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Patrick Dempsey divides fans with major hair transformation: 'Wrong'
While Disney’s annual D23 showcase featured a number of exciting teasers and major announcements for upcoming projects, including The Little Mermaid, Mufasa: The Lion King and Inside Out 2, Patrick Dempsey’s surprising appearance ended up causing some of the biggest fanfare online.
The 56-year-old actor, who was one of 14 people named a Disney Legend at the convention over the weekend, shocked the audience when he debuted his brand new hairstyle on stage.
Patrick had ditched his signature salt-and-pepper ‘do for a silver-toned platinum blonde look, leaving him almost unrecognisable as he accepted the honour alongside his Grey’s Anatomy co-star Ellen Pompeo.
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He also stood out amongst his Enchanted castmates Amy Adams, Idina Menzel and James Marsden while promoting the film’s upcoming sequel, Disenchanted.
The reason behind the transformation
Speaking to ET on the event’s red carpet, Patrick explained that the surprising hair transformation is all for an upcoming role.
“I'm currently doing a movie in Rome right now that Michael Mann is directing,” he explained.
“Adam Driver is starring in it. It's about Ferrari's life in the 1950s and I play [Piero] Taruffi, who is the racer who wins the Mile Miglia in 1957. So, it's been a dream job with a great director. It's fantastic. So, it's a combination of all the things I love.”
Patrick went on to say that his family is divided by the look, admitting that his kids “freaked out” when they first saw it.
“My son actually likes it,” he shared. "And one son doesn't, and my wife liked it too, so, it's fine. It's nice to have a little bit of a transition.”
‘Bleach gone wrong’
Patrick’s new hairstyle has also garnered mixed reviews from fans online, with many people questioning if he’s joining House of the Dragon.
“He looks like Jack Frost from Santa Clause 2,” one person wrote, while another added, “Patrick Dempsey looks like he’s about to take over as editor-in-chief at Runway magazine.”
“His hair looks like bleach gone wrong,” a third shared, followed by someone else who wrote, “It doesn’t look right”.
“What the heck happened to McDreamy's dreamy hair?” one fan tweeted. “Why did you do that to us?”
“If you’re hating on Patrick Dempsey’s blonde hair, leave the man alone he’s hotter than you and it’s for a role,” a different user declared.
“I can’t really explain it but Patrick Dempsey with blonde hair is doing everything for me like this is sexy,” another remarked.
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