March 26, 2025
WRITTEN BY: THE BITESIZE CREW
This week sees the release of David Ayer’s A Working Man, which is a very generic title for a movie. However, the only thing more generic than the title is the generic way in which one can describe exactly what A Working Man is to someone who may not have heard of it: it’s a Jason Statham movie.
This is by no means meant to denigrate Statham because “a Jason Statham movie” is usually a ton of dumb fun, often harking back to the action heroes of the 80s and 90s. That said, let’s be honest, Statham doesn’t have a lot of range. He is one of the few actors whose name alone articulates precisely what’s in store since his characters and movies tend to be so one-note. Bloodied knuckles, gun and knife play, the “oh shit!” killings of faceless henchmen, a gravelly voiced and accented wise-crack or two, and an unshaven and retired badass reluctantly asked to revert to his ass-kicking ways to right a wrong.
Statham has played this type of character so well and so frequently that he was asked to spoof it in Paul Feig’s Spy, which he did with delightful aplomb. That was a decade and 12 very similar movies ago. Yet here we are with A Working Man, where he plays a former Royal Marine commando forced to use his old set of skills to find his boss's kidnapped daughter, uncovering a conspiracy in the process. And do you know what he has coming in 2026? Mutiny, where he plays a former Special Forces operative who is framed for murder, which leads him to an international conspiracy as he searches for the true killer. And in 2027? An untitled action thriller where he plays “a man pulled back towards the ghosts of his violent past.” All this is to say… you keep doing you, you magnificent British bastard. We’ll keep buying tickets.
So, with all that in mind, the Bitesize Crew started discussing other one-note actors that we love despite their tendency to repeat themselves. Statham, at this point, is almost his own genre. Who else has reached that level? What other performers out there conjure a very specific image when we say, “it’s a [insert actor] movie”? We’ve listed our favorites below…
WILL FERRELL
A one-note actor shouldn't be confused with an actor that brings a piece of their own personality to a role, either in a subtle way or, in the case of Will Ferrell, a very big way. Ferrell is typically known for his large comedic roles as the man-child. Or the charming idiot. Or the confident loudmouth. Sometimes, all three at the same time. Still, it's hard to pin down what exactly Ferrell's style is other than... Will Ferrell. It's his own brand of funny, and he imbues that into most, if not all, of his roles. Case in point, Ron Burgundy (Anchorman) and Alan Gamble (The Other Guys) couldn't be more different. One is a cocky, narcissistic buffoon; the other is a dorky, desk-jockey hiding a ball of rage. Ferrell portrays these characters with very different personalities and characteristics, yet they're both fall-out-of-your-seat hilarious for similar reasons. Ferrell's talent as a comedic performer is such that you know what kind of comedy you'll get, but in a bizarre way, it's never the same as before, which is damn impressive. — Adriano
DWAYNE JOHNSON
Once upon a time, there was a man known only as "The Rock," a moniker from the then-known WWF. Two decades later, The Rock has become Dwayne Johnson, one of the biggest names in Hollywood. He did this by creating a persona that borrows from his wrestling days while also standing on its own. First, he was the tough but charming adventurer (The Scorpion King, The Rundown). Then, he became the tough but charming reluctant family man (The Game Plan, The Tooth Fairy) before evolving into the tough but charming action hero (The Fast Saga, Skyscraper) we’ve seen most recently. Occasionally, there is humour mixed in, but that's basically what you're getting: tough but charming. However, even though I’ve mostly enjoyed his career so far, all good roads must come to an end. Johnson seems to be realizing this, too. In a world where Dave Bautista has consistently shown range and John Cena has shown an undeniable comedic quality, there is competition on the former pro wrestler turned actor front. As such, Johnson is making another pivot. Only time will tell how it turns out, but I'm really looking forward to his next iteration as the (presumably) tough but charming awards-caliber dramatic actor: as former MMA fighter Mark Kerr in Benny Safdie’s biopic The Smashing Machine and as a Hawaiian mob boss Martin Scorsese's untitled crime drama. — Nick
MELISSA MCCARTHY
Throughout her varied career, two-time Oscar-nominated actress Melissa McCarthy has proven that she is a diverse performer who can bring an emotional punch to her roles. However, I prefer her arguably more low-brow movies, where she tends to play a familiar but always hilarious comedic character. This character is simultaneously crude yet naive, brash, and loud, but also charming and ultimately kind-hearted. She can always be relied on for a laugh. For one, she’s my favourite character in my favourite comedy, Bridesmaids, bringing a chaotic energy that shines in every scene with a deadpan delivery that never fails to make me giggle. She plays a similar character in The Heat, Identity Thief, and Spy, in all of which her esteemed improv skills have yielded countless hysterical one-liners. For these reasons, she always plays incredibly well against her co-stars, and I think her performance alongside co-star Sandra Bullock in The Heat is my favourite buddy cop pairing ever. McCarthy gets a lot of flak for her one-dimensional characters, but time again, she has proven she is the best at what she does. — Katie
RON PERLMAN
Ron Perlman was the perfect actor to play Hellboy in the early 2000s. He looks big and menacing, with a deep voice and the air of nefariously fun charm. However, even without the makeup, that perfectly describes Perlman in just about every role you've seen him in, just ask Guillermo del Toro. Anytime you need an actor to punch up a macho-man action movie with the right amount of funny bravado, you get Mr. Perlman. And he is money every time. No matter how often you see him as the bad guy, or the heavy, or the black-market arms dealer you’re not sure you can trust but have no choice but to, he is that guy. He is also that voice, as heard in roles like Gnarlack from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the Stabbington Brothers in Tangled. Once he puts on his famously devilish grin and guffaws that deep-timbered laugh, you can’t help but get sucked into the slickest, slyest, and most perfectly timed puns and one-liners, which he has been delivering over the last 30-some-odd years. Guillermo, keep putting Perlman in all your things because I’ll keep watching him. — Amarú
KEANU REEVES
What’s not to like about Keanu Reeves? He’s a beloved actor on and off the screen who, over the course of three decades, has starred in some of our favorite movies, including The Matrix and John Wick franchises, Speed, and Point Break. However, if you really dive into his extensive filmography, you can undoubtedly spot a trend in his performances. In fact, most of the characters he has portrayed are strikingly similar as he tends to take roles that focus more on the physicality of a performance than the actual acting itself. I won't argue that the characters he portrays aren't complicated or nuanced, but when Reeves is on screen, he is seemingly just being himself to a certain degree. I don't think that's inherently a bad thing, either. In all honesty, I consider him to be among the top "one-note" actors working today. Reeves knows how to play to his strengths, and he does so by consistently taking on characters that are comparable to his own persona. You may disagree, but as portrayed by Reeves, are there huge differences between John Wick (John Wick), Neo (The Matrix) and Ted “Theodore” Logan (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure)? He is best suited for characters that don't call for massive depth or a wide range of emotions, allowing himself to remain more stoic, calm, and almost at peace, even as he kicks ass. And I’m here to tell you there is nothing wrong with that. — Paige
RYAN REYNOLDS
Despite dipping his toe into some non-comedic waters, including suspense (Buried), action (Smokin’ Aces), psychological thriller (The Nines) science-fiction (Life), drama (Mississippi Grind), and horror (The Amityville Horror), Ryan Reynolds is mostly known for playing some version of his breakout character, Van Wilder. He is almost always the handsome, quick-witted, charmingly snarky, lovably sarcastic, glib smart-ass, which doesn’t feel too far from his actual personality if his social media and interview personas are to be believed. And maybe that’s why it still works so well. It feels genuine. Say what you will about the quality of the movies themselves, but his schtick is routinely elevating mediocrity (as opposed to it ruining an amazing script). Whether it’s as Wade Wilson (Deadpool), Nolan Booth (Red Notice), Guy (Free Guy), Michael Bryce (The Hitman’s Bodyguard), Victor Locke (Hobbs & Shaw), Andrew Paxton (The Proposal), Chris Brander (Just Friends), Monty (Waiting…) — well, you get the idea — I know I’m in store for mile-a-minute jokes from a dude that I would love to just hang out with. He seems like the type of guy who would make my face hurt from laughing too much at the bar, and if the only way I can get close to that experience is by watching him play himself over and over again, I’m in every time, especially when he is allowed to fully unleash under the cover of an R rating. — Quentin