Post
by A$H » 08 Aug 2008, 20:19
Here’s what Jason had to tell us about making Death Race as well as his upcoming Transporter 3 and Crank 2:
MoviesOnline: How has your experience at Comic Con been this time around?
Jason Statham: We literally flew in, and then we did the panel, and then we went back to the hotel and started drinking. [Laughs] So, it was very good. Most enjoyable.
MoviesOnline: This film is action-packed, and you looked extremely lean. Were you leaner then, than you are now?
Jason Statham: Oh, yeah, a lot. That is the leanest I’ve ever been. Paul W.S. Anderson wanted me to change and get fit. He had an idea of me being really skinny and ripped. It’s sometimes good to give yourself a little challenge, anyway, and give yourself some discipline. It works rather well.
MoviesOnline: You trained with the guy who did 300?
Jason Statham: Yeah, he worked with a lot of the guys on 300. Logan Hood, his name is. He’s an ex-Navy Seal. He’s like a machine. He’s very knowledgeable, and a great motivator. I did about 10 weeks with him and was on a very strict diet, and it all just fell away.
MoviesOnline: Can you talk about shooting those racing scenes? Were you in an actual fast-moving car? Were you being pulled?
Jason Statham: They had many stunt cars. Any action movie that involves cars has multiple copies of the same car, so when they get mangled and bashed, they just slip in the next one. One of the most difficult things was the fact that they don’t have a lot of vision. The cars were covered in armor, and there was very little vision that you could really draw any confidence from. It was quite nerve-wracking to know where you are and who’s coming up and who’s not coming up. The track was just full of dangerous pylons and steel girders. One mistake, and it’s over. So, it was a massive concern for the stunt coordinators involved, just because of the danger that those kind of things present. We just had to go and do the best we could.
MoviesOnline: How fast were you going when you were driving in those cars?
Jason Statham: It’s hard to say. The track was made of bits and pieces. We shot in different locations and made it look like it was one big track, but there were different locations to make up the different areas. We were not really going as fast as you might imagine, but it’s pretty fast. It depends on what you call fast.
MoviesOnline: How well could you see out of the mask?
Jason Statham: Not very well. That presented a big problem. So, I didn’t drive in that thing.
MoviesOnline: Could you even walk in it?
Jason Statham: Yeah. They made different ones with bigger eye pieces. They had various ones. It was all to do with the aesthetics. They didn’t give a shit whether I could see or not, really.
MoviesOnline: You end the movie with a happily ever after ending with Tyrese and your child. That puts a different spin on the whole thing.
Jason Statham: That was actually a re-shoot. That was a piece that they stuck on, almost six months later. We pretty much shot that about two and a half weeks ago. I had a very tearful baby that wouldn’t stop crying.
MoviesOnline: What was the thinking behind going back in and adding that to the end?
Jason Statham: I think it makes sense because before we didn’t really know what happened to Natalie’s character, and it needed some kind of resolution, that she wasn’t just banged up in prison and that she did get out. She did put herself on top of the car for me, so it made me look a little bit better, at the end.
MoviesOnline: Had you seen the original film?
Jason Statham: No. I haven’t seen it. Paul asked me not to see it, until after the movie. He just didn’t want anything that would interfere with his idea of the film. It’s not a remake. It’s just an homage. So, he said, "If you can, try not to see it."
MoviesOnline: Were you okay with having your shirt off so much in the film?
Jason Statham: I had more than my shirt off. I was naked in the prison scene.
MoviesOnline: What can you say about Crank 2? How crazy is it going to get?
Jason Statham: That’s one of the most enjoyable films I’ve shot in the last decade. It is absolutely madder than you could imagine.
MoviesOnline: Can you give an example?
Jason Statham: No. It is nuts. It’s like the first one, times 100. It’s just ridiculous.
MoviesOnline: Were you kind of surprised that they were going to make another one, considering how your character was left at the end of the first film? You fell out of a helicopter in the first film, so the audience assumed that you were dead.
Jason Statham: If you look closely, in the first one, when he lands, you’ll see that there’s a heartbeat and the blink of an eye. That’s always been there. So, people who thought he died probably weren’t looking close enough.
MoviesOnline: As an action hero, you have your signature franchises now, with The Transporter and Crank. Do you see Death Race as something that could be a franchise also?
Jason Statham: I hope so, yeah. I really enjoyed working with Paul, and all the cast was great. It sets itself up for part two being in Mexico somewhere. I’d be very happy to shoot another one.
MoviesOnline: Are you a fan of sci-fi movies?
Jason Statham: Not particularly. I do like the odd one or two.
MoviesOnline: What are some of your favorites?
Jason Statham: I like The Matrix. I thought that was a good one. I thought Blade Runner was great. It has to be done well.
MoviesOnline: Have you finished The Transporter 3?
Jason Statham: I just finished The Transporter 3, yeah.
MoviesOnline: Will that take it to another level also?
Jason Statham: We hope so. [Laughs] We’re always trying to make it go that way.
MoviesOnline: Was there something you wanted to do with the third one?
Jason Statham: I wanted to make it better than the first two. I always thought the first one was the best one, for me. I thought we could do better with the second one. We’re always trying to do better. We just need more time and more money, and that’s hard to get. If we were indulged with a little bit more money, a bit more of a budget, more time, more preparation, we could do something really, really good, but sometimes we don’t get that. I think the third one is probably the best out of the three.
MoviesOnline: What is your favorite scene from Death Race?
Jason Statham: I liked a lot of the car stuff. It’s a car movie. It’s not The Godfather. Some of the deaths are just gory and hilarious. I like the fact that death can be gruesome and funny. I think it’s important not to take it too seriously. This is entertainment. Everyone who sees it seems to get their money’s worth.
MoviesOnline: Were you present when Joan Allen said "cocksucker"?
Jason Statham: No, but it made me laugh when I saw the finished edit.
MoviesOnline: Have you seen the film with an audience?
Jason Statham: No, and it’s always best to see it with an audience. I haven’t been fortunate enough for that to happen yet.
MoviesOnline: Some of the car scenes got really big cheers.
Jason Statham: The big action pieces with the cars are just terrific. I think it’s one of the best car action movies for the last 10 years, at least.
MoviesOnline: We’re seeing a lot of stuff this summer where filmmakers are backing away from CGI-heavy movies. Death Race looks like it was primarily a big practical movie. As you’re talking to people about doing big action movies, do you see more practical stuff going on and less CGI-heavy films?
Jason Statham: Yeah, because CGI is so boring. People just switch off to that and I think they know if it’s just a little bit pushed in a direction where it just doesn’t look possible then people are just completely turned off by it. I know Paul wanted to shoot a ton of it, as much as possible, in through the camera lens. And it’s always more interesting and that’s what I’ve always wanted to do it with all the action movies that I’m a part of. I like to get stuck in and do the stunts and show that we’re actually doing it because people just switch off. I mean I personally do. I find CGI very boring. Paul’s very conscious of that and he wanted to shoot real people in real cars doing real stunts and just use a limited amount of CGI.
MoviesOnline: How many of those Mustangs did they go through?
Jason Statham: I can’t remember now. We had like a truck load of them.
MoviesOnline: You know Guy Ritchie had a movie at Comic Con here too. Have you run into him?
Jason Statham: Yeah, I see him this week. I’ve been fighting with him all week in fact.
MoviesOnline: Have you talked to him about his Sherlock Holmes? Has he approached you about that?
Jason Statham: Yes, I see Robert Downey and speak to him. Yes, it seems like a very exciting project for them both to get stuck into.
MoviesOnline: Any possibility of you ending up there?
Jason Statham: I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens. Dr. Watson maybe? Who knows?
MoviesOnline: With his shirt off.
Jason Statham: Naked Watson.
MoviesOnline: You have a certain quality that harkens back to an older style of acting.
Who are some actors that have inspired you in your acting?
Jason Statham: My favorite actors are people like Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood. They’re the ones that I’ve always loved. They’re the real movie stars there. I can watch all their movies time and time again. Yeah, they’re the ones that I really admire.
MoviesOnline: Do you see yourself maybe doing a couple of Bronson re-dos?
Jason Statham: Yeah. I really liked that movie called Hard Times. That’s a great movie and I’d love to… It’s hard to remake something that’s done so well so it’s probably best just to leave it alone. Yeah, that was one of my favorite Bronson movies.
MoviesOnline: You said it’s difficult to remake really well done movies. Was it easier to remake Death Race and give it a more modern sensibility because the original Death Race was a cheesy B-movie?
Jason Statham: Death Race 2000, like you said, has almost a bad quality to it.
MoviesOnline: That’s what people like about it.
Jason Statham: [laughs] With Hard Times, it’s quite the contrary. It’s a classic, a great movie. It would be hard to remake because it was done so well, so I think that’s the problem.
MoviesOnline: What did you enjoy most about making this movie?
Jason Statham: I just like working with people, you know, kicking around with Ian McShane and Joan Allen. That’s not too much of a bad thing, is it? I just liked the whole atmosphere that Paul brings to the set. It’s a very relaxed one. And it’s just a pleasure to go in and do some work. You know we’re running around in souped up, tuned up cars. I have a big passion for cars and always have so…
MoviesOnline: What kind of cars are your favorites? What do you like to drive?
Jason Statham: I like the old Aston Martins, the BB5’s. I’m a big fan of those and the early Jags, the XK120’s, E Types, just to mention a few British cars. I also like a lot of the muscle cars. I mean the Shelby Cobra. My friend’s got a really beautiful version and he won’t let me drive it. I don’t know why.
MoviesOnline: Do you have a little fleet of your own cars?
Jason Statham: No, but I’m working on it. [Laughs] Yeah.
MoviesOnline: What do you drive?
Jason Statham: I drive a 2008 GT2 Porsche, the new one, and I’ve got an Audi that I kick around in as well as they say.
MoviesOnline: The Iron Man car?
Jason Statham: The R8? I’ve driven that. It’s a great car. It’s a fantastically…
MoviesOnline: You have a silver Audi sedan, do you?
Jason Statham: No, it’s a black one.
MoviesOnline: I saw you in that at the Four Seasons.
Jason Statham: You know I drive a lot of the Audi’s. That was an S5 that they loaned me for a weekend to kick around in. I had an R8 for a weekend. I’m a big fan of the Audi’s.
MoviesOnline: What do you think of the new re-do’s of the old muscle cars like the new Camaro coming out?
Jason Statham: The SRT and all those? Yeah, they’re pretty good. They’re nice and lively, but there’s nothing like a German built car though. They’re so solid, you know, they just last forever. If I’m spending my money, that’s what I’m going to buy to have a bit of fun. I know there’s a Zed-06. That’s a fast car. The American muscle cars are very, very powerful, you know, like the Vipers and all that. They’re ridiculous. They’re so hard to control unless you know what you’re doing. You’ll end up wrapped around a tree.
MoviesOnline: When did this passion for cars start with you?
Jason Statham: I’ve always liked cars since I was a kid. It’s not like I have posters on the wall or miniatures strung around the house, you know. I just like cars. It’s not like I’m a fanatic. Like a stamp collector only with cars.
MoviesOnline: Is there a certain thrill you get when you’re behind the wheel?
Jason Statham: Yeah. Have you ever driven fast before? How’s it feel?
MoviesOnline: Probably not as fast as you.
Jason Statham: If you ever go to a track, if you ever go-cart racing, it’s really exciting. There’s a great go-cart track no so far from where I live back in the U.K. We’ve been there many times. In fact, when we made Snatch, we took Brad and Benicio and the whole cast of Snatch go-carting. Yeah, we had a great time. It was a great day. Obviously I won. [laughs]
MoviesOnline: Can you tell us about the difference? How have Mark and Brian changed from Crank to Crank 2? They’re pretty wild and fun guys to be around.
Jason Statham: Have they changed?
MoviesOnline: As directors.
Jason Statham: They just drink a lot more tequila. They’re absolutely bonkers. Yeah. They’re just exactly the same. They’re just very, very confident and know what they’re doing. It’s an unusual set up they have. Normally you’d think one would take care of the script, the dialogue, and the other one would take care of the camera and the lighting, but they just flip it. They can just like "You go hold the camera this time." They’re so interchangeable with their roles that they play.
MoviesOnline: Who’s the better roller blader since they like shooting on roller blades?
Jason Statham: I’ve never seen anyone as good as Mark Neveldine period. He’s completely amazing on a set of skates and fearless to the point of suicide. He’s really quite…you know, it’s very worrying some of the stuff. Yeah. I don’t know how they let him get away with it.
MoviesOnline: Was there any new or different pressure while doing Crank 2 after the surprising success of the first one?
Jason Statham: They’re not aware of any pressure. They’re just … they wrote part 2 in like a week. I think it was a weekend actually. They locked themselves in a room and just put 3 bottles of tequila there and just drank and wrote this script. I remember reading it and I gave a copy of it to Steve or Steve gave a copy to me and we said "No, this is just too far out. There’s no way they’re ever going to make it. No, you can’t do this. No, you so can’t do that. That’s so offensive." I mean it really is. It’s beyond offensive. And they said, "Do you want to do it?" and I said, "Fuck it! Why not?" So it was literally like that.
MoviesOnline: Do you see these characters, from Transporter and Chev from Crank, going down in movie history like Rocky and Rambo and John McClane?
Jason Statham: Oh they’re not quite as big as Rocky and the Rambo. They’re literary films with old Sly Stallone. You know, we’ve got a much smaller audience, but I just hope people...
MoviesOnline: Could Crank be like your 24? You could come out with a new one every year, for another day in the life of Chev?
Jason Statham: You know, that’d be good actually. We had so much fun. When we finished Crank 2, we said "Shall we do another one?" Literally. I said "Yeah. Fuck it! Let’s do Crank 3 in 3-D." So, yeah, I’m sure the next episode will not be too far away.
MoviesOnline: Have they talked to you about a third Crank?
Jason Statham: Yeah. Already. We were three quarters of the way through it and we went "Ummm," because we knew we were making something really far out and original. And then I said, "Why let this be the last one? Let’s do another one. What about Crank 3 in 3-D?"
It's A Bird... It's A Plane... It's SUPERA$H!!
