Jason Statham admits open-sea rescue sequence in Shelter 'pushed him physically'

Jason Statham has admitted that the open-sea rescue sequence in his new movie Shelter "pushed (him) really physically".

In the new action thriller, the Fast and Furious star plays a reclusive former assassin whose past comes back to haunt him when he rescues a young girl from the sea off the coast of a remote Scottish island.

During an interview with BBC News, Statham admitted that filming the sequence - which is set during a storm - was one of the most challenging moments of the shoot.

"That pushed me really physically," he said. "It's hard to make underwater work look good and anyone will know that swimming with a jacket and size 10 boots on isn't easy."

Statham has built a career on his action skills and willingness to do as many stunts as possible. Despite being 58-years-old, the British actor has no plans to scale back his stunt work and is still determined to push himself "a little bit further than the last time".

"I like to get in front of the camera and do as much as I can. I've spent many years learning different disciplines and given I have the technical skills to take on these complex action sequences, I like to get stuck in," he explained, adding that he has an "in for a penny, in for a pound" mindset.

However, The Transporter star admitted that there have been times when he should have allowed a stunt double to do the work.

"There have been a lot of stunts where I went too far," he conceded. "When you get hurt, a lot of the time you think, 'Why did I do that? Why didn't I get a stunt man to do that?' I've hurt my neck a few times, I've hurt a lot of things a few times and that reminds you of your mistakes."

Shelter will be released in cinemas on 30 January.