Fans of brutal action movies have been used to seeing Jason Statham getting down and dirty, beating up bad guys, taking on gangsters, and generally being a big, strong, tough man. So it is not surprising that some of his newer admirers have to do a double take when coming across several ‘90s music videos that appear to feature the bald Brit strutting his stuff in not much more than a loin cloth, baby oil, and all-over silver body paint. You may need to sit down.

While it may sound like some nightmare cheese-dream from an AI monstrosity, there is unfortunately, nothing fake about seeing The Stath in his past life as a background dancer windmilling his way though The Shamen’s “Comin’ On” and Erasure’s “Run to the Sun.” Thanks to a nostalgic post shared on X by History Defined, those unaware – or those who have tried to erase it from their memories – of Statham’s past have now had it thrust back in their faces…literally.

https://x.com/historydefined/status/1925593851927867698?t=OCsGl1wsXQa-xRg_aY0sVA&s=19

The post shared the moment an oiled-up Statham gyrates his way around the background of a very bizarre and colorful video, which has all the ‘90s vibes you could ask for. Coming from a time when baby oil and bare chests seemed to be everywhere, when it was released, no one really batted an eyelid at the spectacle.

However, the post also led to someone pointing out that Statham also made several other appearances in music videos at the time, including the 1994 Erasure hit “Run to the Sun,” in which his silver-painted look makes it seem like he was preparing for a role in Fantastic Four as the Silver Surfer. Come on Kevin Feige, what were you thinking about overlooking our man when casting the new Surfer?

While Jason Statham is now known for throwing bad guys out of windows, in the ‘90s we he was better known for throwing shapes, and was also a professional diver. In order to get on-camera work, he took on his music video roles to get himself a foot in the door of the entertainment industry. Of course, it all paid off, as it somehow led him to Guy Ritchie and his movie debut in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998 – however, it certainly wasn’t his dance moves that caught Ritchie’s eye.

Statham has previously embraced his past life, once noting in a Graham Norton Show interview that “you do what you have to do to pay the rent.” There are many stars who have similar stories, but many of those have not had the kind of rise to fame that Statham has enjoyed years later. With roles in the Fast & Furious franchise, and several blockbuster headlining roles, it is unlikely that we will ever see Statham grinding to a backbeat in this life. So please make sure you go and see as many of his movies as possible, so we never have to witness it again.

Statham is currently riding high on streaming platforms with movies like The Beekeeper and A Working Man, and is currently preparing to return to the former franchise with a new sequel. That’s a very different buzz to the one he was feeling in 1993.

Source: X