Jason Statham
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He's the benchmark for bald and balding men. Whenever people talk about men shaving their heads or losing their hair, he's almost guaranteed a mention.
linebaugh
Well-known member
Hes not very handsome is he? And I think it has to be a white man aswell. The bald look just seems to work for darker skinned people, its much more common
The last Statham vehicle I saw was Hummingbird.
letterboxd.com
Hummingbird (2013)
Homeless and on the run from a military court martial, a damaged ex-special forces soldier navigating London's criminal underworld seizes an opportunity to assume another man's identity, transforming into an avenging angel in the process.
letterboxd.com
WashYourHands
Cat Malogen
King of fascinating accents, picture him 7ft tall as Judge Holden, nothing short of a god
IdleRich
IdleRich
I agree. For me the first time I saw him was in Lock, Stock etc in which although he was one of the lead group he was certainly supporting Nick Moran who was very much the main guy and, I guess, was the one that everyone thought would become a big star
For whatever reason though, I've hardly seen Moran in anything since. I'm not really sure why though, when you watch that film it's not massively obvious that the camera loved Statham more. Mean Streets (to pick one thing) was supposed to make Harvey Keitel huge but when people saw De Niro it was him who blew up, and I think most people can understand that - perhaps the Stath just got on better with people on set or something, could it be that do you think?
I really don't know what happened with Moran though, even the other guy (is he called Flemyng) has worked consistently since then albeit in fairly minor roles.
There was also Dexter Fletcher who (for the benefit of our US cousins) was already kinda known in the UK cos he was a child star in a kids' show about a newspaper called Press Gang (with Julia Sawalha who is most known now for Absolutely Fabulous).
Whereas prior to that film Statham was most known for his oiled up 'dancing' around in that Shaman video in his smalls. I love showing that to girls who say he's super sexy, it turns out to be a massive erection-killer apparently which I rather enjoy. I don't know what it says about me that I get such pleasure from seeing people so disappointed... who am I kidding, I know what it says, that I'm a bit of a cunt... oh well, so be it.
As well as prancing around in his underwear he was also known for, er, prancing around in his undies in swimming pools of course
But overall, I kinda think fair play to him. He's managed to trade being a handsome guy with big muscles into becoming a huge Hollywood megastar.
IdleRich
IdleRich
And I think you're right with this bit @version
There is a specific type of actor - I guess I'm thinking Swarzenegger as the archetype - who is such a freakish physical specimen that they are perfect for playing a certain kind of monosyllabic action hero. The Rock is the main example now I'd say, a huge lump of steroids who can read well enough to deliver the basic lines such a character requires and who will have a career as long as there is a market for watching increasingly over the top action films tied together with a minimum of dialogue.
In Arnie's case after a few years of beating people up and saying "I'll be back" he developed enough acting chops to make the transition from action films all the way to action-comedies.
But ultimately Arnie, The Rock, Van Damme etc are really not actors as such. They just play themselves every time and that's what they do. Also Jackie Chan and Jet Li, not quite the same, but basically they are dancers/fighters and whenever they are in a film it's cos of that.
In fairness, even if The Rock did put the work in and become a fantastic actor, his physical presence is such that noone is gonna cast him as a mild -mannered university professor or whatever so why should he bother?
But... Statham isn't so physically massive that he couldn't play a normal role but as far as I know he never does. I don't think I've ever heard him mentioned as a potential Bond for instance, why not? Obviously Bond is too cool to be bald but they could fix that.
There is a specific type of actor - I guess I'm thinking Swarzenegger as the archetype - who is such a freakish physical specimen that they are perfect for playing a certain kind of monosyllabic action hero. The Rock is the main example now I'd say, a huge lump of steroids who can read well enough to deliver the basic lines such a character requires and who will have a career as long as there is a market for watching increasingly over the top action films tied together with a minimum of dialogue.
In Arnie's case after a few years of beating people up and saying "I'll be back" he developed enough acting chops to make the transition from action films all the way to action-comedies.
But ultimately Arnie, The Rock, Van Damme etc are really not actors as such. They just play themselves every time and that's what they do. Also Jackie Chan and Jet Li, not quite the same, but basically they are dancers/fighters and whenever they are in a film it's cos of that.
In fairness, even if The Rock did put the work in and become a fantastic actor, his physical presence is such that noone is gonna cast him as a mild -mannered university professor or whatever so why should he bother?
But... Statham isn't so physically massive that he couldn't play a normal role but as far as I know he never does. I don't think I've ever heard him mentioned as a potential Bond for instance, why not? Obviously Bond is too cool to be bald but they could fix that.
IdleRich
IdleRich
Vinnie Jones is the exception of course.
There are a few American Footballers - OJ and the guy out of Brooklyn 99 off the top of my head.
And yeah, if you count wrestling as a sport you got John Cena, The Rock, Dave Bautista and probably many others... I guess wrestlers are kinda actors already so it makes sense, the plot of Wrestlemania 83 was actually more complex than that of The Rock's latest movie.
There are a few American Footballers - OJ and the guy out of Brooklyn 99 off the top of my head.
And yeah, if you count wrestling as a sport you got John Cena, The Rock, Dave Bautista and probably many others... I guess wrestlers are kinda actors already so it makes sense, the plot of Wrestlemania 83 was actually more complex than that of The Rock's latest movie.
Because he's working class and Bond's a character firmly embedded in the British upper class. That's why the Kingsman films exist. They're Bond films where the working class aren't shut out of being secret agents.
IdleRich
IdleRich
That's probably the exact reason... but at the same time it's pretty sad cos what you said implies that The Stath is completely incapable of playing a posh English guy. I mean, is he an actor who is literally incapable of changing his accent at all?
English London/Essex accent (where is he from in fact?) to English posh accent isn't exactly a huge step is it?