Kiefer Sutherland Details the Inspiration for His Iconic Lost Boys Mullet

Vampires have long been a staple of the horror genre, with The Lost Boys being considered one of the best tales featuring the living undead from the '80s. Star Kiefer Sutherland recently noted that his era-appropriate hairstyle in the film was inspired by musician Billy Idol. Part of what made the film such a success was its pop culture influences and embrace of 1987's contemporary styles, as opposed to the more gothic portrayals of the creatures that movie audiences were familiar with up to that point. Whether you love it or hate it, it's hard to deny just how memorable Sutherland's mullet is, which is all thanks to the "Dancing With Myself" and "White Wedding" singer.

"[Director] Joel Schumacher wanted me to have long hair, and I had long hair at the time and then he wanted it white, a timeless kind of thousand-year-old look," Sutherland revealed to Yahoo Entertainment. "So I dyed it white and my hair was like normally long, like long everywhere. And I just looked like a wrestler! I hated it. And I just thought, 'That's awful.'"

He continued, "And Billy Idol had just come out … and he looked cool. I mean, he just looked badass. And so I thought, 'Well, he's got white hair. That could look really cool.' But Joel wanted my hair long. And so I actually think I might've been responsible, or at least partially responsible, for creating the mullet. And for that, I'll apologize to the death."

In addition to Sutherland, The Lost Boys starred Jason Patric, Corey Feldman, and Corey Haim, who were all some of the hottest actors of the time. While Sutherland might have thought he looked cool, Schumacher didn't entirely share this opinion, though the actor noted the pair have made amends for the style choice.

"He wasn't thrilled with it," Sutherland joked. "But I've done five films with Joel, so we've joked about it later. … I think that [David] character looks really cool, but it was a complete accident that that all happened."

Despite Schumacher's initial disappointment with the haircut, the mullet and all the various other character styles are what help make the movie such a memorable piece of vampire lore.

The CW is currently trying to rework a pilot for a Lost Boys TV series that has been in development for years. Stay tuned for details on the franchise.

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