There is nothing wrong with being concerned about a celebrity who you care for and whose career you follow. Especially if you do not hear about him often. Always wondering how they are doing and then reacting to the few times we do get some glimpse of how things are going.
Yes, we are all 3 years older than when we last saw Alex on our screens, and a lot changed in that time for him and for us. And anything is possible …..
But one of the things I have learned over the 12 years of studying Alex, is that people so easily take things out of context and make assumptions about him from random pictures. Many of my studies were inspired by looking deeper into some of the wild speculations that come from pictures taken out of context and from not looking at factors that can have an influence on how a picture portray Alex. And also when a picture was taken – in other words, what pictures came before it in time and what afterward. That sometimes gives the clearest explanation of whether a picture is odd or not.
Some of those studies over the years came from comments about rhinoplasty and hair loss and some other fan theories that were flying around. A picture or even a screencap of a video is one moment in a series of expressions. And at that moment any of us can have a weird look and things can appear strange. Light, shadows, angels, and many other factors like Photoshop and lens settings can have an influence on what a person looks like in a picture that is posted.
For instance when we got the first picture of Alex at Egan’s induction into the Hawaiian Sports Hall of Fame in August 2022. Comments like – “Alex looks puffy, swollen, overweight, and seriously ill”, were posted. Then other pictures came later and now “Alex was too thin and looked tired”, were the comments. Things said about pictures from the same night. And of course, many were shocked by the sudden grey hair!
Oh, and then came the event in Vegas in September and looking at those pictures individually and out of context – and some of us might be ready to send Alex to ICU.
Some context to this picture:
- This picture was taken after a hard session of belt testing and some serious exercise – the video of that is available.
- It was taken shortly after Alex was awarded his Black Belt, and on the video, you can clearly hear how emotional he gets during his speech and see how he rubs his eyes.
- In the picture, you can see the tan line around his neck, of what seems to be too much time spent in the sun before that night.
- Add to that some harsh lights in the stadium on grey hair we are not really used to yet ….
And then it all makes better sense why some might find this picture odd!
But looking at all the pictures as a whole, Alex looks in rather good shape to me ….. maybe even the best of his life!
And therefore some answers to questions like:
- Comment: “It is only noticeable that he seems very exhausted and tired at times.”
Unfortunately, many of the latest pictures were taken of Alex exercising or at BJJ events – and I think we can all agree that one would look kind of tired during and after exercise like that.
- Comment: “But please what happened to him in the last 3 years that he turned so gray. Does he look years older in some new pics?
“
Please don’t forget what Alex himself has been saying for many years already since 2009 ….
“I didn’t have a grey hair when I started Moonlight. Now I’m on the Clooney train … to freedom.”
– Alex O’Loughlin, ET, October 2009
Alex on the set of The Back Up Plan in 2009
Yes, that was 14 years ago already …!!
“I’m on the Clooney train to freedom. I love it.”
– Alex O’Loughlin, Men’s Fitness, August 2011
Once you start turning grey it is an ongoing process and over a period of 14 years you will definitely have more grey hair than when you started ….
This is Alex as Steve in Season 1 …..
How can a person have grey hair one day and then it is darker and then it is grey again? It is called colouring, or dyeing your hair – and then growing it out or washing it out, and doing it again. As simple as that. It is not a mystery and it is not uncommon for women AND men to do it.
Alex at the same press venue two years in a row. In 2012 you can clearly see his grey hair (and lots of it already) and a year later in 2013, no grey …
It is quite clear from this picture in 2012 that Alex had a lot of grey hair already. and now it is 11 years later …. nothing fast about it then.
“I am not 20-something anymore as you can see from the dusting of grey on the sides of my head.”
– Alex O’Loughlin, Inquirer, June 2012
This is Alex as Steve in Season 8 ….. in 2018
Yes, this is 5 years ago and the grey is clearly visible.
I would guess what confused people is this ….
But all it means is that somewhere between April 2021 and August 2022, Alex stopped dyeing his hair.
And to be more precise it seemed to happen somewhere in the 4 months between February 2022 and June 2022
- Comment: “It’s not about the gray hair, it just makes him interesting. I think he looks thin and aged. His swollen eyes. He seems tired/sick to me”
This is exactly the kind of picture you don’t make assumptions from …..!!
To that comment, I will repeat my earlier words. Alex is in pretty good shape and I agree he does not seem to carry any fat at the moment, but he is also not too thin! The tired look is explained by all the exercise events. If he did not look tired in them, he would be superhuman.
In the case of puffy or swollen eyes, light and shadows play a role. Also squinting in bad or harsh light and smiling will cause anybody’s eyes to look puffy. And that is nothing new for Alex as well. Do yourself a favour and check out all the fan pictures from over the years.
These pictures range from 2009 onwards….
Hopefully, that will explain that then ….
It is true that some people would have the early onset of their hair turning grey because of illnesses, but in most cases, it is a genetic factor that causes people to turn grey. The evidence would suggest that that is the case with Alex – genetic.
And in the past many men in Hollywood embraced the distinguished look of their natural grey hair – and lately, it became fashionable with a number of ladies in the industry to enjoy their natural grey hair colour as well.
In 1990, at the age of 40, the very grey Richard Gere starred in Pretty Woman. In 1993 he, with his wife at the time, Cindy Crawford was on the cover of People Magazine as the Sexiest Couple – and of course, Richard was there on the cover, in his full grey glory. And in 1999, at age 50, he was People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive and not shy to pose with his full head of grey hair on the cover.
And then the one Alex mentioned in a number of interviews – In 2006, at the age of 45, an almost completely grey George Clooney was on the cover of People Magazine as the Sexiest Man Alive ……
So, he decided to embrace the grey, but I will definitely not write Alex off as a heartthrob just yet! 🙂
“He’s [Alex]a great storyteller because he can mimic almost anything. And I give credit to a man who happily embraces his gray hair.”
– Katherine Moening, InStyle Magazine, April 2011)
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got to learn from one of the greats Renzo Gracie. Mahalo toUFC GYM also got to meet and share the mat with Alex O’Loughlin AKA “Steve McGarret””
#hawaiifive0 #alexoloughlin #vip #guest #lagacio #actor #holiday #thebackupplan”
Alex O´Loughlin ~ An Intense Study 