Antonio Banderas made the bold move of shaving his head and eyebrows all for the sake of his new series Genius: Picasso, where he portrays renowned artist Pablo Picasso.

'Genius: Picasso' Photocall

Banderas risked the no-eyebrows look and shaved his head in an effort to achieve a likeness to the legendary painter. His shaved head is a new departure from his usual curly locks. The Mask of Zorro star appeared before photographers with his freshly shaven head and eyebrows during a promotional tour for Genius: Picasso in Madrid on Wednesday. It is also worthy to point out that Banderas has dyed his hair to gray.

The 57-year-old actor stepped out for the Madrid photocall wearing an all-black ensemble of long-sleeved shirt and black pants, paired with black sneakers. Banderas looked completely at ease posing for the camera on the red carpet. He shared a couple of photos from the photocall on his Instagram.

 

Banderas's appearance on the red carpet comes after he experienced a health scare. The actor appeared in high spirits during Wednesday's event following a heart attack last year. The actor released a statement to press at the time saying the attack was not serious and has not caused any damage. Banderas clarified that the heart attack has not been dramatic as some have written. However, he revealed that he underwent a procedure to place three stents in his arteries.

Buzzed Cut

The Desperado star first stepped out with his shaved head for his role in Genius: Picasso late in October. Photos from his visit to Malaga, Spain already showed Banderas with his buzzed cut. He almost looked unrecognizable although he bears a slight resemblance to the famous artist.

This is also not the first time that Banderas shaved his head for a movie role. The Assassins actor also sported a buzzed cut in 2013 for his role as Jacq Vaucan in the 2014 Spanish-Bulgarian science fiction thriller Automata, where he starred opposite now ex-wife Melanie Griffith.

Banderas portrays Picasso in his later years in the 10-part Genius: Picasso. Meanwhile, Alex Rich (Glow, True Detective) has been tapped to play the painter during his younger years.

Genius: Picasso premieres April 24 on The National Geographic Channel. The National Geographic series previously garnered praises for its representation of Albert Einstein, portrayed by the 66-year-old Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean).

Tags: Genius: Picasso Antonio Banderas national geographic Pablo Picasso