How Jason Statham Behaved On The Set Of Operation Fortune According To Aubrey Plaza
The newest Guy Ritchie film, "Operation Fortune," sees the action director reuniting with veterans of his past films, such as Jason Statham, and new cast members, including actress Aubrey Plaza, best known for her work in comedies.
In an interview with Collider, Plaza was asked about working with Statham and Hugh Grant and whether she tried to make them laugh while they were in the middle of shooting.
Plaza responded that while Grant was focused on his character throughout the film's shoot, she bonded with Statham, finding his sense of humor compatible with hers. She was particularly impressed by the fact that Statham would joke around minutes before he was set to be on camera and switch to his onscreen persona when needed.
She added that she and Statham got along well, to the point that Ritchie himself noticed their antics. She noted a particular moment where she slapped Statham's ass after saying a line, something that wasn't in the original script. Rather than get mad; however, Ritchie liked the idea and asked Plaza to keep that action as part of her character.
Plaza concluded by saying that interacting with Statham made the whole shoot fun.
Plaza also had a lot of fun working with Guy Ritchie
Plaza also spoke about what it was like working with Guy Ritchie, revealing that it wasn't just her time with Jason Statham that made the shoot fun.
She noted that, while Ritchie had a script, he never stuck rigidly to it. Since he often held morning meetings that resulted in changes, his decision to incorporate the ass-slapping was not out of the ordinary. This meshed well with Plaza herself, as it fit with her background in improvisational comedy, which is also built on the idea of going with the flow rather than rigidly adhering to a scene as written.
The interviewer asked the "Parks and Recreation" star about a scene in the film where her character gets into a shootout from a speeding car. Plaza responded that it was the scene she was most excited to film, a fact made worse by the fact that it was finally shot on her last day on set. She pointed out that it was a rare opportunity for her character to get involved in the action for an action film, and she relished it.
Plaza finished by showing that this was another example of Ritchie making decisions in the moment, as the initial script had her character just sticking her arm out and shooting. But she wanted to have more of herself hanging out of the car, and after some initial hesitation, the crew allowed for it, which can be seen in the end result.