Jacob Elordi is one of Hollywood's hottest young stars. He's risen to fame in the past few years for playing a dashing high school teenager in productions like Euphoria and the Kissing Booth movies. Since he was cast as Elvis Presley in Priscilla, audiences have seen a more mature side of Elordi, who is quickly becoming a sought-after leading man. Now, the actor is changing his look. He recently debuted a grizzly beard on a red carpet and, to me, he barely looked unrecognizable without the teenage heartthrob image that made him a star.
The 27-year-old actor recently served as a jury member at the Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco. He attended the red carpet prior to the Ceremony Tribute to Sean Penn, who was being celebrated that evening. It wouldn’t have been surprising if festival attendees didn’t recognize the Saltburn actor at first glance, as his new look definitely made him blend in. You can see a picture of him from the event below:
The full '80s-style beard and long haircut are a complete departure from his clean-cut image, and they make the actor look significantly older. While his boyish looks previously allowed the A-lister to pass as a high schooler, this new motif doesn’t. He’s expected to return for the third season of Euphoria, so that rumored time jump is going to be doing a lot of leg work. The facial hair may be controversial for some, but I personally like this for the Deep Water star. It makes him look edgier and a bit more mature in some ways.
One wonders if there's a reason behind this new look and if there is an upcoming project of Jacob Elordi’s thatrequires a scruffier, older appearance. For example, Chris Evans recently adopted a similar look for his upcoming film, Sacrifice. Elordi is set to star as the monster in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, but facial hair doesn’t quite make sense for an iconic monster. This could potentially also be for Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights, as the director may want a less boy-next-door vision of Heathcliff.
Whether the Australian actor is rocking this new look for a role, or even just for himself, it’s quite a change. It is a complete departure from his previous public persona that one could liken to Timothée Chalamet or young Leonardo DiCaprio archetype. This look brings him more into a Chris Christopherson/ Jeff Bridges zone.
Given that the He Went That Way star can totally rock a beard, that may be appealing to some casting directors. Teenage girls may be mourning the clean-shaven look, but I’m looking forward to the next Elordi era -- even if his beard makes him hard to recognize at first glance.
You can see Jacob Elordi in Paul Schrader’s Oh Canada, which hits theaters on December 6th. It is one of the most interesting titles on the 2024 movie release schedule, so make sure to check it out when you can. Fans of the actor can also see him on Euphoria, as the first two seasons can be streamed now with a Max subscription.
