Paul LeBlanc proud of mop top haircut he created for Javier Bardem in ‘No Country for Old Men’

 

 

By The Associated Press

DIEPPE, New Brunswick – Paul LeBlanc doesn’t mind one bit that Javier Bardem calls his creation “one of the most horrible haircuts in history.” In fact, the New Brunswick stylist is pretty proud.

“It’s a very big day,” LeBlanc said from his studio. “It reminds me of when I won in 1985 for ‘Amadeus.'” The stylist shared an Oscar for best makeup for his work on Milos Forman’s movie about Mozart.

LeBlanc, who has been busy with the New Brunswick hair salon he opened a year ago, created the hairstyle for Bardem’s character in “No Country for Old Men,” drawing on the mop tops of the British warriors in the medieval Crusades as well as the haircuts of the 1960s for inspiration.

Bardem won the best supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of Anton Chigurh in the Coen brothers’ film. His haircut for the movie has been roundly mocked by comedians. Oscar telecast host Jon Stewart quipped Sunday night that Bardem’s haircut combined “Hannibal Lecter’s murderousness with Dorothy Hamill’s wedge-cut.”

Even Bardem acknowledged the quirky mop cut in his acceptance speech.

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“This is pretty amazing and I want to thank the Coens for being crazy enough to think that I could do that and put one of the most horrible haircuts in history on my head,” Bardem said.

“No Country for Old Men” also won Oscars for best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay.

“It’s very good for them and for me,” said LeBlanc, who has worked with Joel and Ethan Coen for many years. “It’s a film that will have a long life and it’s nice to know that my art will live on as well.”

Bardem “told me every morning when I finished the top that it helped him to get into character,” LeBlanc said.