He’s the ultimate action-fighting hunk who has had his fair share of hair-raising combat scenes.
But as Jason Statham releases another action-packed extravaganza, The Beekeeper – his stunt team and fellow fight actor, Taylor James (Lazarus), gave MailOnline an insight into what it takes to be a supreme action hero.
For us mere mortals, mastering the art of minimal contact combat is challenging enough, never mind perfecting Jason’s smouldering charisma alongside it.
Pulling of a convincing fight scene is considered a skill in itself as it takes a lot more than just a bit of acting and an abandoned warehouse.
Not only must Jason and his team achieve peak physical condition to convince TV bosses that he is actually strong enough to break someone’s jaw with his palm, but they must also be in tune to the exact second to block, duck and jab.
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Could YOU keep up with Jason Statham: Here’s what happened when we tried to copy the action man’s gruelling stunts from The Beekeeper with a member of his stunt team (left)
Taylor James shares behind-the-scenes stories of The Beekeeper
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To uncover the magic behind the scenes, MailOnline went to London’s famous Studio 64 to see how Jason’s stunt choreographer and fellow actors perfect those crucial nail-biting fight sequences that keep film fans coming back for more
So how do they do it?
To uncover the magic behind the scenes, MailOnline went to London’s famous Studio 64 to see how Jason’s stunt choreographer and fellow actors perfect those crucial nail-biting fight sequences that keep film fans coming back for more.
As someone who barely exercises and considers lifting a glass of wine on the weekend as cardio, I was nervous, to say the least.
Shaking hands with the 6ft3in pack of muscles that is Taylor, I almost instantly thought I had made a big mistake by agreeing to the stunt class.
Sitting in a group with nine other nervous hopefuls, Taylor and award-winning stunt performer Marvin Campbell – known for Inception, Kingsman and Casino Royale- start battling it out in the middle of the studio.
Kicking it off with a quick jab to the throat, a blistering strike to the knee and a death stare into my soul, I knew I was in for a challenging morning.
In awe of watching the most realistic-looking fake fight of my life, I was eager to know what move I would be taught.
It turns out I was learning the whole thing.
In disbelief, I turned to the mirror and started padding up with as much protective gear as possible.
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As someone who barely exercises and considers lifting a glass of wine on the weekend as cardio, I was nervous, to say the least
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Shaking hands with the 6ft3in pack of muscles that is Taylor, I almost instantly thought I had made a big mistake by agreeing to the stunt class
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Sitting in a group with nine other nervous hopefuls, Taylor and award-winning stunt performer Marvin Campbell (second from left) – known for Inception, Kingsman and Casino Royale- start battling it out in the middle of the studio
Jason Statham star in the new trailer for ‘The Beekeeper’
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Kicking it off with a quick jab to the throat, a blistering strike to the knee and a death stare into my soul, I knew I was in for a challenging morning
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When I was told I was going to get a punch to the face, and my defence was grabbing his arm, swinging him around my body before throwing him to the floor and kicking his knee to the ground, I genuinely started to laugh
I even opted for three T-shirts – I was taking no chances.
Marvin split the room into three groups, each with a woman playing Jason and two men acting as the bad guys.
Just like Jason, I was given 30 minutes to practice one-on-one with Marvin and my team before I had to perform in front of a room full of actors, fitness enthusiasts, and stuntmen.
The pressure was on.
Up against a knife-wielding attacker and his accomplice, I start my big fight scene with a classic jab to the throat after some seemingly straightforward watch and repeat exercises.
Shaped like a thick ‘L’, I launched my palm at the innocent amateur actor who, after knowing me for five minutes, needed to sync and move to the exact length of my arm to avoid getting throttled in the throat.
Initially riddled with nerves, I quickly became comfortable with throwing punches at my fellow guests as I was squeezing a hypothetical knife out of one hand and backhanding him in the face in a matter of minutes.
So when Marvin told me that I was going to get a punch to the face, and my defence was grabbing his arm, swinging him around my body before throwing him to the floor and kicking his knee to the ground, I genuinely started to laugh.
I am not a petite person by any means, but swinging a fully grown man to the floor using just his body weight against him wasn’t something I was confident in doing after my five-minute tutorial.
It took seven rounds of grabbing this poor man, who also had no idea what he was signing himself up for, by the arm and throwing him around the studio.
And hats off to my fighting partner. He nailed his landing every time, and his explosive reactions got bigger and better with every run-through.
Feeling like the ultimate Bond girl but resembling something more of WWE’s Big Show, I was starting to think I was getting the hang of minimal-contact violence.
But in typical showbiz fashion, there is no good scene without a good album of bloopers.
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Tasked with kicking my opponent when he was down before going into a Karate Kid-style kick to the stomach of my other enemy, my minimal-contact sporting hour was quickly put to a stop. Channelling my inner Transporter in the heat of the moment, I accidentally kicked my fellow amateur in the hands as he tried to block my kick to the stomach
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What takes Marvin, Jason and their team 30 minutes to perfect, took me 45 minutes, endless practice rounds and I still couldn’t pull out an Oscar-worthy performance
Tasked with kicking my opponent when he was down before going into a Karate Kid-style kick to the stomach of my other enemy, my minimal-contact sporting hour was quickly put to a stop.
Channelling my inner Transporter in the heat of the moment, I accidentally kicked my fellow amateur in the hands as he tried to block my kick to the stomach.
They were the longest three seconds of my fighting career.
Wide-eyed and not bushy-tailed at 7am, I glared at my partner and quickly mouthed ‘sorry’ as I stopped the run-through.
Like a true champion, he played it off like he didn’t just get kicked in a move that is supposed to be non-contact.
I couldn’t tell if I was impressed more by Taylor’s enthusiasm to a bunch of uncoordinated members of the public or at the fact that this guy has just been kicked for real and pretended nothing happened.
Trying to look past the almost awkward ordeal, I was onto the final sequence of my acting debut.
With a quick duck, an upper hook to the chin, and a finishing backhand, I was apparently set with all the tools I needed to pull off the best fight performance of my life.
My time was upon me to perform my big break and after forgetting to duck in my final scene and almost kicking my poor partner, once again, I was hit the reality that I would not be making it as the next Kate Nauta.
As a child, I was convinced I could have been an actress, but I have been officially humbled.
What takes Marvin, Jason and their team 30 minutes to perfect, took me 45 minutes, endless practice rounds and I still couldn’t pull out an Oscar-worthy performance.
Jason, I will sadly not be your next partner in crime because I am confident Marvin would not let me an inch near a fistfight in a warehouse; never mind let me drive a car of a bridge.
Sky Cinema’s The Beekeeper was released in cinemas March 8.
It sees Adam Clay, played by Jason, as a beekeeper, and someone very important to him is scammed and driven to harm.
But what the power-hungry scammers don’t know is that Adam is an agent in a classified program called Beekeepers, and they underestimate how much of a threat he is.
Adam sets out on a quest for vengeance, where he hunts and kills those responsible for the incident.
Kike Hernandez (Image via Sportsnet)
Brandon Crawford (Image via eastbaytimes)
Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago)
Kike Hernandez while playing for the LA Dodgers (Image via Sports Illustrated)
Shohei Ohtani (Image via CNN)
Ronald Acuña Jr. ( Image via Imago )
Blake Snell (Image via Imago)
Blake Snell (Image via San Diego Union-Tribune)
Blake Snell (Image via Empire Sports Media)
Blake Snell (Image via Empire Sports Media)
Blake Snell (Image via San Diego Union-Tribune)
