Fans love Jason Statham’s tough-guy act on screen, but they wonder whether he’s hard-as-nails in real life.

So he might be getting up there in years, but Jason Statham is still a big hit on the big screen. He’s starred in a long list of action movies, kicked butt with martial arts moves, and won hearts for plenty of charismatic roles.

Jason Statham vs Scott Adkins

In short, he’s the complete action-movie package. But what fans want to know is whether that tough-guy persona is just a persona, or if Jason Statham is actually a sweetheart in real life. He is an actor, after all, so what if that on-screen act is literally just an act?

As fans have learned, there’s a lot more to Jason than meets the eye. He’s been with his long-term girlfriend, Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, since 2010 (prior to that, he dated TV sweetheart Kristin Cavallari). Jason and Rosie share a son named Jack, and the little family is completely adorable.

But does that mean that Jason has shed his tough-guy image for domestic bliss? Is he tough in real life, or a complete softie?

In front of the camera, Jason’s always “on” and acting super tough. The actor has a long resume that features movies like ‘The Transporter’ (actually the entire franchise), ‘Crank’ (also a sequel), and ‘The Fast & The Furious’ (not all of them, but a few).

Jason has even come close to death while acting, and not as part of his character trajectory. Plus, he pals around with industry greats (and previous pro wrestlers) like The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.

The truth is though, Jason is nicer than he seems. In real life, he’s charismatic and friendly. He even jokes about his past, which ScreenRant confirms was actually pretty rough. His very first movie role, in fact, came about because Guy Ritchie stumbled across him selling stolen merchandise.

Who needs an actor when there’s a legit hustler who can ‘do his job’ on camera?

But Jason became an actor, even if he wasn’t really acting at first. It would seem that the answer is yes, Jason Statham is pretty tough. ScreenRant also noted that Jason does a lot of his own stunts, plus plays soccer in his downtime.

He’s also been arrested (albeit for driving a golf cart over the speed limit). And as Straits Times highlights, despite Jason’s insistence that he’s not “tough,” reporters are intimidated by him and his accent gives the impression that’s rough-and-tumble.

And it’s true that Jason’s even training up his son for martial arts, which, admittedly, he has practiced himself. But the actor isn’t going around beating up bad guys on the street or stealing golf carts (it was only an off-road joyride). By all accounts, he’s actually a pretty nice dude.