Denzel Washington transformed his look for 1970s film Inner City and the internet has gone crazy

Since starring in his first film way back in 1981, Denzel Washington has been known as somewhat of a cool character when it comes to both his movies and his personal life. But when the Hollywood star was spotted on the streets of Venice Beach, Los Angeles recently sporting a very different look than his fans are used to seeing him rocking, fans couldn't stop making jokes about his new aesthetic.

On the set of his upcoming crime drama, Inner City, the 62-year-old was spotted filming in costume as Roman Israel, a driven and idealistic defence attorney who finds himself in a dangerous situation following a "tumultuous series of events".

Donning some serious thick-rimmed glasses, a jazzy oversized shirt and a time-period-appropriate hairdo – complete with a bemused expression – one Twitter user poked fun saying: "Denzel Washington looks like your grandma when she can sense your parents haven't fed you yet."

Another likened him to someone's auntie while a third claimed Washington looked like he was the manager of a fast food chain. Photoshopping the image to make it look like he was at a drive-through window, the user captioned the image: "I am the manager... the ice cream machine still broke."

The casual top and baggy jeans weren't the only clothes that Washington was seen in either. Later on, the Fences star was photographed wearing a cherry red suit which went down just as well online. One fan even wrote: "Let me tell y'all something right now @TheAcademy, y'all need to go ahead and ship Denzel his Oscar right now if he's looking like this."

Directed by Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler) and also starring 24 actor Nazneen Contractor, Nashville's Joseph David-Jones, The Leftovers' Amanda Warren and Colin Farrell, Inner City is yet to schedule a UK or US release date. However, it is expected that it will reach cinemas sometime in 2018.