Top 10: Things You Didn't Know Jason Statham Kicked Ass At

Jason Statham has become an unlikely action star. Winning indie cred with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, both directed by Guy Ritchie, the son of a lounge singer and dressmaker-turned-dancer wasn’t content being a film geek idol. He used his love of sports to sculpt his body into a machine and insists on doing most of his own stunts and fight scenes, completely un-choreographed. For example, while shooting The Transporter sequel, he really did make the jump to the rear of a school bus from a jet ski that was skidding down a city street. The gritty results register with viewers and thus began the Statham action factory, pumping out hits like Diddy pumps out vodka bottles.

We don’t have to make a cause for Statham as an action star. He’s already done that. However, in addition to kicking ass onscreen, he also kicks ass at these 10 random things. So much talent lies in one bulldog Brit.


No.10- Modelling
With no modeling experience, a talent scout discovered Statham and quickly procured him a modeling contract with both the French Connection clothing line and Levi Strauss & Co. Statham pulled it off by realizing his best assets: "I've just got a really bad smile. I go for the scowl instead." This paid off immensely, being the vehicle through which Guy Ritchie discovered him.


No.9- Voicing Video Game
If Sgt. Waters in Call of Duty sounds familiar, it’s because Jason Statham voiced him. During the British campaign, you can hear him yell lines like, “Are you blind and deaf or just stupid?” Statham also played the reckless pilot Shrike in THQ's Red Faction II alongside veteran actor Lance Henriksen. In it he delivers one of game history’s best lines: “It's like trying to find a needle in a stack of bodies.”

No.8- Mixed Martial Arts
While action stars like Vin Diesel can talk the talk, Statham actually trains in mixed martial arts and is an expert in kickboxing. He’s even considered entering an Ultimate Fighting Competition, stating, "That is by far my favorite sport, the only thing that holds my attention. I go to all the matches. I respect those guys above all other athletes. They are the ultimate." Now that Chuck Norris is older, look for Statham to become Hollywood’s most dangerous white boy.


No.7- Swearing
An LA Times writer described talking to Jason Statham like this: “In conversation, Statham is like a one-man pub crowd on fight night -- lots of volume, some cheering here and there, plenty of jabs at the air and a dazzling array of casual obscenities. In fact, throughout this article, any time you see a noun in one of his quotes, assume there was a certain adjective in front of it.” That’s the wonderful thing about having a British accent. Even when you cuss, people think you sound "dazzling." You can even scream the c-word across a crowded pub and get away with it.

No.6- Being a Candy Pitchman
After Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Kit Kat hired him to do a commercial. In it, he plays a “break philosopher,” nailing home the simple point that we all need to take more breaks in life. The evidence? The plight of the salmon, which fights its way upstream only to mate and die. Don’t be a salmon. Now Statham has graduated to action-packed Audi commercials that premier during the Super Bowl, but it’s good to remember he can keep it simple if he has to.


No.5-Playing Soccer
Like most Europeans, Jason Statham played football (soccer) through school. His passion for diving later took up his time. As an adult, he got back into it, playing for the amateur soccer team the Hollywood United alongside former professional player Vinnie Jones and Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols. Unfortunately, he had to quit the team after a few players were seriously injured. It would be too difficult to film Transporter 4 with a broken ankle.


No.4- Being Modest
Of all the fight and stunt scenes Jason Statham has filmed, he says the public sex scene from Crank: High Voltage was the toughest. He hated being naked around so many people in a mall -- this coming from a guy who looks better naked than 99.9% of the population. Statham prefers not be paraded in the media like a meat stick. In August 2008, he showed up to the Playboy Mansion in a fancy robe. However, he didn’t want the party girls skanking up his image, so he refused to pose with models. Hugh Hefner disapproved and security escorted our classy Brit out.


No.3- Playing Chess
Film directors are notorious for smirking over their actors’ low intellects. Alfred Hitchcock infamously stated, “I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle.” Well, Guy Ritchie can’t pose any grandstanding next to Jason Statham. While shooting Revolver, the director and actor became obsessed with chess. According to Statham, they played more games than he had in his whole life. He regularly beat Ritchie and said Madonna’s ex still owes him money for the matches.


No.2- Diving
Statham spent 12 years as one of the best divers on Britain's National Squad, placing third in the Olympic trials on three different occasions, and eventually placing 12th in the 1992 World Championships. He competed on the 10-meter platform and 3-meter springboard, nailing backwards three-and-a-halves, just like Greg Louganis. Eventually commercial and modeling agents noticed the way he filled out a Speedo while strutting around the Crystal Palace National Sport Center in London and his modeling career began.


No.1- Hustling
Statham’s parents introduced him to “street theater,” a fancy British way of saying street hustling. He used sell knock-off goods and jewelry to unsuspecting tourists. According to him, it’s all about the show you put on. The people need to be entertained to buy. The skill paid off when Guy Ritchie asked to meet the untrained actor for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The audition consisted of "impersonating" an illegal street vendor selling imitation jewelry. Statham sold Ritchie four sets of the jewelry and refused to return his money. He also got the part, of course.


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