You've seen this Olympic diver turned tough-guy actor in "The One", "Snatch", "Mean Machine", and - most memorably - "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". Now he gets his first leading role in Luc Besson's "The Transporter".
How did this film come about for you?
I am a massive fan of Luc Besson and Corey Yuen. The fact that I got to work with them is a dream come true. I knew Corey Yuen from "The One". We didn't get to do the fight stuff that we were supposed to do on that film. This time it was great because we were able to do things people haven't seen before.
My manager, Steve Chasman, introduced me to Luc. He started to write a script just for me. It wasn't like he had a script and was searching for an actor to fill the role. It was a major honour for me.
What is it about Luc Besson's story that appeals to you?
I like the fact that Luc is a storyteller. We wanted to do an action movie without having action just for the sake of action. We wanted motivation for the character to get out of the situations he finds himself in.
Tell us about your character, Frank Martin...
I liked the way he was tired of the whole bureaucracy of the military. He gets persuaded into doing something good when he thought he couldn't do any good. I like the way the girl brings him back. I love that stuff. I liked the fact that he can drive the cars and do all the action as well.
How hard were the action sequences?
Well, I've been doing martial arts since I was young - from Wing Chun to karate to kickboxing. I did about four hours a day in the gym, dusting off the cobwebs.
