Owen added Statham-biting bit in 'Elite' for realism
Clive Owen added in the part in 'Killer Elite' where he bites Jason Statham's arm.
The 45-year-old actor plays the leader of a vigilante group fighting to protect the families of SAS agents in the thriller based on the Ranulph Fiennes novel 'The Feather Man', and although he is not known for his action roles, Clive was adamant the fight scenes had to be realistic.
He said: "I approach it like how I approach dialogue scenes – it has to be believable. If there is some part during a fight where someone could do something if you were in the same situation, like, there is a bit in the first fight where I bite Jason’s arm.
"That comes from me being in the headlock and in that situation. We were going to do something else and I was like, 'Guys, I am not trying to be funny, but if I was here I would do this.' I developed it out of that. I approach the fight scenes like that."
Clive loved working on the fight scenes for the new movie – directed by Gary McKendry and also starring Al Pacino – and revealed he finds them quite easy.
He explained to Collider.com: "I’m pretty good technically at that kind of stuff. It is always about breaking those big fight scenes down, and we have two big fight scenes in this.
"I am pretty decent technically. I know how to make it look really bad, fully commit, but still be safe. It is really just about putting the work in practically, rehearsing, choreographing, and making sure that it is timed. I don’t have to know anything new or take any new training. It is a bit like a refresher. "
