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Steve! (Martin) a Documentary in 2 Pieces

Steve Martin

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘STEVE! (martin). A Documentary In 2 Pieces,’ On Apple TV+, Two Starkly Different Takes On The Still-Evolving Life And Work Of A Comedy Legend

Steve Martin Recalls His Father Criticizing His Performance in ‘The Jerk’: “He’s No Charlie Chaplin”

Steve Martin, at the age of 78, is now finally in his ’70s, though many like to joke that the comedian has looked like a senior citizen for at least 40 years. Martin’s hair went gray earlier than most, in his early 30s. Most celebrities would cover that up with hair dye, but Martin never did. In fact, as Martin says in his new two-part documentary series on Apple TV+, Steve! (martin), he found that embracing his gray hair actually helped his career.

“When I worked with Bob Einstein, he said, ‘You know what’s gonna help you? Age.’ And he was right. Because the act looked juvenile,” Martin explains in his new documentary, which began streaming on Friday. “That’s why it helped when my hair turned gray a little bit. You always have to think that a grown man is doing this.”

In fact, before he took off in the ’70s, Martin had been embracing the stereotypical “hippie” look of the ’60s. His hair was long and untamed (much to the chagrin of his parents), his beard was scruffy, and his clothes were loose-fitting. But, Martin said, that look was him trying to be someone he wasn’t. And more importantly, it wasn’t working for him.

“Somebody said, ‘Oh, you look like you’re trying to be the Eagles.’ I wasn’t making any waves, so I made a decision: Instead of being at the tail end of an old movement, I’ll be at the front end of a new one,” Martin explained. “So I decided, ‘OK, I’m putting on a suit, I’m putting on a tie, and I’m cutting my hair. Instead of looking like a hippie from the ’60s, I’ll look like somebody new from the ’70s.'”

Steve Martin at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wi., July 22,1978. Photo: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

His new clean-cut look, paired with his premature gray hair, offered a beneficial juxtaposition to his zany, unconventional stand-up routine, which saw him darting around the stage in erratic movements, strumming the banjo, and playing with a variety of silly props. Obviously, that approach worked out for Martin, who went on to be one of the most famous and successful stand-up comedians of all time.

Let this be a lesson, then: Gray hair isn’t always a reason for despair.

Steve! (martin) is now streaming on Apple TV+.