Acting legend Jack Thompson, 80, debuts his impressive isolation beard on the Today show – as he reveals the reason behind his ‘caveman’ look
He’s one of the most significant figures in Australian cinema.
But on Friday, Jack Thompson looked almost unrecognisable during an interview with Channel Nine’s Today show.
The 80-year-old actor sported a long, scraggy beard and explained he was growing it for a movie that had recently been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
New look: Acting legend Jack Thompson, 80, looked almost unrecognisable during an interview with Channel Nine’s Today show on Friday
He added that there was still some hope the film might resume production, hence why he hadn’t shaved the beard off just yet.
‘The beard is being grown for a movie that was shut down by COVID, but we hope to see it come back,’ he said.
‘Shoulder-length hair and an unkempt beard it says in the script. I’m still going.’
Jack also urged Australians to visit their local cinema and support the film industry, which has been devastated by the pandemic.
Role: Jack (pictured in June 2013) sported a long, scraggy beard and explained he was growing it for a movie that had recently been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic
He said: ‘The government is cutting support for the industry at a time when we really most need it… We need that support right now.’
Jack’s interview comes after he revealed that he’d narrowly missed out on the lead role in Schindler’s List, which eventually went to Liam Neeson.
The Steven Spielberg-directed film was released in 1994 and won seven Oscars.
‘We hope to see it come back’: He said there was still some hope the film might resume production, hence why he hadn’t shaved the beard off just yet
He said on Anh’s Brush With Fame: ‘I’d done camera tests, shot a couple of scenes, and then did a whole afternoon with Spielberg.’
Jack said the filmmaker then told him that he had to catch a flight to New York, but reassured him they would sign the contract when he returned.
But while he was in New York, Spielberg met with Liam and had a change of heart.
What could have been: Jack’s interview comes after he revealed he’d narrowly missed out on the lead role in Schindler’s List, which eventually went to Liam Neeson. Pictured in May 2014