Scott Adkins: Ben Affleck joke wasn't in 'Accident Man' script

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday, in theaters and video-on-demand Friday, marks the second time a character in a movie told Scott Adkins he looks like Ben Affleck. Adkins told UPI he did not put Affleck jokes in the script, which he co-wrote with Stu Small.

"It was an improv line by George [Fouracres], who plays Dante," Adkins, 46, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview. "I wasn't necessarily writing the script thinking, 'Oh, I'd love to put another Ben Affleck joke in here because that's working out great for me.'"

The first joke was in The Brothers Grimsby. Sacha Baron Cohen called Adkins' villain the Ukranian Ben Affleck, among other improvs in multiple takes.

"He said a few things to me, and I remember thinking when he said the Ben Affleck line, 'Ah, they'll never go with that one,'" Adkins said. "But they did, and it kind of stuck."

Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday sees Mike Fallon (Adkins) flee to Malta after tearing through London's assassin community in the first movie. Local mobster Zuuzer (Flaminia Cinque) forces Fallon to protect her son, Dante, who compares Fallon to Affleck.

"I know I look like Ben, but he said that, and it was so funny we just thought we've got to keep that in the movie," Adkins said. "Then they put it in the trailer so it's become this big thing."

Adkins said he has yet to meet Affleck in person, but joked that he sees Affleck constantly.

"Every day I look in the mirror and I'm like, 'All right, Ben,'" Adkins said.

Accident Man is based on a comic book Adkins read when he was 14. He was able to get the rights to make the 2018 movie, and created an original story for the sequel.

Adkins improvised some of his own moments that made it into the Accident Man films. Fallon's gimmick of taking selfies with his targets came from an improv with a hanged victim in the first movie.

"I just pulled my phone out and took a selfie with it, so now we're sticking with that," Adkins said. "You've got to show the evidence to the client that the guy's dead and that it was you that did it."

One area in which less room for improv exists is the film's fight scenes. Actors and choreographers can try different moves in rehearsal, but when it's time to film, Adkins sought professional martial artists he could count on to perform safely.

"There's nothing worse than doing a fight with someone who doesn't know how to do it because you end up doing more takes," Adkins said. "It takes longer and it's more painful and there's more mistakes."

The cast of Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday includes Beau Fowler and Andy Long, who appeared in previous movies with Adkins. Newcomers include Sarah Chang, Faisal Mohammed, Peter Lee Thomas and Zara Pythian.

Fowler plays Poco the Killer Clown. Beating up a clown gave Adkins a visceral thrill.

"Everybody hates a horrible scary, stupid clown blowing up his balloons and being a menace," Adkins said. "He needs to get the [expletive] kicked out of him. I was happy to do it."

However, Adkins added that Fowler added depth to the outrageous character. Poco cannot feel pain, so he's unfazed by his fight with Fallon.

"All he wants in life is to feel something." Adkins said. "He just wants to feel some pain because it might make him feel alive again."

Adkins has also landed a role in Keanu Reeves' sequel, John Wick: Chapter 4. While fans of both actors would love to see them face off, Adkins remained coy about his role.

"Who says that I'm fighting?" Adkins teased.

Adkins had profiled Reeves in his podcast series The Greatest Action Stars Ever, and said he stands by his pick, citing films like Point Break, Speed and all the Matrix and John Wick films.

"What strikes me with Keanu is he puts tireless effort into those action sequences," Adkins said. "He works himself to death and he needs to be respected [for] what he's given up to the gods of action."

Having thought about Accident Man since he was a teenager, Adkins said he has ideas for another film in his series.

"We'll see if we get a green light," Adkins said. "I'd love to do another one."