Actor Jason Statham was full of praise for stunt doubles, hailing them as "unsung heroes" of the film industry.
The action star spoke about this to the Press Association at the UK premiere of his new film, Shelter, praising the importance of the specialists performers who put themselves on the line. The film sees Statham star as a former assassin living on a remote island, who rescues a young girl from a dangerous storm.
Statham attended the premiere with his wife, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The pair have been married since 2010, and share two children together, Jack and Isabella.
Speaking to the Press Association, Statham admitted that working as a stunt performer was a career ambition originally.
"My desire when I was a kid was to be a stuntman", the actor said. "My affection for the stunt world is never-ending and I think for anyone who wants to get into that, you'll get treated well, hang out with the best people and make these movies very special".
He continued: "It’s a great thing. The most love and affection I have is for the stunt teams and the action they provide".
"A lot of the time they’re the unsung heroes".
Previously, Statham had previously spoken about wanting to perform as many of his own stunts on set as possible, even calling for stunt performers to have their own category at the Oscars.
Jason Statham is renowned for starring in such movies like Snatch, The Transporter and The Fast And Furious franchise.
Speaking about Shelter, Statham said that he "really likes" the movie's plot, describing it as "a story that hasn't been told before".
"For me, it’s about two lost souls coming together and finding purpose", he said. "He’s a man who was on the brink of almost suicide, he gets to find a way to put this girl’s welfare in front of his own. It’s a really good story".
Statham also praised his co star, young Irish actress Bodhi Rae Breathnach, saying: "She knows what she’s doing".
"She’s very talented, I think we’re going to see a lot of her", he added.
Shelter will hit the cinema screens on January 30.
Speaking of stunts, another action star Tom Cruise said that he almost broke his back while filming Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, which included a scene with a nail biting sequence where Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt desperately holds to the side of his enemy’s plane. More on this here.
