Jason Statham thanks stuntmen, calls them 'unsung heroes'

After the shooting for 'Fast and Furious 9' came to a halt following an injury suffered by a stuntman, actor Jason Statham opened up about the incident and thanked the "unsung heroes".

"It's an unpredictable science," People quoted the actor as saying in an interview given to Extra.

He added, "You do every measure that you can eliminate these things from happening. It's just a real shame that accidents happen. It's awful for the families when someone gets really hurt."

Stuntman Joe Watts suffered a head injury on the set after reportedly falling about 30 feet.

Statham shared that he always has the most fun with the "stunt guys" on any film's set.

"On set, the stunt people are and have been for my whole career the best relationships I have and the most fun I have ever had on a set, always with the stunt guys," he said.

"I feel they are the unsung heroes in some ways," he added.

"They put themselves out there to make other people look good without anything back," said Statham.

Watts has choreographed stunts on films including 'Solo: A Star Wars Story', 'Ready Player One' and 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout'. He was also a stunt performer in two episodes of the last season of HBO fantasy show 'Game of Thrones'.

The ninth installment of 'Fast and Furious' stars Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron, Helen Miller, Michelle Rodriguez, wrestling champion John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Lucas Black, with Finn Cole, Anna Sawai, and Vinnie Bennett being the latest additions to the film's cast.

Justin Lin is returning to direct the latest flick written by Lin and Alfredo Botello. Diesel, who is reprising his role as Dominic Toretto, is producing the movie with Samantha Vincent and Lin.

The film is scheduled to release on May 22 next year.

Meanwhile, Statham is also awaiting the release of 'Fast and Furious' franchise spinoff- 'Hobbs and Shaw'.