Hollywood has no shortage of hardcore action heroes and has employed the talents of innumerable action stars over the course of its existence. Yet, the British actor Jason Statham is a notch different from the rest and has today made a name for himself for his violent and gritty characters in a range of action thrillers.
However, before he ended up becoming one of Hollywood’s most bankable action stars, Statham had a shocking side hustle that eventually opened the door to Tinseltown. Having grown up in a humble background, far from the glitz and glamour of the world, if it wasn’t for this side hustle, the actor would have never been cast in his first-ever acting project, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Jason Statham’s unique side hustle before becoming an action star
Jason Statham is one of Hollywood’s go-to action heroes today, known best for his roles in projects like The Transporter, Fast & Furious, and the Expendables. But before his success, the actor was just another boy raised in a ‘working-class’ household by humble parents.
Since he was a kid, he wanted to become a stuntman. But becoming one required being an expert in six different skillsets, but he only had three (via Great British Life). As a backup, he ended up becoming a diver and almost qualified for the British Olympic team thrice. But after getting burned out (see the Guardian), he quit.
But quitting was perhaps a good thing as he was soon roped in as a model for brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s, and more. But while he was working as a model for these prestigious brands, Statham was also working on the streets of London, selling cheap watches and goods for a high price. In an interview with Esquire, the actor once revealed:
I was a ‘fly pitcher’ is what they call it. I’d sit down outside of Harrods and I’d pitch the jewelry.
He then went on to reveal how selling these cheap jewellery often required certain theatrics. Well, needless to say, his theatrics helped him well, and he was earning a pretty good pay playing theatrics and selling ‘costume jewellery’ as a fly pitcher.
Jason Statham’s side hustle helped him become a Hollywood star
Jason Statham is now worth $100 million today, thanks to his acting career (via Celebrity Net Worth). However, he would have never become an actor if it hadn’t been for Guy Ritchie, and he would have never met him if it hadn’t been for his side hustle.
Back when he was side hustling as a fly pitcher while being a model, he had met Ritchie, who, back then, was an aspiring director. While Statham’s street business started dwindling down, Ritchie came up to him about his street job since he was writing a character who had the same job.
In his interview with Esquire, the Beekeeper star revealed that the director asked him to throw his pitches at him. Well, given that Statham was a natural, Ritchie was taken aback and decided to cast him since how can somebody from a drama school learn it all?
Thus, Statham, with zero acting experience, landed his first acting role, a lead role, in Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Well, that was the start of Statham’s third career, and here he is now, from a hustler selling trinkets on London’s streets to a global action star.
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