“Transporter Refueled” star Ed Skrein doesn’t just sound, act and even look like Jason Statham in the latest installment of the popular action franchise he takes over on Friday. The actor told TheWrap while appearing on “Drinking with the Stars” that he does “90 percent” of his own stunts.
“The only stuff [I didn’t do] was some wire stuff where I’m flying across the room and smashing into walls… just the really dangerous stuff,” Skrein told host Greg Gilman. “So look at me, I’m the guy who does the fun stuff, the cool stuff, and then makes my stunt guy do the painful stuff. What a horrible guy I must be to work with.”
The fourth film in the franchise launched by action auteur Luc Besson over a decade ago follows Frank Martin (Skrein) assisting four mysterious women in a revenge plot, but he’s not the only man along for the ride. Ray Stevenson co-stars as Frank’s delightful dad, who Skrein said was welcome “testosterone” on set.
“I spent so much of the movie in the car with four beautiful women, but when Ray would come on, I’d be like, ‘Thank God,’” Skrein said before picking his favorite stunt: fighting off a swarm of bad guys with drawers in a tight hallway.
“I thought that was really cool. Luc Besson was the one that conceived that idea,” Skrein said. “We shot that as a reshoot after the initial shoot.”
Keep an eye out for the action sequence he’s referring to when watching “The Transporter Refueled” in theaters this weekend, and watch the interview above.
But that’s not all. Skrein will also be seen battling Ryan Reynolds‘ fists and wit in “Deadpool” next year, so watch the actor praise Reynolds’ one-liners in another “Drinking with the Stars” episode below.