Jason Statham’s criticism of Marvel: “Anybody can do it”
By and large, actors who rise to fame as action heroes aren’t typically in the running for the most prestigious accolades the industry has to offer, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t intensely dedicated and committed to their craft. Such is the desire for realism among its most noted purveyors that Jason Statham once showed an active disdain for Marvel.
The chrome-domed ass-kicker has appeared in his fair share of effects-heavy blockbusters, including his contributions to the Fast & Furious franchise, The Meg and its sequel, and The Expendables series. His performances in all of them are defined by the physicality he brings to the table, whether he’s dealing with exploding cars or gigantic prehistoric sharks.
As a result, the prospect of working entirely against a greenscreen while wearing a motion capture leotard and having the visual effects team doing the majority of the heavy lifting in post-production is something that’s never appealed to him. As a person, professional, performer, or lifelong practitioner of martial arts, he favours the real thing.
In fact, Statham informed 400 Calci that the Marvel Cinematic Universe appealed to him so little that it would have a better chance of hiring his grandmother instead. “I could take my grandma and put her in a cape, and they’ll put her on a green screen, and they’ll have stunt doubles come in and do all the action,” he said. “Anybody can do it.”
Further criticising the inauthenticity of the comic book adaptation, Statham explained that he was “inspired by old, real stars, guys that can really do their thing”. That’s fair enough, and it’s not as if he hasn’t built his entire brand on the back of it, but the person in charge of Marvel Studios told a slightly different story.
During the press tour for Spider-Man: Homecoming, which came after Statham’s barbs being fired in the direction of his brainchild, Kevin Feige revealed that not only had he offered the Transporter figurehead a role in his shared mythology. However, he even got an apologetic phone call when it was declined.
“We talked with him about doing a role in one of our movies. It didn’t end up working out because his schedule didn’t work out,” Feige shared. “I was in another meeting a few days later, and my cell phone rang. I didn’t recognise the number, but I answered it, and it was Jason Statham. He was saying, ‘Sorry it didn’t work out, maybe next time’. He couldn’t have been nicer!”
As of yet, Statham is still to appear in the MCU. Still, it’s reasonable to expect that he’d give it a lot more thought than he would have done initially, considering he extended an olive branch to the guy in charge and outlined his intentions that the door won’t necessarily remain fully closed.
