Hollywood has always enjoyed a hard man. The alpha male who can stomp his way through the film crushing any foes in front of him while also maintaining the moral high ground. There is a long list of famous faces who have starred ion some of Hollywood’s biggest films. Their hard man images are built on big guns and big emotions. Think Sylvester Stallone in Rambo or Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry. Stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger even take their onscreen persona into real life, in his case body building, strutting around in his Humvee, and playing the power card in politics. There has even been a trend for us to see older men appearing in a new pensioner action genre. Liam Neeson at the age of 60+ has seen his career soar after the success of Taken.
Does this not mean there is room for a new group? The men who are going to be the next generation of hard men and iconic lines. Here are the top three actors in Hollywood who are making moves to be bigger and “badder” than ever before.
Charlie Hunnam
The Englishman rose to true fame on the back of Sons of Anarchy but those in England may know him from starring alongside Elijah Wood in Green Street. He was also part of huge budget Pacific Rim alongside Idris Elba. The man from Northumberland is now based well and truly on the west coast but the reason he is on this list for potential is his link to a huge role. Hunnam is one of the few in with a chance to play James Bond and if the other actors are to go by and the latest direction taken by Daniel Craig, it’s that the next James Bond is guaranteed, not only fame and fortune but having their name etched in the hard man hall of fame.
Jai Courtney
This young actor from Australia got his mainstream start on Spartacus as a Gladiator falling on his luck but more recently he has made the move to the big screen. He joined in already settle action franchises such as Die Hard alongside Bruce Willis and Jack Reacher with Tom Cruise. It is as if he is going through a training period before he is unleashed on us as a star. At 30 he is still young and capable of producing many action films in the future. He appears in Suicide Squad this year and continues a grand tradition of Aussies getting things done in Hollywood.
Dwayne Johnson
Yes, he may be older but with his past in wrestling, he has the credentials and the image of someone who can handle himself in a fight. His blockbusting films recently San Andreas, Fast and Furious and GI Joe has been reminiscent of the huge action films of the 1980’s. Dwayne has a penchant for doing comedy films but he is at his best when he terrorises baddies with no smile on his face. He is physically intimidating before even having to talk and this is always a good sign when you are looking to cast a hard man.
Online writer and publishing editor who lives in London and loves video games!
