Mahershala Ali went for a "Sidney Poitier vibe" for his 1990s True Detective hairstyle

New York Post

“The inspiration came from a photo that Mahershala found himself: a reference photo of a gentleman from Arkansas in 1980,” says Brian Badie, the HBO drama's head of hair. “And he had a very similar hairstyle as Mahershala’s character. For the ’90s look we went for a Sidney Poitier vibe.” ALSO: How Season1 is tied to Season 3.