Jason Statham has become one of Hollywood’s staple go-to’s when it comes to action movie stars. From his work in hit franchises such as The Expendables, the Fast and Furious movies, and his upcoming thriller movie The Meg 2, it may seem like Statham has always been a silver screen hard man. However, it turns out that before he hit the big time, Statham was actually hitting the water.
It may shock film fans to learn that before he was an actor, Statham was a professional diver and even represented England at the Commonwealth Games back in 1990. That’s right, a 23-year-old Statham led a very different life from that of an A-list actor, but he was always in the spotlight. Despite representing his country at the Common Wealth Games, Statham unfortunately never made it to the Olympics – a fact that he previously revealed via The Metro, is a “sore point” for him.
“It’s a bit of a sore point. I never got to the Olympics. I just heard they got seven million or something for the diving per year. They deserve it. The divers we’ve got now are just terrific,” he said. “I started too late. It probably wasn’t my thing. I should have done a different sport.”
While competing at the Commonwealth Games is nothing to sneer at, we are happy that ultimately Statham took up acting after his time as an elite diver. And his skills haven’t gone to waste either.
Thanks to his experience as a professional swimmer, the actor performs all his own stunts, which comes plenty handy for aquatic shark fight films like the adventure movie The Meg.
Fans can next see Statham’s diving skills in The Meg 2, which splashes into theatres on August 2, 2023. For more franchise picks, here is our guide to Marvel Phase 5.