It was only after Jason Statham decided to shave off his remaining hair that his action career fully took off. Before making his screen debut in Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Statham worked various jobs, including working in market stalls and as a male model.

Statham was later promoted to the lead of Ritchie’s follow-up Snatch and appeared to have a rich future as a character actor. However, Statham’s martial arts background saw him lean toward action instead. In the years since, Jason Statham action movies have become an annual genre staple.

Statham now ranks alongside the likes of Expendables co-stars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger as one of the most famous action stars in the world. During his early forays in the genre though, it really wasn’t a given that he’d break through.

Statham’s first action role in Ghosts of Mars started on a bad note when he was bumped from the lead to make way for Ice Cube. This John Carpenter movie was a box office failure in 2001, while his follow-up, The One, was another disappointment.

Jason Statham’s Action Career Finally Took Off After He Embraced The Bald Look

Statham’s hair was already thinning when he fronted his Ritchie duology, and when he moved to American productions, he let his hair grow out. This is especially noticeable in The One, though it appears Statham was being partly aided by a hairpiece in that instance. The studio also (unwisely) insisted he don an ill-fitting American accent.

Statham’s action breakthrough came with The Transporter movies, with the original being written with him in mind. The script played to all his strengths, including his martial arts background and making him way less verbose than his exposition-spewing role in The One. The Transporter also saw Statham fully embrace the bald look.

The clean-shaven look was a striking one and made him stand out from other action stars of this era. It also just suited the Frank Martin character in The Transporter, adding to his sleekness. More than anything, the bald look just looked great on Statham.

While it still took him a few years to figure out his star persona, Statham’s career took a noticeable upswing following his decision to shave his head. He had a run of hits like Crank, The Italian Job and Death Race, and while he had duds along the way, they never slowed his momentum.

Now Statham’s bald head is a signature part of his look, and one he’s rarely altered in the past 20 years. In the same way Bruce Willis’ embracing a smooth dome from Pulp Fiction onward only made him more iconic, Statham taking the same step only aided his career.

Statham’s Pre-Baldness Action Movies Tanked

John Carpenter originally wanted Statham to play Ghosts of Mars anti-hero “Desolation” Williams, but the studio had concerns about his accent and lack of star power. Carpenter then beefed up the supporting role of Sergeant Jericho, with Statham becoming he third lead in the sci-fi horror.

Ghosts of Mars gave an early preview of Statham as an action star, where he got to punch, kick and shoot his way through hordes of possessed miners. Sadly, the action isn’t as slick and well-choreographed as his later efforts, and despite outshining the movie’s leads, he’s very much a supporting player.

Ghosts of Mars was ultimately a box-office failure, pulling in a worldwide gross of $14 million (or $28 million, when adjusted for inflation), precisely half its budget. His follow-up The One marked the first of many Jason Statham/Jet Li collaborations, with the former cast as a multiverse cop trying to stop Li’s evil doppelgänger.

The One was almost a star vehicle for Statham’s Fast & Furious pal Dwayne Johnson, but Li took over when The Rock had to drop out. The film is a fun, cheesy Matrix wannabe that is permanently frozen in the early 2000s, but while The One was a minor hit, it received poisonous reviews.

The One stands at 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, and while Statham plays a key role, the movie doesn’t use him to his best abilities. A planned fight between him and Li was scrapped at the last moment, and he struggles with the American accent he was saddled with.

For Some Reason, Audiences Tend To Reject Hairy Jason Statham

Once Statham went bald, he’s rarely looked back; after all, why mess with a winning formula? Still, even after making the switch, Statham still fronted movies like Revolver or London with a wig, with both being attempts to move away from the action genre.

Both movies came out in 2005, and while Statham received good reviews for them, they were total bombs. Revolver, in particular, was utterly lambasted and set director Guy Ritchie’s career back by a few years. Now, while he’s had some bombs since then, it’s curious that audiences seem to outright reject Statham with hair.

It could be that audiences and critics are so used to Statham’s beautiful bald head that they’re unnerved when he’s wearing a hairpiece. He’s since worn wigs in movies like Parker when his characters are in disguise, but now that he has his star formula down to science, it’s doubtful Jason Statham will front a movie with hair again.

Source: Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes