The way he looks is part of the Gould effect.It is not so much that he seems so ordinary as that he seems so little like a star.
His clothes, whether custom-made suits or crumpled fatigues, never quite fit; his hair could use a trim; and he can raise a heavy beard (as he is now doing) in a matter of days.
Time Magazine, Sept 1970
In his latter years, Gould and legendary Hollywood comedian Groucho Marx became friends. Gould remembers:
Once "when I was in my long-hair-and-overalls period, I changed a lightbulb over Groucho's bed. He said, 'That's the best acting I've ever seen you do.'
Elliott Gould: Never Knowingly Underdressed
