In anticipation of this week’s release of ‘World War Z,’ The Daily Beast looks back at over two decades of Brad Pitt’s ever-changing, iconic looks on screen—from his larger-than-life hairstyle in ‘Johnny Suede’ to his sleek suits in ‘Ocean’s Eleven.’
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When Hollywood first took notice of the then 27-year-old Pitt in 1991’s Thelma and Louise, he occasionally donned a cowboy hat over his tousled blond tresses, making some tough decisions between wearing a denim shirt or no shirt at all (revealing some chiseled abs). Yeehaw!
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Pump up the pompadour! In the same year Thelma and Louise was released, Pitt had some dramatic hair flair in Johnny Suede with his massive, five-inch pompadour to match his rockabilly style.
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What’s the best way to portray a serial killer? Grow an unkempt beard! The previously baby-faced Pitt showed up in Kalifornia in 1993, changing his golden tresses to a dark and brooding brown. Are killers supposed to look this smoking hot?
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Stoner Pitt is one of his best early looks. His flaxen hair returned down to chin-length in his role as Floyd—the atypical pothead roommate that never gets off the couch—in True Romance. He perfected his look with his ’90s-style goatee.
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Team Edward? How about Team Brad? The first time we saw Pitt show off his long brown hair, running lusciously past his shoulders like a Pantene model, was in 1994’s Interview With the Vampire. As the longtime fashion vampire icon he portrayed in the film, he went from some Benjamin Franklin getup to a more subdued black mortician’s outfit and sleek ponytail in his present-day look. This Pitt’s got diva bite!
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Pitt’s hair went back to the chopping board when he took on the role as mental patient Jeffrey Goines in 12 Monkeys, going for a shorter and haphazardly cut ’do. Even though Pitt’s character was meant to be deranged, we couldn’t help but find his new look appealing.
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Pitt fashioned a circle beard to go along with his cropped hairstyle from 12 Monkeys in crime thriller Se7en. He complimented the dark David Fincher–directed film with his rookie detective suits—utilizing a tie-and-suspenders combo.
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Blond ambition! In 1998’s Meet Joe Black, Pitt opted for a boyish cut—ultra-blond and side-swept bangs (that any girl would die for). The new look dropped years off of his age and his tuxedo-wear added a touch of class.
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We’ve got a badass over here. Pitt nailed his nihilistic role in David Fincher’s Fight Club and sported some spiky, darker hair to complement his prickly personality. He also revived his goatee (a style we hope never returns) and donned some contemporary ’70s throwback outfits, occasionally throwing off his shirt for some bare-chested one-on-one combat.
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After Fight Club, Pitt didn’t put his fists to rest in Guy Ritchie’s 2000 film, Snatch. However, he resurrected the fedora and grew out his hair a bit, keeping his signature scruffy beard for his role as Irish underground boxer Mickey O’Neil. We may not have understood anything he said in the film with his gypsy accent, but we were mesmerized by his toned-down wardrobe choices.
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Revenge is a dish best served cold … or in this case as Brad Pitt. In Season 8 of NBC’s Friends, Pitt made a cameo as the bitter and once-overweight classmate of Rachel’s (Jennifer Anniston), looking like an Ivy Leaguer in his V-neck sweater, which matched his messily cropped, blond hairstyle.
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Channeling his inner Rat Packer, Pitt donned sleek two-piece suits and button-downs with ’70s collar flare in this Las Vegas casino heist film. In the remake, his locks are chopped short, one step away from a buzz cut.
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Pitt reunited with his Ocean’s Eleven cohorts in George Clooney’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind as a dating-show contestant. His shaggy hair and sweeping bangs (reminiscent of the Biebs’s signature look) coupled with his wide-collared shirt and full beard brought out a look that would probably make us swoon—if we were living in the ’70s.
Glowing like a Greek goddess, Pitt’s look in Troy was one of his most distinctive in his film career. His shoulder-length blond tresses fell down the sides of his face effortlessly in waves like he just came off of the beach after a day of surfing. We wonder which pomade he used and how comfortable his metal warrior breastplates were.
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With his sexy buzz cut and fitted designer suits, it’s no wonder Angelina Jolie couldn’t resist him! In 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the two portrayed a married couple who just so happened to be assassins. Beautiful ones.
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It’s hard to imagine Pitt as a dork, but the stylists for Burn After Reading did their best with his blond-frosted, feathered hairdo. Even his roots were showing! In an interview with the Star Tribune, Ethan Coen said Pitt’s character, Chad Feldheimber, was modeled after a “botched dye job” the actor once had on a commercial shoot.
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Thankfully, Pitt’s physical transformation into a tiny, elderly man’s body didn’t last throughout the movie. In The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the actor went for his largest stylistic changes as he aged gracefully backwards in time—from his bespectacled Geppetto-like looks to resembling James Dean out of a 1950s ad for motorcycles and yacht-shares.
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Robert Redford doppelgänger alert! We did a double take on Pitt in Inglourious Basterds with his ’40s style, tapered side part. The brunette returned to the screen with a surprisingly workable mustache. Sexy scars are in too, right? It was hard not to be distracted by the remnants of a scar running across his throat as American lieutenant Aldo Raine.
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Remember that pompadour in Johnny Suede? Well, it’s back! Pitt resurrected the bouffant (albeit a scaled-down version) as a slicked-back and greasy version in Killing Them Softly. He had the tough guy look down, pairing his leather jacket with rifles. What’s a tough guy without a scruffy beard? He’s had one of those too.
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When Pitt’s chasing zombies down in World War Z, there’s no time to focus on grooming. His chin-length, parted-down-the-middle hairstyle is spent tucked behind his ears for the film, and his scraggly facial hair adorns his mug.
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