Cockney hardman can't take the heat

Jason Statham, the former London barrow boy who was discovered by filmmaker Guy Ritchie, is hoping the heatwave in Southern California abates before he begins filming there in two weeks’ time.

Statham, who will be co-starring with Kim Basinger in the thriller Cellular, tells syndicated columnist Marilyn Beck: “We have a fair amount of location work in the San Fernando Valley and right now it’s like the Gobi Desert.”

The burly actor, who will soon be seen in The Italian Job, says his Cellular role is “more psychological and less physical” than his previous screen roles.