He’s on the top of every director’s list when it comes to casting the ultimate British tough guy.
Which means action aficionado Jason Statham has to keep his body looking top notch all year round. So how does he do it?
The 49-year-old actor spoke to Be from the set of MEG about how he maintains his buff physique.
“I’ve always kept myself in decent shape, he tells Be during a break from filming the shark flick in Auckland. “I know they’re always going to ask me to do something that will require some kind of preparation.
“I’ve done so many [physical roles] now over the years that I think If you turn up without an injury that’s always a big plus.”
He adds that a lot of it comes down to muscle memory, having earned his action chops in fast-paced films like Snatch in 2000 and The Transporter franchise from 2002 to 2008.
Jason explains: “A lot of the skills I’ve learnt to do – whether it be with a gun or a fight sequence – take tonnes and tonnes of hours to learn that skill, so it’s not like I have to go and do a lot of work.”
The actor says that as he’s aged he’s learnt how to ‘maintain’ his body, mostly in order to avoid injury.
“As you get a bit older you realise what is required and you do a bit of maintenance in the down time,” he tells us. “When you’re starting a movie and you haven’t done the work, that’s your own problem.
“It’s in the months leading up to things that you try and fix what’s broken.”
But Jason Statham’s workout routine is not for the faint hearted.
The actor revealed the details of his training – he works six days a week – to Men’s Health back in May.
The star does a different circuit and set of exercises each day, with each session taking from 30 to 45 minutes.
Some of the many workouts he does to maintain his bod include: Push-ups, ring pull-ups, body weight squats, deadlifts, and a rowing machine.
Ruby Rose, who stars alongside the actor in MEG, also weighed in on Jason’s strict regime, telling Be that when her co-star isn’t on set he’s at the gym.
She says: “He’s a fit guy. When he’s not on set he’s working out and training.”
But don’t get too excited about seeing The Transporter star showing off his muscular physique. When Be mentioned the possibility of nudity or romance in the ocean flick, he said that while we might see someone butt-naked, it won’t be him.
MEG director John Turteltaub says: “We just shot a really yummy scene this morning where someone is only partially-clothed…All I can say is that they have a great ass.”
Jason then chimes in: “It wasn’t me.”
Sorry ladies. One thing’s for sure, we will see him slipping into some super-tight diving gear.
The actor, who spends most of the film deep sea diving, also spoke about his coincidental scuba diving past.
“It’s funny because when we reference my formative years as a diver, most of what I did was above the water,” he explains.
“I learnt to dive scuba diving years and years ago for a movie I did and I just got so into it.
“I’ve always been interested in the underwater world. And the fact that we’re making a movie about what may lie at the bottom of the ocean is a great thing because no one really knows what’s down there.
“It’s so vast, it covers two-thirds of the planet, you just don’t know.”
MEG is in Australian cinemas in 2018.