Jason 'Sly' Statham

Feb 10, 2008, 7:35 GMT

British actor Jason Statham EPA/SEAN MASTERSON

Jason Statham wants to become the "English Sylvester Stallone".

'The Transporter' star hopes to emulate 80s stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone and become one of Hollywood's "highest paid" action heroes.

He said: "I was a huge fan of Schwarzenegger, Willis and Stallone. They were the highest paid stars of their time. But we've never had an English one. If I can be the first, it'll be incredible."

Statham believes upcoming movie 'Death Race', in which he plays a prisoner who is forced to take part in a deadly car race against fellow inmates, could catapult him to super stardom.

He said: It's important for me. My first big studio picture. It's out in September and I'm really hoping it's going to be huge."

If the 35-year-old actor does eventually succeed in commanding huge movie fees, he plans to blow most of his fortune on sports cars.

He said: "I've got an Audi RS6, a twin-turbo V8, four-door Sedan that goes like a bullet. If you live in south London, you can't even have one car, there's nowhere to park. But out in Los Angeles I've driven Lamborghinis, Porsches, Ferraris, and I've hammered them. First you've got to get a big house and them you can start collecting sports cars.

"That time is coming, trust me."

(C) BANG Media International