The undying charisma of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham

So, what is the recipe of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham's success? I say it is tons of labour and truckloads of charm.

Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw will hit screens on August 2.

Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock and Jason Statham are not only talented, but charismatic. This statement seems redundant, seeing how the audience across the globe seem to have gobbled up their films. And this is a considerable feat, especially when one realises that the Hollywood stars come from a sports background.

While The Rock was a WWE wrestler and world champion at one point, Statham was once a part of Britain’s national diving team. But their past didn’t hold them back from obtaining their goals — of achieving international superstardom.

So, what is the recipe of their success? I say it is tons of labour and truckloads of charm. Admittedly, their films might be entertaining to watch, but more often than not, that entertainment comes at the cost of the script. However, there is a straight line that the two actors have seemingly traversed since the beginning of their filmography — to deliver 100 per cent every time. I, personally, cannot imagine anyone doing the kind of outrageous things these two seem to get away with on the big screen. But thanks to their likable personas and larger-than-life screen presence, they carry the weight of big-budget movies on their well-built shoulders ably.

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The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson in a still from The Gameplan.

Take, for instance, The Rock in 2018’s Skyscraper. The premise itself is ridiculous. The Rock scales the world’s tallest tower to rescue his family from the bad guys, or 2018’s Rampage — the actor plays an animal expert who befriends a giant ape. Oh, and there is also a gigantic wolf and crocodile involved. Just FYI, Rampage earned over 400 million dollars globally, easily covering its 120 million dollars production budget, according to a Forbes report.

Jason Statham has done some ‘incredible stuff’ on screen as well. Be it falling off a helicopter in Crank or battling an ancient species of shark that is infinitely bigger than the Great White in Meg, Statham’s list of doing the unbelievable on celluloid can easily match up to The Rock’s glorious career.

Jason Statham was hilarious as the sincere but ignorant agent in 2015’s Spy.

My personal favourite of The Rock is the very enjoyable The Game Plan, wherein the actor plays a professional quarterback and even belts out Elvis Presley’s “Burning Love” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight.” And if you are wondering, The Rock can carry a tune like nobody’s business. As far as Statham is concerned, have you watched the Paul Feig directorial Spy? In a movie where you rub shoulders with Melissa McCarthy and Jude Law, it says something about your screen presence when you steal everyone’s thunder with your performance.

Here’s hoping for a better, bigger and brighter popcorn time with the beloved stars.

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