Despite being out of the spotlight for some time, Macaulay Culkin is still relentlessly followed by the paparazzi. Turns out the narrative of "child actor grows up, is sad" is alive and well in the tabloid world. But this week Culkin inadvertently threw gas on the fire by turning up at, well, a gas station in Los Angeles looking handsomer than ever. Culkin not only appears to have gained weight (his slender frame and brought on unsubstantiated rumors of drug use) but he also cut his shoulder-length hair into a style not unlike the cut that recently established Brad Pitt as a leading man again.

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This messy-short haircut is flattering for two reasons. One, it has just enough length on the top and sides for some texture to come out, without being so long that it weighs everything down. Culkin’s hair was stick-straight when he wore it long, but this cut seems to be bringing out a little bit of wave in his hair. Culkin gets bonus points for not overdoing it with product either; a smart move for a guy with fine texture.

The other flattering quality of this cut is that it’s part and stubble-free. Faded sides and a straight side part can look cool, don’t get us wrong, but a scissors cut like this has a nonchalance that’s flattering on a guy with strong facial features like Culkin. It also happens to be on trend right now—after years of military-like fades, we’ve been seeing lots of guys embracing looser, freer hairstyles.

Macaulay Culkin is working on a new movie directed by his friend, actor Seth Green, called Changeland. We’d be lying if we said we weren’t looking forward to seeing more of the actor both on screen and off.

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