- This is a remake of the 1972 version of The Mechanic starring Charles Bronson. Were you a fan of his?

Of course, yeah. I've seen every film he made. That's why he’s so great.  You can watch those films time and time again. I've always been a fan of Bronson’s.

- Did you have any reservations about tackling a character he had already made his own?

Comparisons are always going to be made, and it's not the first remake I've done. I did a remake of The Italian Job years ago, and again, that was a great, classic movie that some people think should never be touched but it ended up being a decent job.

And it's the same with this. A lot of people won't remember the original, or won't even have seen it. It was nearly 40 years ago. So, yeah, I don't think we are too bothered about it being a remake.

- Which was the most fun scene to film?

I think being strung up there on the outside of this huge building with Ben [Foster] and seeing how scared he was. He was pooping himself! It makes me sound a little bit sadistic but it’s great when you do something with real excitement to it.

It seems there's always so much more reward in doing something in terms of the action than a good dramatic scene. There's no one clapping for that. People might be touched by it but it’s the action stuff which produces the euphoria on set.

- Bishop is a huge classic car enthusiast who is restoring an E-Type Jaguar in the film. Do you share his passion?

I love cars actually, yes. I’m not much of a tinkerer but I could talk all day about vintage cars and the old E-Type is a great one. I'm particularly fond of all the Jags, the old Aston Martins, the British cars, but I don't have any classics myself.

They tend to break down a lot and there's always a problem with that. There's nothing reliable about an old classic but they’re so great to sit in, walk around and admire.

- How comfortable are you being perceived as the action man of your generation?

Very comfortable I suppose, if that's what you want to call me. I'm working away and I'm very happy doing what I'm doing, and things have been going well recently. I've been working with some good people.

- You’ve been working as an actor for 13 years now. Can you talk about how you have developed.

I think I know what I'm doing now. Just. You get to know what you're doing and there's no substitute for the experience. The more experience you have, the more you know what will work for you and what won’t. Now I have 10 years of knowing what’s good for me.

A lot of the elements are not in your control but when it all comes together, and in a good way, that’s the best. There are certain things I’ve done which make me bow my head with embarrassment and I won’t mention them because there’s no point.

Then there are others I’m really proud of. It’s just about reducing the percentage of ones you’re not proud of. I mean I’ve just worked opposite Robert De Niro and Clive Owen in a film called The Killer Elite so that's definitely another step in the right direction.

- Was it intimidating working with Robert De Niro?

Very intimidating, as you can only imagine.  You don't want to make a fool of yourself in front of that man. 

- Luc Besson produced all three of the Transporter films you starred in. Do you feel he’s responsible for some of your success?

Oh, he's one of the key figures for me. He was basically the first person who gave me the lead in a movie. He’s a very significant man and had a huge effect on my career.

- Who else has had a significant impact on you?

Guy Ritchie of course. [Ritchie has directed Statham in three films, including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.] I remember being with Guy years ago and I asked him, 'Should I go and sign myself up for drama school?'

I’d just done Lock Stock on a whim and his words of advice were: 'There’s a fine line between intuition and technique and I think you will serve yourself much better by going on your intuition'. The words and advice of Guy Ritchie seem to stick with me.

- Any news on The Expendables 2?

Yes, I have heard about a sequel, and I'll be the first to say yes to a phone call from Sly [Stallone]. As soon as the movie started to do really well, he said, 'You know, it would be great to do this again'. And if there's anyone that can do a good sequel, it's Sly. He's done a fair amount. We had a good time and it's definitely something I'd like to repeat.  

- And what about a third Crank film?

It's a shame the second one [2009’s Crank: High Voltage] didn't do that well. The first one had a little bit more success and the second one was absolutely nuts.

I don't know whether we'll do another one, I just know I had a great time working with Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor [writers/directors]. They are absolutely mad as hatters. 

- Do you see primarily action films in the cinema or other sorts too?

I like all kinds of films. I don't have any particular favourites. I enjoy myself. I go to the cinema and watch all different kinds of films. Recently I’ve seen The Fighter and The King’s Speech and I thought they were both terrific. Very good indeed. 

- Did The King’s Speech make the hard man cry?

I do get teary you know. There’s a lot of films I get teary in. Another good film I saw that did make me get teary was Blue Valentine. I did cry in that. I was welling up in The King’s Speech but we watched that with a lot of people and I was trying to stay tough. But it’s so powerful.

- How do you like spending your free time?

I like to relax and spend it with people that I've grown up with, people that I care about. I’m happy to just sit around, doing nothing. On a beach is fine.

- Are you into soccer?

Not so much. All my friends are. I'm not as big a soccer fan as people might imagine, being British. 

- You were on the British Olympic diving team when you were younger. Do you still follow diving?

No, it's probably the smallest sport in the world. It’s not even follow-able. Literally, as soon as I retired from diving, I had no interest in it. 

- How did you get to become a champion diver anyway?

I tried it and then within a year I was on the British team. All of a sudden you are travelling around the world competing, and there's a certain aspect of that which is very appealing to a young man. The next thing you know, you click your fingers, you turn around and 12 years have gone by!

- Did your diving career help with this markedly different one?

It was very good for me to do that in terms of what I'm doing now because a lot of the training was about gaining aerial awareness. If you’re doing a lot of stunts, you need a great sense of distance and timing so a lot of the tumbling and trampolining I used to do has paid huge dividends.  

- What do you have coming up, work-wise?

This is the first period in several years where for the next few months I'm not doing anything. The last three years, I’ve always had something in front of me. Now I'm just waiting for The Expendables 2.

- How will you spend your time?

Dropping down two or three gears and just breathing for a few months. I did go back to Britain at Christmas and saw everyone but it’s the wrong time of year to go. It’s hectic and it was too much.

I think I will get to go back and see someone I want to see and didn’t get to see, and all the people I hold close. I’ll do that in the next couple of months. Recharge! Get to the spa! Get my nails done!

The Mechanic is released 28th February.

 

 


 

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