Despite being pursued by Marvel Studios, actor Jason Statham has a particular dislike for their movies. In an interview, Statham said that even his grandma could perform in them, and that they posed no challenge.
In 2015, the actor told Italian website I 400 Calci that Marvel movies’ reliance on special effects and green screen means that actors don’t really have to perform stunts. He said, “I could take my grandma and put her in a cape, and they’ll put her on a green screen, and they’ll have stunt doubles come in and do all the action. Anybody could do it.”
He said that these types of films don’t fell ‘authentic’ to him, and that he is “inspired by old, real-star [actors] — guys that can really do their thing.”
Actor Paul Bettany, who voiced Jarvis in the Marvel films before playing Vision, had a befitting reply to Statham’s comments. In an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s show, Bettany said, “I would never talk sh*t about somebody else’s work, but I’m just saying, you know, I read the contract, they employed me as an actor. There’s obviously stuntmen in the world — you’ve met them, you’ve seen them. They are very good at what they do, so let them do it. But if there’s a really, really tricky scene with some very tricky dialogue, one might consider bringing in an acting double for Jason Statham.”
Statham, who was rumoured to be in the running to play Bullseye in Netflix’s Daredevil series, has often voiced his disapproval of superhero movies. “It’s all about money, kids pay money to go and see them,” Statham told DigitalSpy in 2013. “The fascination is superheroes, it’s what people want to go and see but you wouldn’t get me rushing to the cinema to see those. I like the old-fashioned type of film. They’ve never offered me a part in one of those and I don’t think the shoes would fit. Or the cape wouldn’t fit!”
But Marvel president Kevin Feige confirmed that they did, indeed, want Statham to join the MCU. “I was in another meeting a few days later, and my cellphone rang. I didn’t recognise the number, but I answered it. And it was Jason Statham. He was saying, ‘Sorry it didn’t work out, maybe next time’. He couldn’t have been nicer!” Feige told Den of Geek.
