Scott Adkins Quotes

In the film industry, we tend to pick up where others have left off, and Id like to think the influences I picked up from Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme are visible in my work.

I just remember Bruce Lee blowing my mind on the screen, and I thought to myself, ‘That’s what I want to do for a living when I’m older.’ Bruce Lee was so magnetic and charismatic and held the screen so well.

I just remember Bruce Lee blowing my mind on the screen, and I thought to myself, Thats what I want to do for a living when Im older. Bruce Lee was so magnetic and charismatic and held the screen so well.

I’ve been typecast. People don’t want to take a risk or a chance. Quite a few times they’ve come up to me and say “We want you to do that Russian accent.” And I’ll be like, “How about if I do an Irish accent or a South African accent,” and they don’t trust that you can properly pull them off.

My weapon of choice is the nunchuck. I do like the bo as well, which I use, the staff. I’m not so good with the sword, but I picked a lot of stuff up on ‘Ninja 1’ with the sword.

I’m good when I’ve got a bit of an edge, like the Clint Eastwood type of archetypal character. The tough guy that doesn’t say a lot.

I turned to my mom and said, Im going to be a martial arts movie star. She didnt believe me, and neither did my dad. They both thought I would grow out of it. That it was a phase. I decided then I was going to do it or die trying.

I’ll be honest – I never saw myself making a ninja movie, never entertained the idea. I think ninja films can be quite cheesy unless you do them in feudal Japan.

Back when I used to struggle with how I could define myself in the film business, I knew that I’d always remain true to myself and what I wanted to accomplish. The style of action I showcase is quite different from other stars we usually see, but I’m remaining true to myself, and hopefully this comes across.

I turned to my mom and said, ‘I’m going to be a martial arts movie star.’ She didn’t believe me, and neither did my dad. They both thought I would grow out of it. That it was a phase. I decided then I was going to do it or die trying.

I make films for the 16-year-old in myself sometimes.

I’m like the king of the low-budget sequel. People ask, ‘What film are you gonna do next?’ ‘I don’t know, but it’s probably got a 3 or 4 in the title.’

I think every red-blooded male enjoys brandishing a firearm.

I was a regular on ‘Holby City,’ and I did daytime; that’s how I started off. Off in Hong Kong doing stuntman stuff, then coming back to England doing daytime soap operas.

Im always trying to improve my skills as an actor. I think it shows in El Gringo; it shows in the new Universal Soldier. You cant rest on your laurels; youve got to keep improving.

My bedroom was plastered with pictures of Van Damme. My mother was worried about me. Most teenage boys have half-naked women on their walls, and I had Jean-Claude.

I can pretty much say that because of Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme, that’s why I do what I do today.

I do find violence entertaining, but that doesn’t make me a bad person. I grew up watching all these action films when I was a kid. My dad would bring back ‘Rambo’ and whatever, and we’d watch it together. It’s not affected me in any way other than I just appreciate the entertainment value of violence on film.

You’ve got to be a certain type of person to be a professional fighter. I prefer to do it for pretend.

I’ll be honest, I never saw myself making a ninja movie, never entertained the idea. I think ninja films can be quite cheesy unless you do them in feudal Japan.

I did martial arts since I was 10 years old, and I’ve got as much love for the movies as I have for martial arts, so when I was 18 years old, I started studying performing arts with the eye of getting into the film industry and went to drama school after that.

I prefer to play the villain or the antihero.