Death Race - SciFi Weekly: Interview with Jason Statham, Joan Allen and Ian McShane

From SciFi.com's SciFi Weekly:

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INTERVIEWS

August 18, 2008

Jason Statham, Joan Allen and Ian McShane are driven to action in Paul W.S. Anderson's gritty remake Death Race

By Cindy White


In 1975, B-movie master Roger Corman released Death Race 2000, a satiric look at a future world where the highest form of entertainment is a deadly cross-country race. The goal of the race is not just to be the fastest, but to earn the most points by running down pedestrians. The film's point system has lingered in the public consciousness, making it somewhat of a cult classic.

Since first getting Corman's blessings in 1996 to create his own version of Death Race 2000, director Paul W.S. Anderson has been working on updating the film to make it more modern and relevant. The final result is not a straight remake, but a reimagining. Instead of the cross-country race, this Death Race is set inside the walls of a prison, and the prize is not just fame and glory but freedom.

Headlining the race this time is Jason Statham, in the role of Jensen Ames, a former race-car driver who finds himself in the prison when he's falsely accused of murdering his wife. At the urging of the prison's steely warden, played by Joan Allen, Jensen agrees to don the mask of the race's most famous driver, Frankenstein (a holdover from the Corman verson). If he can win just one more race, he'll earn a full pardon and release from prison. Helping him along is the leader of his pit crew, an old-timer named Coach (Ian McShane).

SCI FI Weekly sat down with Statham, McShane, Allen and Anderson at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, where they talked about their experiences making Death Race. The film opens Aug 22.

Jason Statham, what drew you to this film?

Statham: I like a lot of the car stuff. Basically, it's a car movie. That's what it is. It's not The Godfather. I mean, some of the deaths are just like gory and hilarious. I like the fact that death can be gruesome and funny. I think it's important not to take it too seriously. This is entertainment. Everyone who sees it seems to get their money's worth.

Ian McShane, the audience at the screening really seemed to get into the film.

McShane: Well, that's what it's meant to do. I mean, the film is a boy's wet dream. Whatever. With girl navigators and stuff. Somebody was trying to say there's a moral reason behind it. I was like, "Give me a break." You just sit there and—if it's your kind of movie—you sit there and have a good time. And that's it. It's that kind of a movie.

Joan Allen, how did you feel about the profanity?

Allen: I practiced. It was the line that my agent and my lawyer kept teasing me about. Every time we'd be on the phone it'd be like, "Have you said that line yet? We're going to make a reel and it's going to be the first thing on your reel, that line."