Jason Statham’s next action thriller Mechanic: Resurrection arrives in theaters this weekend. The film is a follow-up to 2011’s The Mechanic, and Statham will reprise his role as assassin Arthur Bishop, who has decided to retire, but ends up being forced back into that line of work.
Statham is a man of many skills. He used to be a competitive diver, a gymnast, and even practiced mixed martial arts. He never thought he would become an actor, nor did he think any of his skills in diving, gymnastics, and mixed martial arts would ever come in handy for his career since he had no plans to enter the field of acting.
“…I used to work on street corners selling jewelry,” Statham revealed to BackstageOL’s Dave Morales. “Since I left school, when I was fifteen, that was all I ever did right up until the point that I became an actor, which was a joke to me ‘cause I had no intentions of becoming an actor.”
“To use any of those skills while you’re selling jewelry and perfume on street corners, you don’t need them so they’re totally redundant skills,” he said.
But now those skills have helped him in his acting career. “They weren’t a waste of time. I can actually draw from that and you know, use a lot of those skills that I learned.”
Mechanic: Resurrection, which also stars Jessica Alba and Tommy Lee Jones, hits theaters August 22.
Watch our interview with Statham below: