that Airport Man was in fact Frank Martin from The Transporter. The theory gained traction after The Transporter director, Louis Letterier claimed that ‘Airport Man’ was, in fact, Statham playing Frank Martin. That said, Statham, Tom Cruise and Collateral director Michael Mann have never confirmed or denied the connection to The Transporter.

4. Did Jason Statham Almost Lose His Role in Crank?

While it would be hard to imagine anyone other than Jason Statham in the role of Chev Chelios in Crank and Crank: High Voltage, it’s true that the directors Neveldine and Taylor did have another actor in mind when they conceived of the project. In an interview on the podcast How Did this Get Made, the directing duo admitted that they wrote Crank with Nicolas Cage in mind to play the hotheaded heart transplant patient turned unstoppable adrenalin machine Chev Chelios. Thankfully for Statham, Cage was not available when Crank was going into production, though he did read the script.

3. Crank’s Shocking Public Sex Scene Was Shot Undercover with Real People Watching

Arguably, the most famous scene in Crank finds our hero, Chev Chelios, desperately in need of an adrenaline boost. To get it, he turns to his girlfriend, Eve, played by Amy Smart. To get the adrenaline pumping the sex is in public as Chev takes Eve from behind in front of a shocked group of onlookers on a Los Angeles sidewalk. In order to add to the shock of the moment, directors Neveldine and Taylor didn’t tell anyone they were shooting a movie. They captured the scene covertly and the shocked, horrified and excited reaction you see from onlookers is totally real.

2. Jason Statham Was Rumored to Be the 11th Doctor Who???

When David Tennant left the famed BBC Sci-Fi franchise Doctor Who in 2007 there was much speculation regarding who might take Tennant’s place as the famed Time Lord. WENN, a sort of news outlet in England were among those stirring the pot on who the next Doctor might be when they reported that Jason Statham was up for the role of the 11th Doctor. WENN cited an anonymous source at the BBC at the time who seemed to confirm that Statham was set to take the role. The anonymous source is quoted as saying "It will be Doctor Who meets gangland. He will do a lot more thinking with his fists and will be a sure-fire winner with the ladies."

Of course, the rumor was entirely unfounded as every actor with an English accent was associated with the role of Doctor Who at one point. That however, was not the last time that Statham’s name was floated for the role. The website Den of Geek earned a viral story when they got a fan to cut a Statham as Doctor Who fan trailer when real life 11th Doctor Matt Smith announced his departure from the series in 2011. The fan made Statham-Doctor trailer became a minor sensation among non-Doctor Who fans but the viral trailer came and went quickly before being removed completely shortly after it went viral.

1. Statham Has 5 Sequels in His Future

Jason Statham appears to be angling for the title of King of the Sequels. Over the next 3 years Statham has FIVE, yes, FIVE Sequels coming to theaters. According to IMDB, Statham has already completed work on The Expendables 4 with his pal Sylvester Stallone and he’s beginning work on Spy 2 with his pal Melissa McCarthy. Statham also has a deal in place for a sequel to his giant shark action hit, The Meg some time in 2024. Then, there is the Fast and Furious franchise. Not only is Statham penciled in for the 10th adventure, reprising the role of anti-hero, Deckard Shaw, he’s also readying a re-teaming with Dwayne The Rock Johnson for another Hobbs and Shaw adventure.