One Expendables 3 stunt almost proved fatal for star Jason Statham. The Expendables movies launched with the mission statement of being loving throwbacks to the action movies of yesteryear. Instead of superheroes or VFX-heavy action sequences, it was sold on the star power of veteran action performers like Sylvester Stallone – who also created the series – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li and others. If Stallone is the main star of the series then Jason Statham comes a close second. By the time the first movie arrived in 2010, the British star had inherited the baton from older action icons.
Starting with The Transporter movies, Statham loaned his martial arts skills to hits such as Crank and The Mechanic. With Stallone stepping aside from the series with the forthcoming Expendables 4, it was only natural that Statham would become his successor. Due to the nature of The Expendables 3’s story, Statham was somewhat underutilized in the story. He was essentially absent from the sequel’s middle act, but he’s still proved one of the movie’s highlights. While filming The Expendables 3, one stunt that appeared simple almost proved fatal for the actor.
Jason Statham’s Expendables 3 Accident Explained
During The Expendables 3’s first act, the titular crew head to Somalia on a mission. This quickly goes wrong and they find themselves in an intense chase with Expendable 3’s villain Stonebanks’ henchmen. Statham’s Christmas is driving the flatbed truck they try to escape in, and the scene climaxes with him pulling it over and the team firing on their pursuers. This setpiece was actually shot in Bulgaria, and during one rehearsal, the brakes on Statham’s truck failed to stop and it plunged off a pier and into the Black Sea.
Statham – who is a former diver who competed for England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games – managed to get out of an open window. However, in recalling the accident to Red Bulletin (via The Evening Standard), he revealed his gun holster got snagged, which naturally made him panic. Thankfully, he got free and was taken to safety by The Expendables 3’s crew. Statham soon got dry, put on fresh clothes and finished filming the rest of the sequence as planned.
Statham’s Expendables 3 Accident “Puts Things In Perspective”
During the press rounds for The Expendables 3, Statham and the rest of the cast recounted the accident like it was an amusing piece of trivia. It left a mark on the actor though, who dubbed the Expendables 3 accident “a nasty, nasty experience” but also added that it was “… one that puts things in perspective.” Statham said “It’s a real recalibration of everything. From that day on, I’ve been so appreciative of life and being able to walk on the ground. Given how some movie accidents can cause permanent injury and death, at least Statham was able to pull something positive from this horrifying near miss.