Jason Statham: I could never replace Stallone
Action star still in awe of 80s action legend, who wrote his new film Homefront.
British action star Jason Statham takes on a role initially meant for Sylvester Stallone in new thriller ‘Homefront’.
The script was penned by the Rocky star and was at one point considered a follow-up to ‘Rambo’ before Sly shelved it for a decade and Statham took on the lead role.We asked him about replacing an(other) action legend.
[Jason Statham: Most of my roles are one-dimensional]
“I could never be Rambo, if he was offering me Rambo I’d turn it down,” Statham told us. “I could not fill those boots. He’s too good at what he does. “Although there is a great element of Sly in this, he adapted it for me. It’s impossible to be that guy. He gave a lot of thought to that.”
Statham also gave a foul-mouthed response to an innocent question about why his character, an ex-DEA agent who relocates to a quiet town, only to tangle with James Franco’s psychotic meth lord.
“He’s a transplant from the UK and he’s working for the US government. He’s working undercover. That’s what Sly wrote. Typical f**cking English question!”
Meanwhile James Franco admitted that starring in a James Franco action movie – he plays villain Morgan 'Gator' Bodine – is “not the kind of [thing] I’d usually do”.
“I feel like people are a little surprised I’m in it. But I feel like would be a lot of fun. Here’s a character, Gator, who is a full character, there’s a lot I can do with it.”
Franco’s co-star is Kate Bosworth, who plays his meth-addled wife Cassie. She said it was straightforward playing a drug addict.
“Meth affects people in a very similar way”, she said. “It’s an aggressive drug, a very quick demise. It leaves some in constant state of agitation and paranoia. That kind of veneer to a character wasn’t difficult to research. The mission for me was to create a character who had a sense of humanity and a girl who wasn’t stripped of her dignity.”
‘Homefront’ is released in the UK on 6 December.