Making his way to the top was far from smooth for The Transporter star, as during his pre-fame days, Jason Statham would find himself working as a street seller to make ends meet. But before finding his footing in the acting realm, especially mastering the action genre, Jason Statham rose to success because of his martial skills, which he started learning as a child.
However, perfecting his roundhouse kick isn’t the only amazing skill that he has acquired over the years, as the Hobbs and Shaw actor’s interest lay in many other sectors, including Soccer and swimming.
Jason Statham spent 12 years competing at the national level as a swimmer
Although his ability to perform the perfect roundhouse kicks is impressive in itself, Jason Statham‘s success story involves a lot more than just his legwork. Even though the Fast X star brushed off the rumor of him being an Olympic-level swimmer, he did certainly admit his expertise in this field. According to the actor, he was a part of the U.K.’s National Swimming Squad and spent 12 years competing on the national level, which taught him discipline. He explained,
“I wasn’t actually in the Olympic Games, but I spent 12 years on the national squad. And it was a great experience, you know, to travel the world and compete at a certain level. It teaches you discipline, focus and certainly keeps you out of trouble.”
However, swimming won’t be the skill that would eventually skyrocket his way to the top, as his martial arts skill would come in handy during his first major acting contract
Jason Statham’s martial art skills helped him gain his first major project
Apart from his expertise in different fields and working as a street seller, Statham would also become a sports model and build a connection with brands like Lee, Levi’s, and French Connection. But while modeling for French Connection, the actor would encounter Guy Ritchie, who was impressed by Statham’s martial arts skill, which resulted in him starring in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Statham recalled that the character that he was offered to play in this movie was loosely inspired by his real life. He explained,
“One of the investors of Lock, Stock knew Guy and told him about my time on the street corners selling perfume and jewelry, and what have you. Basically the character I played was loosely based on what I used to do, so it was just me coming and doing what I did every day anyway. And that was how I broke into acting.”
This movie would go on to kickstart the bond between Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham, who since then have collaborated on several films, with the latest one being 2021’s Wrath of Man.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source: IGN
