2000s heartthrob actor looks unrecognizable after leaving Hollywood

Michael Vartan doesn’t need an alias to go out in public thanks to his changing looks.

The “Alias” alum, 57, was spotted grocery shopping in Los Angeles on Monday and looked completely unrecognizable from his days as a 2000s heartthrob.

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 drastically different appearance.

Vartan starred in “Alias” opposite Jennifer Garner from 2001-2006, and the two dated briefly in real life in 2003.

He also starred in memorable rom-coms “Never Been Kissed” with Drew Barrymore and “Monster-in-Law” with Jennifer Lopez.

His last acting gig was guest starring in an episode of CBS’ “God Friended Me” back in 2018.

Vartan is still friendly with his past co-stars despite taking a step back from Hollywood.

In 2023, Garner wished him a happy birthday on Instagram by posting a still of them together on “Alias.”

“I can’t remember why I was Bavarian, but I do know today is your birthday,” she wrote. “Hope it’s a great one, Michael!”

In 2021, he appeared on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” and stunned his former co-star by revealing he had “feelings” during their iconic kissing scene in 1999’s “Never Been Kissed.”

“So, I get up to the mound, we embrace, and we start kissing,” he recalled. “And you really kissed me. I mean, you really kissed me.”

“I was not ready for it in the least. I’m a man,” he continued. “I was a very young man back then and, you know, I had feelings and …”

Vartan said he had to preemptively end the kiss so as not to embarrass himself.

“So what I did is, in a panic, I just yelled ‘Cut’ and bent over and said, ‘Oh guys, sorry, my back. I pulled my back out playing ball at lunch,’” he shared. “Finally, I was able to compose myself.”

Vartan reflected on his role as attractive teacher Sam Coulson when Page Six spoke to him in 2019.

“I had never wanted to be an actor ever,” Vartan told us. “I had no idea what I was doing. I remember the first week of shooting, I was concentrating more on not forgetting my lines or vomiting on Drew’s shoes rather than doing actual creative work because I was so nervous and I wanted to do so well.”

Barrymore also left a big impression on him.

“[Drew] showed up on the first day of shooting in an old, beat up, white Volvo and from that moment on she was my hero,” he recalled. “She was just one of the sweetest, nicest people and treated everyone equally, which [is] the way it should be, but unfortunately it isn’t always the case.”