Ever since Jaws, summer isn’t summer without a scary shark flick. In The Meg (August 10), Jason Statham, 51, dives in to save the crew of a deep-sea research station from a giant prehistoric shark known as a megalodon. Here are five facts about the British-born action star.
- Young Statham played drums in a family band with his father and older brother.
- Despite mad motoring skills in the Fast and Furious franchise, real-life Statham initially failed his driving test—more than once.
- He was a competitive diver, representing England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand.
- Statham appeared in three films in which his character gets attacked with an ax: The Transporter (2002), Transporter 2 (2005) and War (2007).
- Before turning to acting, he modeled in campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, Levi’s and French Connection.
