Does Being Typecast Hurt Your Career? Ask These Actors

The Suave Brit

(Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

Jason Statham plays the same character in every film; a renegade, British protagonist with a stoic expression permanently plastered on his face. He beats up the bad guys, shoots everyone in sight, and never seems the least bit phased.

When director Guy Ritchie cast Statham in his first flick, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Statham had never acted before. He was chosen because he had a London tough guy look, and Ritchie wanted his film to have some street cred. Instead of trying to shake this persona, Statham embraced it. Plus, according to Statham, ”I’ve just got a really bad smile. I go for the scowl instead.