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Giamatti hair issues
Stu VanAirsdale (a.k.a. "the Reeler") had a moment last night with M. Night Shyamalan at a big-deal Lady in the Water screening at the Museum of Natural History. Naturally, Night is going to deflect and sidestep any questions about all the negative reactions to the film and the book and his alleged ego problems. Nothing new here.
What got me were the two tiny photos of Paul Giamatti. This sounds shallow as hell but I don't want the poor guy to lose any more hair, and he seems to be doing that. Giamatti has to hold onto that Miles thing -- he can't let himself get too Uriah Heep-y. It's obviously cool for prominent character actors and stars to have balding or thinning conditions, but the key thing is to not let too much erosion occur so things tip over into flirting-with-egg-bald territory.
Sean Connery is the exception -- Gene Hackman is the rule. Hackman has had sparse hair for the last 40 years, but he grimmed up and held on to those 250 or 300 follicles on the top of his head. Same with Jack Nicholson -- he kept those sprigs and never went 100% billiard-ball.
In Michael Bamberger's "The Man Who Heard Voices" it's reported that some kind of brief discussion about Giamatti wearing a going-bald wig came up priot to the shooting of Lady, so obviously M. Night Shyamalan gave this issue some thought. It's not a huge deal, but Giamatti should try and hang on to his Sideways hair for the next 20 or 25 years. Just hold onto it somehow and don't follow in the footsteps of Kevin Spacey and his constantly expanding Martian forehead in the seven or so years since American Beauty.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 18, 2006 at 10:20 AM
comment #1
Rossi says ...
You've got to be kidding me.
Men go bald. It's natural and inevitable for many of them. Get over it.
Posted by Rossi at July 18, 2006 11:02 AM
comment #2
Thick Lucious Mane says ...
Maybe he should go see Matthew McConaughey's hair guy. That guy worked miracles.
Posted by Thick Lucious Mane at July 18, 2006 11:06 AM
comment #3
Jeffrey Wells says ...
No -- limits have to be observed. If they thin out too much it's just not cool. There's a very delicate balance that balding guys have to maintain. Hair is a very meaningful symbol in the animal kingdom.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells at July 18, 2006 11:06 AM
comment #4
jsp says ...
I agree with Jeff - look at Bruce Willis. Shaved it off and hasn't had a hit for awhile. Balding is natural granted but this guys have the money to address the problem. Mel Gibson is another guy who had problem and sorted it out.
Posted by jsp at July 18, 2006 11:08 AM
comment #5
Jeffrey Wells says ...
That's true about McConaughey -- he was in trouble there for a while and then something happened. But I don't agree about Willis, whom I consider to be an exception along with Sean Connery. Not everyone has to "do something", but most balding actors have to take measures of some kind.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells at July 18, 2006 11:12 AM
comment #6
Bob says ...
Jeff, love the Lady in the Water pieces you've been running lately, but where's your review?
Posted by Bob at July 18, 2006 11:12 AM
comment #7
Anonymous says ...
Just don't go the Nic Cage horrible plug look. Go see Jeremy Piven's guy.
Posted by Anonymous at July 18, 2006 11:14 AM
comment #8
jsp says ...
Connery still had some hair - but Willis went all the way. White guys can't pull off the bald thing - expect Kojak of course.
Posted by jsp at July 18, 2006 11:17 AM
comment #9
paulyr says ...
"Thick Lucious Mane". Best laugh all day.
Posted by paulyr at July 18, 2006 11:17 AM
comment #10
Anonymous says ...
Kojak and Patrick Stewart.
Posted by Anonymous at July 18, 2006 11:21 AM
comment #11
T.H. Ung says ...
I'd like to know exactly how he's supposed to hang on to it? Are you advocating surgery? Do stars like Hackman and Nicholson have some special way to fend off the erosion -- we want to know the truths Hollywood knows, g-d-it.
Posted by T.H. Ung at July 18, 2006 11:23 AM
comment #12
Mark Grasinski says ...
You're totally right, Jeffrey, it is "shallow as hell" What the hell is wrong with you? Do you really think its a matter of "hanging on" to what you have, as if sheer force of will is going to make a difference? Shallow indeed....
Posted by Mark Grasinski at July 18, 2006 11:28 AM
comment #13
gh says ...
You're right. If he loses the hair on top of his head he will never work again.
Posted by gh at July 18, 2006 11:30 AM
comment #14
Jeffrey Wells says ...
Wells to Grasinski -- Are you a semi-baldy on the downslope? You're making noises like one. There are remedies for actors who want to hold the line. It's not shallow -- I'm talking some kind of jungle law that everyone except guys like you listen and adhere to. Obviously not a matter of wishin' and hopin', but digging deep and laying out the bucks.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells at July 18, 2006 11:35 AM
comment #15
jsp says ...
T.H. Ung - you go to be kidding me - yes we can't grow back hair but there lots of stuff out there to keep what you have. The solution is lots $$$ which you and I don't have but these stars have...
By the way Jeff I think you hit the motherload - men and hairloss it's a touchy topic...
Posted by jsp at July 18, 2006 11:35 AM
comment #16
Bob says ...
Personally I think Willis brings off the bald about as well as anyone.
Posted by Bob at July 18, 2006 11:37 AM
comment #17
T.H. Ung says ...
This is mesmerizing, there's a whole vernacular out there: what the frig is semi-baldy on the downslope?
Posted by T.H. Ung at July 18, 2006 11:40 AM
comment #18
Bob says ...
Also, I agree with you in general Jeff, but I will say that I think Giamatti's appeal at least partially stems from the fact that he seems comfortable with an appearance that's not conventinally handsome, he's received fame and acclaim (not on superstar levels, but he's a success nontheless) based on legitimate talent, he's our everyman, and I don't think, in this case, that hair matters.
Posted by Bob at July 18, 2006 11:41 AM
comment #19
Pube to Crown Transplant says ...
He should go to Burt Reynold's guy. It's not like he looks ridiculous or anything.
Posted by Pube to Crown Transplant at July 18, 2006 11:43 AM
comment #20
Anonymous says ...
Grasinsk to Wells-- yep, on the downslope for a long time now. You can't be serious....a "jungle law" that most guys listen and adhere to? This thread is getting sillier by the moment. Did somebody break into your place, get on your computer and start pretending to be you? Listen, I've seen pictures of you from several years ago and I can see that pic at the top of the page. It seems to me that the ravages of time have done some work on you, too. Why not dig deep, lay out the bucks and adhere to the jungle law yourself?
Posted by Anonymous at July 18, 2006 11:46 AM
comment #21
Chris No says ...
Robert Duvall.
Ed Harris.
Right.
Paul Giamatti is a working actor because of his animal magnetism, most of which will disapate once he loses the hair he never had.
You must be gay, Jeff.
I know you have children.
But so does my dad, and he's gay.
Posted by Chris No at July 18, 2006 11:57 AM
comment #22
T.H. Ung says ...
How bout a really nice hat, tres sexy, really. Don't mean to plug, but if you want another familiar, but different down on Shyamalan story go to www.nypost.com/entertainment/m__nightmare_entertainment_john_anderson.htm
Posted by T.H. Ung at July 18, 2006 12:03 PM
comment #23
gh says ...
Let's not forget to have a good long look at the photo of Wells at the top of this page. It says more about his vanity than a thousand pieces like this.
Posted by gh at July 18, 2006 12:03 PM
comment #24
Anonymous says ...
Man, Jeff is rocking the pompadour.
Posted by Anonymous at July 18, 2006 12:15 PM
comment #25
Ju-osh says ...
That's Wells at the top of the page? I thought it was an example of some of that cgi magic-aging done on James Dean!
Kidding...kidding.
I'm pretty sure that's the look Jeff's going for, though.
Sorta looks like the second male lead in a local theatre version of 'Grease' to me.
(By the by, I've got long, thick, jungle-law hair, myself.)
Posted by Ju-osh at July 18, 2006 12:15 PM
comment #26
Mathew says ...
I don't remember Giamatti having much hair in Sideways. It was just more grown out and curlier. What I don't like is the grey poupon hair dye he's using. Now that will eat away at your roots.
Posted by Mathew at July 18, 2006 12:16 PM
comment #27
Denis Leary says ...
Gay. All of you.
Posted by Denis Leary at July 18, 2006 12:26 PM
comment #28
WassupJeffrey says ...
This is insanity!!!
Posted by WassupJeffrey at July 18, 2006 12:26 PM
comment #29
craptastic says ...
What the hell does sit matter if he doesn't have hair? The guy's a good fucking actor! If they can make a Dino look real back in 1991 why can't there be such a thing as a solid Hollywood wig.
Ehhh you old queen... Wells gets snubbed by Stone at Sundance and he calls everyone to complain
Posted by craptastic at July 18, 2006 12:27 PM
comment #30
Alex Keen says ...
Slow news day? Who cares about the guy's hairline...
Posted by Alex Keen at July 18, 2006 12:45 PM
comment #31
Rod in Tallahassee. says ...
You are my guy, but jesus. My hair stopped growing when I was 26. Sucked. I've been bald (and SHAVE the head every three days) since I was 31. I am now 42. Are you speaking of people who are going bald or who have always been bald? Cause I would say that Michael Clarke Duncan, Michael Chiklis, Connery, Larry David, Danny DeVito, Vin Diesel, Duvall, Dennis Franz, Lawrence Fishburn, Harris, Ben Kingsley, Samuel L. Jackson, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Kurtwood Smith, Spacey, Stewart, Willis, Billy Zane...shall I continue? You must've been high this morning.
Posted by Rod in Tallahassee. at July 18, 2006 12:55 PM
comment #32
Edward says ...
I love your column Jeffrey, I love to disagree with your reviews, but you lost it on this one. I've never taken offense or have been embarrassed or felt emasculated because I started going bald at 18; total bladness by 25. I could care less how much hair an actor has if he's good in the roles he chooses. Well, that's not totally true; I do have a touch of envy at some of the thick locks some of those older actors display. But hey, it's in my and Giamatti's (and some of those other actors') genes and we seem to be okay about it.
Posted by Edward at July 18, 2006 1:13 PM
comment #33
T.H. Ung says ...
Anyone get a look at the hairy photo of "Genius cinematographer Christopher Doyle with the Li girls, Rain (right) and Xin" hubba hubba. Wonder how his cinematography looks in the movie.
http://www.mcnblogs.com/reeler/archives/2006/07/night_shift_the_reeler_checks_in_with_shyamalan.html
Posted by T.H. Ung at July 18, 2006 1:28 PM
comment #34
qwiggles says ...
I was under the impression that hair falls out of its own accord.
Stop me if you've come up with any follicle pop talks that reverse this process.
Posted by qwiggles at July 18, 2006 1:39 PM
comment #35
qwiggles says ...
...Erm, pep talks.
Posted by qwiggles at July 18, 2006 1:39 PM
comment #36
Chris No says ...
I just asked my father if Jeff was gay or not.
My father is gay.
He said so is Jeff.
Then I told him to check out the picture of Jeff.
He said Jeff is so gay.
Because Jeff thinks like a woman.
A bitchy woman.
That's why he's gay.
That's why I'm gay too.
Even though my wife is pregnant as of today.
So congratulations to me.
And to Jeff.
And to my father.
To all the gay men in the world who also happen to be fathers.
And to Paul Giamatti.
Who is losing his hair and not giving a damn.
Because that's what real men do.
They don't give a damn.
About hair.
Or being in shape.
All they care about is work.
Paul Giamatti is a hard worker.
You don't get to be the new Richard Dreyfus by accident.
It takes stamina and persistence and focus.
If it were up to Jeff there would be no new Richard Dreyfus.
Jeff would have Paul buy some plugs and do some crunches and then we all know what happens next.
Paul wants to do action films.
Starring opposite Monet Mazur.
I know who Monet Mazur is.
That's why I'm gay.
Like my father.
And Jeff.
But not Paul.
Paul is overflowing with testosterone.
That's why he lost his hair.
Because he lacks in estrogen.
Unlike Jeff.
Who told me to see Dallas 362.
So I shouldn't really take him that seriously.
But Scott Caan.
Now I'll take him seriously if you know what I mean.
Jeff.
Posted by Chris No at July 18, 2006 2:25 PM
comment #37
Edward says ...
Rod and I are in some good company.
Methinks
Jeffrey
would freak
were
his folicles
to depart
Posted by Edward at July 18, 2006 2:49 PM
comment #38
Nola says ...
This is the funniest thing I have read all day. As a woman, I really don't give a crap if a guy shaves his head or cuts his hair super short. I prefer it to the comb overs or bad plugs. A sexy guy is one who is confident and can string together a sentence. Not sure what Matthew did with his hair but he's still kind of blank to me. Don't get me wrong he is good looking but to me, not sexy. I wouldn't step to him. :)
Posted by Nola at July 18, 2006 3:11 PM
comment #39
Phil says ...
Um, YUL EFFIN' BRYNNER, anyone? Ain't nobody was EVER as bad-ass as Brynner in "Westworld," and you could shave lookin' in that dude's bald head.
Posted by Phil at July 18, 2006 3:21 PM
comment #40
Anonymous says ...
There's something to be said about a male actor who starts to lose his hair and DOESN'T GIVE TWO SHITS; those that are comfortable enough with himself to say, "Fuck it, I am what I am, let the chips fall where they may, I'm a great actor and if the role calls for hair, I'll throw on a hairy hat."
Seriously Jeff, you are very perceptive sometimes, but other times I wonder where your sense went. Such a stupid comment.
Posted by Anonymous at July 18, 2006 5:16 PM
comment #41
Jeffrey Wells says ...
I'll try this one final time: you can be pudgy and balding and not conventionally sexy like Paul Giamatti and that's all very cool....but you have to have to hold onto some follicles up top and not go too bald. I've been rolling with Giamatti since the mid' 90s, and he won't be "my" Giamatti if he gets too bald. I want him to keep being schlumpy Miles with the vaguely dorky wardrobe in "Sideways"-- period. And he can do that easily, no sweat. He can keep his receding hairline and bald spot and pot belly and boring-guy shoes, but he can't go billiard-ball on me. That's all I'm saying. If wanting Giamatti to spare himself from total Robert Duvall-ness makes me a card-carrying, unopened-can-of-Crisco gay guy, fine...that's what I am then. I don't know WHY this would make me that, but if that's the consensus, fine...whatever.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells at July 18, 2006 5:51 PM
comment #42
Chris No says ...
It makes you Captain Crisco because on the one hand you're saying how much you like Giamatti, how you get him, but then, on the other hand, you're saying I'm not going to like him anymore, that no one should like him anymore, if he loses what little hair he has left.
You have to understand that when you talk like this you sound exactly like a fifteen year old girl from Encino.
You sound like my sister.
You sound like someone who is repulsed by bodily decay and to me that knocks you down a peg or two on the maturity scale.
People get old and they lose themselves and it's not that big of a deal.
Everyone goes rotten.
So will you one day.
Worshipping at the Church of the Immaculate Coif is not going to prevent you from one day waking up and looking in the mirror and wondering who the hell is that and what did he do with me.
We need more actors who look like Giamatti.
Because I can suspend my belief and accept that someone who looks like Giamatti is the super of an apartment building.
What I don't understand is why it bothers you so much.
It's not like you are the type of man who could identify with someone like Giamatti.
I just think you don't like him because he looks like a normal person and you loathe how most people look and you just want Giamatti to be gone so that you don't have to be reminded anymore.
Sorry.
We all can't look like a cross between Lance Burton and Jeremy Irons, Jeff.
Time for my Veggie Burger and Soup.
Seeya.
Posted by Chris No at July 18, 2006 6:27 PM
comment #43
Envy My Locks says ...
Whatever, Baldies.
Posted by Envy My Locks at July 18, 2006 7:34 PM
comment #44
Ju-osh says ...
"Dave Poland" failed to mention bald men a few days ago when he listed among your many dislikes fat folks and Blacks. Or did you just add this one to keep one step ahead of him?
You crazy internet journalists always crave the scoops.
Posted by Ju-osh at July 18, 2006 7:35 PM
comment #45
BrandonT says ...
I prefer that my favorite actors/actresses age appropriately and not defy nature.
So when are Jeff and Chris No going on a date?
Posted by BrandonT at July 18, 2006 8:44 PM
comment #46
Chris No says ...
Brandon T wants to know when Jeff and I are going on a date.
I assume he wants to know because he would like to join us.
Wasn't Brandon T the star of Manhole #14?
That was one of my favorites.
Posted by Chris No at July 18, 2006 9:35 PM
comment #47
NipNTucker says ...
I think it's also important for Giamatti to hold on somehow to most of his teeth and don't follow in the footsteps of Gabby Hayes.
Posted by NipNTucker at July 19, 2006 12:45 AM
comment #48
Ron says ...
Actually, this entire discussion will lose any fire on either side in about 5 years time. A procedure called follicular neogenesis is just about to be perfected and be officially human tested for FDA approval in 2 years. This is where a few hairs from one's head are extracted and the cells are isolated in a lab and are able to be "cloned" (in generic terms even though its not true cloning) into thousands upon thousands of "hair seeds" that can be planted back into the scalp. What this means, aside from no more scars or only partial scalp coverage from traditional hair transplants, is essentially the wonder-cure for baldness. You will be able to actually give yourself more hair than what you were born with. This process is being spearheaded by Dr. Ken Washenik at the Bosley corporation and they are saying this IS going to happen. Will it be ungodly expensive? yes! but Celebs will be able to afford it no problem. So, Paul Giomatti or anyone else for that matter will have the choice to have a full thick head of hair or go as they are. Here's a recent article: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.01/baldness.html?pg=1&topic=&topic_set=
Posted by Ron at July 29, 2006 9:55 PM
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