In a life, there are sometimes situations where one changes careers. This is what footballer Vinnie Jones thought as well, who dedicated himself to acting during his sports career and is still involved today.
Who is Vinnie Jones?
- He played football in the English professional league from 1984 to 1999
- Most of his career was spent at Wimbledon FC, 2 seasons at Chelsea FC
- He appeared in his first film in 1998, namely in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels by Guy Ritchie
- Due to his tough approach, he had the nickname
The Axe
, orDie Axt
On the field, he was a tough guy who made a name for himself mainly through physical play. He is said to hold the record for the fastest yellow card in history, as eurosport.com reports, having received one after just 5 seconds.
You can also see the actor in the Netflix series The Gentlemen:
Michael Caine inspired Jones
How did Vinnie Jones get into acting? The first film Vinnie Jones acted in was in 1998 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. As Belfast Telegraph reported in 2020, Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins approached him and told him he had an acting career ahead of him. They reportedly praised his presence on screen.
And they said, you have an enormous screen presence – as soon as you appear on screen, you just take control, no matter who is with you on screen.
Vinnie Jones on an encounter with Caine and Hoskins (Source: Belfast Telegraph)
Jones describes his first role in this interview as a complete coincidence
. Matthew Vaughn and Guy Ritchie are said to have approached him and offered him a cameo role in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels .
Guy Ritchie and Vinnie Jones
How did his career progress? Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is not only the first film Vinnie Jones appeared in, but also the first film by director Guy Ritchie. The collaboration was also not a one-time experience. 2 years later, after the Nicolas Cage film Gone in 60 Seconds, he appeared in another film by Guy Ritchie.
In Snatch, he played his probably most iconic role as Bullet-Tooth
Tony. Similar to football, he plays a tough character here, whom everyone fears and who shows presence with his impressive physique.
After that, he appeared in obscure and rather poor films until he starred in a major franchise in 2006. In X-Men: The Last Stand , he played the villain Juggernaut, fitting his stature. Again, true to his football reputation. Unlike someone like Dave Bautista, he did not experiment with other roles but always remained the tough guy.
However, immense success did not come for Jones. Many of his films have been more like direct-to-DVD material. Besides films, he also took on smaller roles in series, such as in Galavant or Arrow.
For The Gentlemen, a Netflix series by Guy Ritchie based on the film, he recently had the opportunity to work with his esteemed colleague. In an interview with Radio Times, he had only good words for Ritchie. He speaks about how a meeting with Guy Ritchie changed his life. In the interview, he also refers to him multiple times as brother
.
In 2026, a documentary about his life, Untold UK: Vinnie Jones, was released on Netflix.
Perhaps Vinnie Jones is not an incredibly good actor, yet he still manages to show a presence, be it in the role of the tough guy that he already had on the football field. Guy Ritchie has also worked with Henry Cavill: Everyone knows Henry Cavill, but hardly anyone knows how he started
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!
Comments