British actor Jason Statham may not have any Russian roots, but he’s become a bit of an internet sensation among Russian fans. Hundreds of Russians comment under almost every photo of him on Instagram (owned by Meta, a company recognized as an extremist organization in Russia). They post strange and humorous phrases in Russian, leaving his primarily English-speaking audience somewhat perplexed. But why is this happening?
Interestingly, Russians post comments in the format of quotes attributed to the actor. These comments, often absurd when translated, appear under almost every photo of Statham on Instagram. Here are just a few examples:
“If you’re not welcome somewhere in torn socks, you shouldn’t go there in your whole socks.”
“Lock, stock, two smoking barrels, three bananas, cucumber, soup, potatoes, kholodets, ketchup, eggs, mayonnaise.”
“If you get lost in the woods, go home.”
“It’s time for business, time for pleasure, beer, vodka and kvass.”
“There’s pain in my heart, there’s sorrow in my soul, there's no second sock anywhere.”
“Remember, one mistake and you’re wrong.”
“Washing is for those who are too lazy to scratch.”
“When it rains, the roads get wet, when the wind blows, the roads get dry.”
“When the deed is done, the deed is done.”
“There are always two roads in life: one first and one second.”
These peculiar quotes have left many English-speaking users scratching their heads. They often express their confusion, with comments such as: “Wtf are all these Russian comments or am I missing something?”
However, some Russian users have tried to explain their actions to Statham and even suggested ways he could acknowledge their activity. For example, one user suggested:
“Dear @jasonstatham, if you want to thank Russian users for their activity, but for obvious reasons you can’t do it, wear a red T-shirt in your next story, we will know that you value your Russian-speaking audience!”
Another user responded that he’d better add a few of these quotes to his next movie.
This trend of flooding celebrities’ social media accounts has become a popular activity among Russian users. They have staged similar online campaigns on the accounts of stars like Lady Gaga and Leonardo DiCaprio. Now, they have set their sights on Statham (and Vin Diesel, too).
Statham is one of the most popular Hollywood actors in Russia. Russians admire his masculine appearance and his “tough guy” roles. They even made a deep fake TV series about how he would live in Russia.
There are numerous groups on Russian social networks dedicated to sharing “quotes” from the actor (e.g.).
They are incredibly philosophical, although most are lost in translation, due to slang!
“It’s easy to wake up if you haven’t been to bed.”
“When people say, ‘You don’t even have a girlfriend!’ I always reply, ‘It’s not that I don’t have a girlfriend, it’s that girls don’t have me.”
“Brevity is the sister of talent. So, when I knock [someone] out in one punch, it’s a confirmation of how talented I am.”
Yes, everyone understands that Statham has never actually said these things (or has he?), but these quotes have become very popular memes on Russian social networks.
Other actors with similar “tough guy” images, such as Sylvester Stallone and Jean Claude Van Damme, also have groups dedicated to them, but they haven’t gained the same level of popularity as Statham’s. What do you think sets Statham apart in the eyes of Russian fans?
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