This leaves out all the iconic 80’s (and prior) heroes who were anything but the beef cake aesthetic. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, James Bond didn’t get ripped until Casino Royal (2006,) Bruce Willis had muscle but was also “chubby strong” in Die hard etc. Charlie Sheen and Emilio Esteves were in several block buster action films of the 80’s, Harrison Ford was never particularly “buff” or shown as such, Steven Segal was a huge 80’s action star, Peter Weller and Charles Bronson also were icons of the era, and a fit but “Everyman” Clint Eastwood was another.
The man of above average physique has been a staple of leading roles since some of the early days in film- back then they didn’t show bodies as much so they tended to look for guys with a “strong face and presence” who could be shot to look like they had a build. The biggest change since the 80’s isn’t that “action hunks” are muscled. They were and still are- it’s that the leading man who was an “average hunk” went from being what we might consider cheeses or greasy looking and a walking cliche of classic and often what could be called “toxic” masculinity to being what would have been a “nerdy” or “dorky” character in looks and personality. The “sleazy” “macho man” has now become the joke or villain character that the nerd or dork once was.
Well yes, or no special skills beyond being a police detective- that one being a fairly common trope for 80’s action- “ex military” and “ex military current police officer” being also common. Bronson, Eastwood, Gibson, Glover, Willis, and more were all action stars who played improbable “Everymen” characters who often fit that bill.
Conversely, we are often asked to believe actors like JKVD, Sylvester Stallone etc. are “Everymen” who happen to look like that. Stallone was pretty reasonable overall at coming up with at least semi plausible reasons to justify his physique such as some sort of physically demanding job like Trucker.
But yes- my overall point is that Brice Willis and others on that list were prominent action stars of the 80’s who weren’t “male model” material or ready for fitness competitions that show there wasn’t some prevalence of muscle men as the action men of the 80’s.
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