Jason Statham Once Shared That He Didn’t Want to Play the Villain in the ‘Fast and the Furious’ Franchise
Actor Jason Statham was recruited not too long ago in Vin Diesel’s popular Fast and Furious franchise. But before he signed up, he had reservations about playing the antagonist in the movies.
Jason Statham was initially against playing the villain in the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise
Statham’s role as Deckard Shaw in the Fast and Furious franchise wasn’t exactly set in stone. His character was initially brought on board on a test run. Based on fan response and excitement, he was written as a permanent part of the series.
“Apparently, they got a really good reaction, so they decided to pursue bringing me back and putting me in a proper role,” he once told Vulture.
But before Statham committed fully to the project, he had certain concerns about the role. The action star was used to playing more heroic characters like in The Transporter or The Expendables. But Furious 7 would’ve seen him stray away from that.
“I didn’t really want to play the villain, but there are certain moments where you think it might be a good time to do that,” Statham once told Empire (via Female First). “I’m not saying I’m the full-blooded… I’m not going to tell you too much about what I’m going to do in the film, but if it’s a good villain, there’s obviously some consideration to be made. There are some really bad villains out there, and I don’t want to get myself wet with that s***.”
Jason Statham made sure he didn’t end up as a typical James Bond villain
When Statham first made his debut in the Furious franchise, the actor shared that other fans shared his surprise about playing a villain. Many questioned what kind of antagonist he’d be playing in the series, but Statham remained tight-lipped on the matter.
“Some people say, ‘Wait, are you gonna be the villain? The guy who threatens the world and wants to blow everything up?’ No. ‘What kind of an antagonist are you gonna be?’ I’m not gonna say what I’m gonna be. The spoilers are the worst, when people already know what you’re gonna do when you come and do it,” he once told Coming Soon.
It turns out that Statham’s villain was a very personal foil for Diesel’s hero. It was what the actor set out to accomplish when developing the character with director James Wan.
“It was sort of a work in progress. Do I want to be the scumbag villain who’s out to blow up the world and steal everybody’s cash? No. The Bond Villain wasn’t on the menu. I wanted it to be vengeful. It was much cooler, much more precise. And it’s a great parallel. He’s all about family? I’m all about family,” he said in an Entertainment Weekly interview.
Jason Statham named the ‘Furious 7’ scene that he’d never done before
Statham not only got a chance to branch out and play the villain in the action franchise. He found himself doing stunts that he’d never done before. The beginning of Furious 7 showcases an action sequence between Statham and Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs that was unlike anything he’d done before.
“I particularly loved shooting the opening sequence, because it was a single-camera, single-take sequence. It’s a very ambitious idea that James Wan came up with. I’ve never done that before. And it goes several f***ing minutes. All these things have to come into synchronization. The frame has to be good. Everything has to work like clockwork,” he said.
He also enjoyed teaming up with Johnson for the sequence, whose athleticism and attitude made an ideal sparring partner for Statham.
“The Rock is the Rock, you know? He’s the ultimate athlete, the professional man with precision. And you want precision from a 270-pound living, walking brick wall,” he said. “And he’s got adrenaline! He’s a monster. You want someone that can be precise, that ain’t gonna take your teeth out every time he misses. And he’s such a humble sort of chap, he doesn’t have an ego.”
