After asking you to name the mystery star in this hilarious photo, the PopWatch inbox was flooded with literally hundreds of guesses. (Uh, looks like you guys are fans of this game!) Among my favorites:
I’m gonna go off the gender board and guess Sinead O’Connor pre-buzzcut. — Dan Via
Really looks like Tom Cruise trying to don drag in the early ’80s. — Zachary Heuer
It’s Tony Soprano in his pre-mob, post-punk, wake-me-up- before-I-whack-you phase. — Carey Jenkins
The actor who played Angela’s son on Who’s the Boss? What was his name, Danny Pintauro or something? — Mike Ness
I absolutely refuse to believe that picture is of a real person. Those Damien/Omen eyes. That scarily androgynous….glow. The post-Princess Leia/pre-Padme Amidala white (complete with the scarf, I might add…) There’s only one celebrity who could be the posessor of all things back then, in a desperate attempt to not miss out on anything: George Clooney. –Henry McMullen
I’m guessing Jude Law. It’s his Playbill picture for the West End’s production of The Outsiders! The Musical. — Eric Rogers
Hmmm, your ‘lad’ looks suspiciously like Liz Hurley to me, although Idon’t see this as a particularly successful Estee Lauder campaign. — Adam Kennedy
All very entertaining guesses — but all of them wrong. Other misidentifications: David Bowie, Boy George, George Michael, Ewan McGregor, David Cassidy, Edward Furlong, Eddie Izzard, Johnny Depp, Simon Cowell, Rosie O’Donnell, Samantha Morton, and Sean Connery, just to name a few.
So, who is our mystery lad? Follow the jump to find out…
It’s Ricky Gervais!
(I know, right?!?!?)
Apparently the creator and star of the original, British Office was once in a new-wave band called Seona Dancing. Hence the gelled hair, white scarf, and eyeliner in this publicity shot from 1983.
LOTS of you got it right — too many to name — so special kudos go to the first five readers who answered correctly:
Catherine Haight
Daniel Leroux
Jordan Katz
Rahul Agarwal
Toon Mangklarat
Thanks for playing, and look for Round 2 later today!
Doobie Doo! I totally got it right! Yess! Even without my name in print, the braga-dicious rights are worth it…aww yeah!
What???!!!
Damn! I thought it was liz hurley.
never in a million years would i’ve guessed that right. i was thinking British, but got completely stumped.
I was thinking Brit too for some reason and I knew I recognized the eyes- just couldn’t place it! I have such a crush on him after watching “Extras”.
XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD He looked like a girl!
It looks like a young Liev Schrieber to me.
It figures. I get something right for once and they only list the first five correct people. Seriously though, who knew Ricky Gervais was an androgynous punk back in the day? It’s a shame this picture never showed up on The Office.
Come on, It’s Sean Young from Stripes. The actress who got thrown out of a recent Oscar after party because she was not invited.
Stephanie, you get props for mentioning my favorite crazy b lister.
And Devin, you are soo on the money! Did anyone else like the ep in the Office (American) where the old newsletter is unfurled and we see Michael Scott’s 80′s tastic do? Imagine if we could only have seen this photo as the “If you don’t know me by now” single’s cover art.
He has nice eyes! Looked a little boy georgeish
At first, I thought it was David Sylvian with subtler makeup. Then I thought maybe it was Samantha Morton. But then I thought why would either be on Popwatch?
Gawd, Ricky Gervais was pretty back in the day!
And he still has the same hairstyle! How did I not get that?! LOL
it’s ricky gervais people
Ricky sez: “If you don’t know me by nooooooowwwww, you will never ever ever know me…ooooooooohhhhh”