It’s been about 10 years since the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy debuted in theaters. And the original manuscripts date back to J. R. R. Tolkien’s writing from as far back as the early 1930s when he first penned The Hobbit. There’s no need to recap this classic tale of fantasy and adventure, but for our purposes it’s worth shining the spotlight on the leader of the Fellowship of the Ring known as the wizard Gandalf the Grey played by actor Ian McKellen.
- Talk about a badass beard. Most old dudes with a white wispy beard like his usually get stereotyped as wise but weak. But Gandalf’s badass beard just might make him wiser and stronger throughout the movie trilogy. Seriously, there are some scenes where Gandalf’s beard is blowing in the wind while he wields his magic staff and it makes him look downright scary. Hardly a stand-in for Santa Claus this season. It’s a pretty sweet look that pays tribute to the wizards of Hollywood.
But before you think this might be a good look for you, hold off on telling everyone you’re growing your beard out. Based on Tolkien’s storyline, Gandalf is over 2,000 years old. And that’s a long ass-time to grow your beard. Maybe you’ll have to settle for something only slightly tamer but just as manly and just as much of a statement as the Duck Dynasty crew or the dudes in the rock band ZZ Top.
As for growing a long beard as white as snow, you’ll probably have to wait a few years before your beard hair comes in that way. White or not, a long beard is still a pretty sweet look that can be your signature style, a form of body art, or just a passing phase until you shave it off.