A stunt during the filming of the action thriller Expendables 3 almost cost Jason Statham his life. However, he only received joking words from co-star Sylvester Stallone.
The Expendables franchise is one of the biggest action series of recent years and, with Jason Statham (Transporter), Sylvester Stallone (Rocky), Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator) and co, brings together the A-list of actors that the genre currently has to offer. However, the franchise was almost shaken by a real tragedy, as Jason Statham almost had a fatal accident while filming The Expendables 3.
Back in 2013, co-star Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) spoke to Jay Leno about the unbelievable event on the Expendables 3 set, in which Jason Statham unintentionally crashed a stunt truck into the Black Sea. On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Transporter star finally spoke up himself and talked about his near-death experience – for which Sylvester Stallone only had a joking remark to make.
Jason Statham saved himself from the depths of the Black Sea at the last second
During the filming of The Expendables 3 in Bulgaria, Jason Statham was supposed to drive a truck along the shore of the Black Sea. Shortly before the first take, the actor took a test drive and drove up to the concrete barrier facing the water. When he tried to apply the brakes, however, they failed to engage and the truck simply drove on. Statham not only rammed two cameramen, but also ended up with his truck in the middle of the Black Sea – where he began to sink deeper and deeper
Luckily, the actor’s reflexes kicked in quickly. Despite rising water pressure and a costume weighing several kilos, he managed to free himself through the window of the driver’s cab and finally swim through the murky seawater to the surface. When he arrived back on set, the cast and crew were shocked and relieved in equal measure – but he received a slightly different welcome from Sylvester Stallone:
At this moment, Jimmy, you realize who your real friends are. So I look around […] and where’s Sly? He was still standing on the side of the dock with his iPhone and said ‘Hey Jason, need a towel?’
