Given his impressive physique and years of professional wrestling experience, it is reasonable to assume that Dwayne Johnson would be the most formidable man on the movie set. If Arnold Schwarzenegger weren’t there, Johnson would most likely fall to the “second most intimidating” spot. But no one would have thought Jason Statham was more terrifying than The Rock.
Jesse James and Dwayne Johnson
Idris Elba Discovered Even More Unsettling Than The Rock Is Jason Statham
In David Leitch’s action-packed buddy cop classic Hobbs & Shaw, the legendary team of a mercenary and an agent forge an unexpected alliance to combat a shared menace. The movie, a spin-off of the Fast & Furious franchise, stars Jason Statham as a British lawman turned outcast and Dwayne Johnson as the American agent. The rest of the ensemble cast consists of actors including Ryan Reynolds, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, and Roman Reigns. Even though she worked with two professional wrestlers (the other is already retired), Idris Elba, 50, thought Jason Statham was the most terrifying man on set. Stephen Colbert questioned Elba which actor from The Rock or The Transporter was “more daunting,” and she replied that the latter definitely had the upper hand.
Jason Statham, Idris Elba, and Dwayne Johnson in Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
It’s Jason. The Luther star noted, “He’s just like, wiry.” “The Rock’s kind of like, ‘Give me a hug boy. You don’t want to fight.’” Even Colbert seemed to agree, remarking how, though Johnson might look like he could crush you with little or no effort (which he definitely can), his personality is that of a “big lovable teddy.” bear.”
A Legendary Pair: Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson
If stereotypes have taught us anything, it’s that the short and grumpy one is always more daunting than the tall, muscular guy who’s actually goofy and incredibly amicable. And the Hobbs & Shaw actors fit this cliché perfectly.
Sure, the Black Adam star has almost a decade of professional wrestling over Statham, but it shouldn’t be a complete surprise to learn that Johnson resembles a giant teddy bear outside the ring. The guy truly allows his kids to apply cosmetics and dab his face in pink paint. Needless to say, he’d easily be one of the least intimidating of the lot, isolating the fact that his body is nothing short of a muscled shrine and he could overpower someone in a matter of seconds.
On the Hobbs & Shaw set, Dwayne Johnson
Then there’s Statham, the tough guy who’s either always furious or completely indifferent with nowhere in between, and has something akin to a permanent sneer etched onto his face. The gritty counterpart of Johnson’s goofy, if you will. Not to mention The Expendables star geeks out on martial arts and karate along with kickboxing. So that explains the lethal streak in his personality.
In fact, the characters they portray in the 2019 action flick resemble them to a great extent, with Johnson’s Luke Hobbs the charming but brash guy with a sense of humor, as opposed to Statham’s Deckard Shaw who’s calm, reticent, but terrifying. No wonder Idris Elba felt more unnerved by the latter.