So I've noticed a rather annoying pattern in Hollywood actors. Men will grow out long, beautiful locks for a certain movie or TV show role,(Jake Gyllenhaal in "Prince of Persia", Keanu Reeves in "Chain Reaction" Sawyer in "Lost", Chris Hemsworth in "Thor", etc).
And IMMEDIATELY after they are done recording, they will cut off all the beautiful hair that probably took about a year, if not more, to grow. What gives? It pains me every time I see this. Some of these guys look really really good and have great hair. I myself have thick hair, so I can't pull off a "Sawyer", but these guys can, and they don't appreciate what they have. Seriously what gives?
Here are some pics to show how great these actors looked with their hair:
http://thecampusthrone.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/jake-gyllenhaal-prince-of-persia.jpg
http://www.thefancarpet.com/uploaded_assets/images/gallery/3409/Chain_Reaction_31888_Medium.jpg
http://download.ultradownloads.uol.com.br/wallpaper/113549_Papel-de-Parede-Lost-Sawyer--113549_1280x960.jpg
http://filmsponge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/chris-hemsworth-Snow-White-Huntsman.jpg
Simple: To an actor, hair style is part of the costume NOT their choice. So, end role revert to preferred hairstyle.
You already gave the answer yourself:
Men will grow out long, beautiful locks FOR a certain movie or TV show role.
They do it because they need longhair for the role. It's their job they don't have longhair because they like it. Maybe they discover they like longhair because of the role but when they need short hair for a role they will also cut it.
Not everyone likes longhair like we do.
allow me to respond to this differently
A few years ago there was an uproar about the whole Felicity hair-cutting episode causing a decline in ratings so many Bollywood producers/directors will stipulate a contract forbidding many actresses from cutting their hair.
what does this have to do with Long hair on Men?
the opposite most likely applies that Men should have styles that reflect the "Norm" of any era so unless that changes where longer hair becomes the norm or there is a specific role which calls for longer lengths(such as historical type films) they will have to probably comply with the wishes of the Producers and directors.
I think more Male actors would wear their hair longer if it was not for this asinine rule.
like us, Male actors would restrict their employment opportunities if they grew their hair long so until short hair completely dies out you will continue to see most male actors with short haircuts.
That looks like the most logical answer. For example, when Michael Praed played Robin Hood in the 1980s UK TV series he had long hair which may have been a wig since his hair looked unnatural, especially when he was lying on the ground and it fell back.
Then his Robin Hood character was killed in battle, allowing Praed to go on to play a role in Dynasty with short hair, while a long haired Jason Connery became the new Robin Hood until the series ended,
I missed Praed's convincing swordsmanship. Unfortunately, Connery's wasn't as convincing. I guess that because Praed was into fencing.
Praed was taller and had dark hair which thrashed around gracefully as he moved in battle, while Connery had slightly shorter blonde hair, which looked good in its own way.
Almost every hairdo in every big budget movie is a wig. It's for continuity, since movies aren't filmed in chronological sequence. The difficulty of precisely replicating the same length and style in every scene filmed over months makes real hair a problem.
Entertainers (actors, musicians, dancers, ect.) routinely wear either full wigs, where their own hair is completely covered (ex. Whitney Houston), or various types of hair pieces/extentions that can be "woven" into their natural hair (ex. Britany Spears and Serena Williams). They come in every style and color, and, yes, it not only helps with continuity of the character/entertainer looking the same during different performances, but it also frequently makes the person's hair look a lot better than it would if left completely natural.
Yes, some of the fake hair in movies is pretty bad, but that is the fault of the costuming/makeup department, not the fault of the actor. Just think how these actors must feel having to actually wear some of these wigs, and to have millions of people see them that way! I guess that's the price of fame. :)
Chris Hemsworth at "Thor" wearing a wig, after shooting the film allowed to grow his hair.
Not to forget Keanu Reeves and Brendan Fraser, who also cut their hair after their roles in "Little Buddha" and "Airheads". And I am sure, that there are some more actors, who did the same...
http://nikkeiview.com/images/keanu_reeves-littlebuddha.jpg
http://cineplex.media.baselineresearch.com/images/75813/75813_large.jpg
Maybe the hair they have in movies or tv is either a wig or extension.