Antony Starr's fake beard 'was like chewing pubic hair'

Antony Starr sports an epic beard in the fourth and final season of Banshee.

Antony Starr says his rugged new look for the final season of Banshee won't rank among his favourite acting experiences.

Starr is currently on screen for the final season of the violent SoHo show, and in early episodes he sported a new look with long hair and a scraggly beard.

Antony Starr in the latest season of Banshee.

It looked so real that some viewers were left wondering if Starr might have spent his time off growing it all himself.

But in a statement to the Herald, Starr admitted his hairy homeless man look was created over two-hour sessions in the make-up chart.

He said the beard was made out of human hair - and it wasn't fun.

"It was pretty itchy and the moustache had to be removed to eat, or hairs got swept into my mouth and it was like chewing pubic hair," Starr said.

"It also needed a lot of maintenance during the day to retain its shape (or it) looked like a dish scrubber or copper coils.

Starr said the beard took an hour or so to apply, and up to another hour for his hair to be lengthened.

"We had it on only for a short amount of scenes so I never got to grow truly annoyed with it, though I have heard other actors complain about how hot and scratchy they can be and I have an inkling into what they mean," Starr said.

Starr is currently filming his new CBS show, American Gothic, which is due to hit screens in American in June. He plays Garrett Hawthorne, the estranged son of a wealthy businessman.

Banshee screens on SoHo here, and streams on Neon.