Van Damme's Face

Jean-Claude Van Damme in The Hard Corps (Sheldon Lettich, 2006; photographed by Doug Milsome)

Van Damme's face is brutal, a real moonscape. But that's alright. An action star doesn't have to age well. Wear and tear improves an action star. Who would believe that someone gets beaten up for a living if they don't look the part? From Schwarzenegger and Van Damme to Stallone to Statham, it's a gallery of odd physiognomies and funny voices. There's a reason that the pretty boys are always cast as the sidekicks and that the big American action heroes (who are rarely American) are short or have strange accents or speech impediments or weathered faces or gaps between their teeth or receding hairlines or scars.