Let’s Talk About Oscar Isaac's Magnificent Dune Beard
Oscar Isaac’s Dune beard looks like an immaculately sheared hedge in Heaven’s garden. It looks like the love child of a black Chow Chow and a lightning bolt. It looks like a thundercloud doing yoga. It looks like the moon dropped its salt and pepper shakers into the sea. It is so powerful that not even his armor can contain it. It is what every single strand of hair dreams of one day becoming a part of when it first sprouts into the world.
It is magnificent.
Yesterday, the first photos of the Denis Villeneuve Dune adaptation dropped, opening our eyes to this wondrous achievement in the beard arts. (Isaac stars as Duke Leto Atreides, the father of Timothée Chalamet’s character, Paul Atreides. Timmy will not have a beard.) The reveal could not have come at a better time: as we while away in isolation and more and more men let their hair go wild, Isaac’s Dune look is prime quarantine beard inspiration.
But could any man use his time in isolation to grow a beard like the Duke’s? I called up sought-after Hollywood groomer Kristan Serafino to ask her to describe, in her own words, what makes the beard so good. “The beauty of his beard is that it’s a natural color, so he embraces his gray,” she told me. “It’s also very well-groomed. If you zoom in on that moustache, it’s trimmed around the lips. It’s combed down to where the hair’s in place.” (I zoomed in that moustache. I nodded in solemn agreement.)
“It’s a full beard that is groomed: that’s the key,” she continued. “It’s the illusion of natural.”
For those who want to go long and lush right now, Serafino says that being stuck at home is the ideal opportunity to experiment with various new styles and products. Some things to keep in mind: the initial growing out process will be itchy, so invest in a beard oil. Shampoo your beard and comb it daily. (“Even the wildest beards that are super long, they’re still groomed. If you look at ZZ Top, they still brush their hair.”) And finally, trim it precisely around the lip area, below the neck, and above the cheek line—and always use a clipper guard when you’re in the weeds. (Serafino’s trimmer of choice is made by Andis.)
All that said, Isaac simply possesses a natural beard advantage—as he has previously shown us in films like Inside Llewyn Davis and Ex Machina. As Serafino put it, “not everyone can have it—he just has a good beard.” For those who don’t, work with what you have. And in that case, may I suggest: Josh Brolin’s Dune goatee.
Read MoreOscar Isaac Talks Annihilation, Star Wars, and the Most Turbulent Year of His LifeInside the very un-Hollywood life of Oscar Isaac.
By Zach Baron
Gabriella Paiella is a senior staff writer at GQ, where she covers culture in the form of features, profiles, and Q&As. She’s profiled Nicolas Cage, Jeremy Strong, and Zoë Kravitz for the cover of the magazine, explored why men are so obsessed with the 2003 nautical drama Master and Commander,... Read moreSenior Staff WriterXInstagramRelated Stories for GQEntertainmentBeardsMovies