Michael Vartan doesn’t need an alias to appear in public thanks to his changed appearance.
The “Alias” alum, 57, was spotted grocery shopping in Los Angeles on Monday, looking nothing like his 2000s fanatic days.
Vartan was dressed casually in a black hoodie, Puma pants and a Los Angeles Kings hat. The actor rocked a gray beard and glasses, adding to his dramatically different look.
Vartan co-starred with Jennifer Garner in Alias from 2001 to 2006, and the two briefly dated in real life in 2003.
He also appeared in the memorable romantic comedies “Never Been Kissed” with Drew Barrymore and “Monster-in Law” with Jennifer Lopez.
His last acting job was a guest appearance on an episode of CBS’s “God Friended Me” in 2018.
Despite taking a step back from Hollywood, Vartan remains friendly with his past co-stars.
In 2023, Garner posted a photo of the two of them on Instagram under “Alias” and wished them a happy birthday.
“I can’t remember why I’m Bavarian, but I’m sure it’s your birthday today,” she wrote. “I hope it’s great, Michael!”
In 2021, he appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show and surprised his former co-stars by revealing that he had “feelings” during the iconic kiss scene in 1999’s Never Been Kissed.
“So I went up on the mound and we started hugging and kissing,” he recalled. “And you really kissed me. I mean, you really kissed me.”
“I was totally unprepared. I’m a guy,” he continued. “I was very young and had feelings at the time…”
Vartan said she had to pre-emptively end the kiss to avoid embarrassment.
“So what I did was panic and yell, ‘Cut,’ and I bent down and said, ‘Oh, sorry, I pulled my hip. I was playing ball at lunch and I pulled my hip,'” he said. “Finally, I was able to get my mind right.”
Vartan reflected on his role as charming teacher Sam Coulson when Page Six spoke to him in 2019.
“I never wanted to be an actor,” Vartan said. “I had no idea what I was doing. I remember the first week of filming. I was so nervous and wanted to do well that I was more focused on not forgetting my lines or vomiting on Drew’s shoes than doing any actual creative work.”
Barrymore also made a big impression.
“[Drew]showed up on the first day of filming in an old, beat-up white Volvo. From that moment on, she was my hero,” he recalled. “She was just one of the sweetest, nicest people and treated everyone equally. That’s the way it should be, but unfortunately that’s not always the case.”
