Expendables 4 actor Jason Statham gets candid about co-star Sylvester Stallone’s considerably smaller role, claiming it “doesn’t feel right.”

•  Jason Statham expresses his disappointment with Sylvester Stallone’s reduced role in The Expendables 4, stating that the best days on set are when Stallone is present.
•  While Stallone’s character still has an impact in the movie, his absence in a physical sense lessens the overall effect, as he has been a central figure in the franchise since the beginning.
•  Stallone’s diminished role was likely due to his temporary departure from production after creative differences, and the future of the franchise may be in jeopardy due to the movie’s low Rotten Tomatoes score.

Jason Statham wasn’t happy about how small Sylvester Stallone’s role was in The Expendables 4. The Expendables franchise launched in 2010 with Stallone as a director, screenwriter, and lead actor. Each installment follows a team of mercenaries agreeing to take part in world-spanning missions with consequences on a global scale. Stallone has played a major part in every entry, but the latest sequel has seen him step back to offer Statham a more active role.

In an interview with Cinema Express, Statham gets candid about missing the days when Stallone was more involved in the franchise. While he does not explain the reason for Stallone’s absence, he still emphasizes that the actor is a central part of The Expendables 4 cast. To Statham, the best days on set had Stallone there. Check out his quote below:

In this particular story, he is absent for reasons we don’t talk about, we have to guide ourselves through the ocean without him. There is something about not having him around that doesn’t feel right. So, we are getting through, the story is the story, we are trying to do our best, but the best days are when he is on set.

Sylvester Stallone Deserves A Bigger Role In Expendables 4

While Stallone’s Barney Ross plays a significant role in The Expendables 4‘s ending, he fails to be the leading man in the way that he was in previous movies. After faking his own death, the responsibility of leading the movie is left to Statham’s Lee Christmas. Barney’s influence echoes throughout the entire movie, but his lack of a physical presence does not quite have the same effect compared to earlier entries.

An Expendables movie without Stallone playing a major part is jarring. He was the director, writer, and leading man of the first iteration and has been driving the franchise ever since. Stallone is synonymous with this franchise, but the diminished role was inevitable. The legendary action star quit taking part in production after experiencing creative differences. He later returned, but it could explain his limited screen time if he spent much of the development cycle away from production.