Zayn Malik has opened up about the rules he had to follow when in One Direction – namely involving his beard. The 23-year-old admitted that when he was a part of One Direction, their management were pretty strict about their image. “I always wanted a beard! I think every dude does when they’re young,” the singer told PAPER Magazine.
“Facial hair was a weird thing. I think it’s ’cause I just looked old. And they didn’t like that. “Seeing Al Pacino in Carlitio’s Way – I needed the goatee after that. I was like, ‘I wanna be Al Pacino.’ “I’ve always been obsessed with that, and I had to shave it off. I used to get a bit sad,” he said.
Since leaving the band, Zayn has been shocked with the amount of support he’s received from his fans. “There’ve been a few moments where I’ve been really taken aback. “I feel like everybody looks for some sort of approval from some form in their life, and my fans are my approval. “It’s a sense of achievement that you can’t really explain,” he added.