Jason Statham (The Bank Job) Interview

Tell us a bit about your character...

I play a character called Terry Leather, a car dealer who I would say is down on his luck, looking to make a better life for himself in any way that he can and he’s presented with an opportunity to do so. These characters the we follow through the film are not criminals by any stretch of the imagination they are regular chaps, one’s a photographer, one does a bit of work in the porn industry, we’re just regular chaps so when we got this offer of trying to rob a bank it’s a bit of a difficult thing to get our heads around but in the end we go for it.

Tell us about the vault...

When we broke into the vault and the safety deposits that was quite an enjoyable moment, we were getting the champagne out and all the boxes, we really tried to get that excitement of what would have really happened in there.

What was the tunnel like?

I was able to snoop at the police evidence photographs and the actual tunnel and hole as they came out at the floor of the vault. When you get to see that for real it’s a kind of an eerie feeling, all the time I was thinking ‘wow these guys really did it!’

What was the Lloyds Bank set like?

This was the bank, the very bank itself situated on Marylebone and Baker Street and right next to it, the Chicken Inn which the guys tunnelled under, the shop ‘Le Sac’ the guys rented out is next to that. Trying to shoot the exterior shots is quite difficult in 2007, with a lot of traffic and people sticking their heads where they shouldn’t, so we have had to create the same setting and bank here in pinewood.

How did you find working with director Roger Donaldson?

He’s probably one of the most easy going people you will ever get to meet and the fact he has made a bucketful of brilliant films gives us the ease to come on set and take direction without even questioning him because he’s such a great filmmaker. He understands different characters, the story telling aspect and the look. He’s just one of the greatest directors I have ever had to work with so I feel very lucky on that side of things.


The Bank Job is released in UK cinemas on 29th February 2008.