Jason Statham is an exciting action star known for his work in The Expendables and Fast & Furious franchises, and most recently, A Working Man and Shelter. While he’s recognized as an action star with at least five more movies coming up per his IMDb, he has also shown his ability to branch out into comedy, as seen in Spy, or undertake voice work in a family film like Gnomeo & Juliet. However, one major thing is missing from his filmography: television. In the ‘90s, Statham was a dancer in several music videos and lent his voice to the video games Call of Duty and Red Faction II, but he has never done television like Tom Cruise.
How Uncommon Is It for an Actor to Avoid Television?
It’s extremely rare for someone with such an extensive filmography to never do TV. Actors like Will Smith, Tom Hanks, and Leonardo DiCaprio had to do television early in their careers before breaking into movies. Other actors, like Brad Pitt, choose to keep doing occasional guest appearances even after achieving success. One of the only other actors with a record like Statham’s is Cruise.
Statham’s filmography, consisting entirely of movies, is especially surprising now when more and more movie stars are doing television. Actors like Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, who once almost exclusively did movies, are now arguably more known for their TV work. In those cases, there’s an element of sexism as actresses over 40 struggle to get movie roles. However, male actors with careers comparable to Statham are also turning to TV. Gerard Butler and Jake Gyllenhaal are leading men who avoided TV for the past twenty years, except for some appearances on sketch comedy shows. But both did TV work this year, with Jake Gyllenhaal starring in Apple TV’s Presumed Innocent and Gerard Butler doing voice work on the Paramount+ show Ark: the Animated Series.
When Did Movie Actors Start Moving to TV?
Oh, how the tables have turned!
Two major action movie icons – and Statham co-stars in The Expendables franchise – have recently pivoted to starring in streaming TV shows. Sylvester Stallone stars in Tulsa King on Paramount+, and Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in Netflix’s <em>FUBAR</em>. These examples are especially indicative of how much things have changed because they aren’t one-off miniseries. Tulsa King is gearing up for Season 4, and FUBAR has been renewed for a second season. Clearly, even major action stars are now willing to commit to television.
Should Jason Statham Consider Television?
A case can be made that if an actor can stick to movies, it’s a noble thing to do for the health of the industry. Studios are more afraid than ever to make non-franchise films, but a star like Statham can help an original film succeed, as he recently did in The Beekeeper, which earned $75 million globally in just ten days. Movie stars sticking to movies also helps the TV industry. Since movie stars began taking TV roles, it’s become harder to sell a show without a huge name attached. It’s grown so normal for streaming shows to feature big names that even when Facebook got into the streaming game, they were able to develop shows starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Elisabeth Olsen. This practice is detrimental for both writers trying to sell shows and actors who aren’t yet at a movie star level of fame. As an illustration of the damage this causes, imagine if The Sopranos wouldn’t have been made with James Gandolfini in the lead simply because he wasn’t an A-list movie star.
However, while it’s a respectable choice for an actor like Jason Statham to stick to movies, it could still be enjoyable to see him bring his easy charm to television in some capacity. It can be delightful when a movie star picks the right TV guest appearance. Think of George Clooney‘s voice work as a gay dog on South Park , or Brad Pitt’s hilarious turn as Boomhauer’s brother on King of the Hill. Small television roles wouldn’t even prevent Statham from continuing to use his star power to get original films made.
What Television Shows Should Jason Statham Appear In?
<p Movie stars often choose to guest star on television to collaborate with someone they’ve worked with on a movie. It could be entertaining to see Statham appear in one of his co-star's shows from theThe Expendables. It’s easy to envision him as a British spy on FUBAR , or a competing drug lord on Tulsa King.. However, it might make the most sense for him to appear on one of Guy Ritchie’s TV shows. Ritchie and Statham have frequently collaborated on films likeSnatch, Wrath of Man, andLock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.. Ritchie has recently started working much more in TV withThe Gentlemen., along with his upcoming TV showsYoung Sherlock., andThe Donovans.. It wouldn’t be surprising if this long-time creative partnership finally encourages Statham to venture into television.
Certainly some of the biggest movie stars at least make appearances onSaturday Night Live.
Strong examples includeTom Hanks, Emma Stone, and Ryan Gosling. These appearances have enhanced their image and allowed them to showcase their range. Even Leonardo DiCaprio, one of the biggest stars never to hostSaturday Night Live. , still made an appearance when his co-star fromThe Wolf of Wall Street. , Jonah Hill hosted. Jason Statham’s wonderful performance inSpy. demonstrates that he possesses the comedic talent necessary for hostingSaturday Night Live. . The cut sketch featuring hostChris Pratt. impersonating Statham indicates there’s humor that can be drawn from the actor’s persona.
The voice work that Statham did inGnomeo & ; Juliet. , along with his contributions in video games, suggests that he could be an excellent guest star in an animated series. The obvious move for someone at his level of fame would be playing himself onThe Simpsons. orFamily Guy. . However, it would be amazing if his first venture into television involved portraying a restaurateur who has a feud withH. Jon Benjamin’s Bob Belcher. onBob’s Burgers.
The diverse range and proven star power of Jason Statham make him ideal for television. Although he could carry his own series, he deserves at least a cameo role. With the rise of prestige television, more movie stars are appearing on this medium. Will Jason Statham join many actors who’ve embraced television? Or will he remain alongside Cruise as one of the last holdouts only doing movies?
You can see Jason Statham’s talents in his recent filmShelter. , available for rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
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