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Jason Statham has been everywhere lately. Revolver finally made it to the States last December, while In the Name of the King came out last month to a typical Uwe Boll reception. His film Chaos went straight to DVD this month. Now he's got a new film hitting theaters, not to mention a return to the previously established Crank and Transporter franchises. His new film, The Bank Job, casts Statham in the true story of one of England's biggest bank heists. It ultimately involved the royal family, so was quickly swept under the rug. Nearly 30 years later, this film tells the story.

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CraveOnline: Do you remember these stories growing up in England?

Jason Statham: Literally there was three days of exposure and then it was all like hush hush. There was a whole blanket put upon the press. So unless you were around reading the papers on those particular three days, you wouldn’t have heard much about it, you know. And it’s quite interesting. I’d never heard of a D notice until Roger told me about what the implications of one of these were. Not many people that I knew remember, and I certainly don’t remember, ‘cause I was yay big.

CraveOnline: What’s the secret to achieving permanent 5 o’clock shadow?

Jason Statham: Yeah, you see, I’ve got such sensitive skin that I can’t have a proper shave because I get a rash. No, you have to have one of those beard trimmers, if you really want to look like that, which I’m sure you don’t.

CraveOnline: But you maintain a similar look across certain movies, is that your choice or the director’s choice?

Jason Statham: I was trying to compensate for the lack on top, just grow a bit more hair it sort of balances everything out.

CraveOnline: Since you’ve become so well known for action movies with a lot of your martial arts, how important is it for you to find non-fighting movies?

Jason Statham: It’s hard, because every time I do find a non-fighting movie, they always write a fighting scene in. So I find them and it’s like, "Oh my God, I don’t even clench my fist in this." Next thing you know, two weeks into the movie, "Yeah, we’ve got this scene, and just hit him." So there’s always something that comes. I think this movie always had a moment of violence towards the end because there’s so much at stake. And I think people want to see this guy get kicked on the floor and bashed. Our best mate gets killed, and he’s responsible for that, and I think it’s a good payoff. Although I wanted to do a movie without throwing a fist or a kick or anything, I think it sort of warrants a happening at this particular time; although I’m still looking for that complete romantic comedy where I don’t hit anybody. One day.

CraveOnline: Since this is based on a true story, how much did you want to get it right?

Jason Statham: Well, originally Dick and Ian, Dick Clements and Ian La Frenais, they do tremendous work on British TV and in movies, and a lot of their stuff I know so well as being great comedy writing, so the script when I read it was quite a funny script, and it was very, very comical. Once Roger started doing all his research, and all these facts, the scandal side, it just took a complete turn and became this more like thriller. I think it was something I was quite pleased about, because I’ve made a few comedies, and even the Guy Ritchie stuff in my opinion, very sort of black comedies, and I’ve never really done anything in the tone of The Bank Job, something quite scandalous and a great, true story. As the weeks progressed, and we started finding out all these facts, new pages came, new scenes started to come, and it was great. It took a turn in the direction that I wanted it to.

CraveOnline: How much input did you have into the script because you were there right at the beginning?

Jason Statham: Well I’m not particularly a great writer of stories or scenes. I was just there to express some sort of comments, if you like. Is it improving, are some of the relationships within the story good for me? So I had my fair share of input but it’s not like I was at home with a pen trying to contribute in any way but I think that’s the collaboration with all actors. I mean, at the end of the day they have to try and bring to life what’s on that page. So, if it resonates as you’re reading it and you can feel, I think the way you have to be able to make it is the way that I can articulate this and be truthful to it. A lot of the dialogue that we tried to stay away from with the rhyme and slang and all the East end stuff. We didn’t want to make it too English. It can start falling back along the lines of the Guy Ritchie stuff if you start giving it too much of a peppering of that kind of dialogue. A lot of the time some writers they’re writing very quickly and they think that that’s the way that these people talk. A lot of the time they don’t so you just go in there with a sieve and sort of sweep up and try to make the dialogue a bit more authentic and I think that’s a great contribution that I gave Roger. You know Roger comes from Australia. The way that we speak back in England has a certain rhythm to it so sometimes you can make the dialogue a little bit more truthful.