Ariana Grande's Ex Pete Davidson Looks Completely Unrecognisable in Shocking New Transformation Photos

Pete Davidson has vanished into a role so convincingly that fans on the streets of Brooklyn reportedly walked straight past him.

New behind-the-scenes photographs from the set of his upcoming crime thriller Tommy Karate show the 32-year-old comedian sporting a dark, longer wig and piercing blue contact lenses, a dramatic departure from his familiar buzzcut and pale eyes.

The images, which began circulating on social media and were picked up by outlets including Geo News, capture Davidson filming on location in New York, dressed head-to-toe in character. The transformation has reignited attention on a film the actor has described as his most personal project to date.

Why Pete Davidson's Tommy Karate Look Is Turning Heads in Brooklyn

The images show Davidson wearing a black bomber jacket emblazoned with the word 'Okinawa' and a red Japanese Oni mask stitched across the back. He paired the jacket with a black button-up shirt featuring a bird print, black trousers and red trainers, an outfit far removed from the comedian's usual off-duty style.

Combined with the wig and contact lenses, the look was striking enough that passers-by did not immediately recognise the former Saturday Night Live star. It marks the second time in as many months that behind-the-scenes images from the production have drawn attention, after Davidson first unveiled the character on Instagram on 23 July.

'Petey'z all growns up now,' he wrote alongside the first look. 'Here's Pete Davidson as mobster Tommy Karate. Was a long journey to get here but excited for everyone to see how talented he is.'

Playing a Real-Life Bonanno Hitman

In Tommy Karate, Davidson plays Thomas Pitera, a convicted Bonanno crime family enforcer who earned his nickname after training in Japanese martial arts and was ultimately convicted of multiple murders in 1992. He remains incarcerated at USP Big Sandy in Kentucky.

The film is based on Philip Carlo's non-fiction book The Butcher: Anatomy of a Mafia Psychopath and is directed by Justin Chon, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Davidson and Joseph Gay. The cast includes Camila Mendes, Paul Walter Hauser and Simon Rex, with Hauser playing the DEA agent who led the investigation into Pitera.

Production began this summer, with Davidson serving as both star and producer through his North.Five.Six banner, alongside Two & Two Pictures and Gramercy Park Media. Davidson has spoken about the project as a long-held ambition rather than a passing role.

'Tommy Karate is the greatest mob story never told,' he said in a statement reported by Deadline in March. 'I've been working on this for over three years, and I'm beyond thrilled that it's finally in motion.'

He added that stepping into a dramatic, villainous part represented a shift from the comedic roles that built his career. 'Playing a role like this is a dream job,' he said.

'We have a great team behind this one, and I can't wait for people to see what we've come up with.' Chon has described the approach as a deliberate break from genre convention, saying the production is 'reimagining the gangster genre through a contemporary lens' rather than leaning on nostalgia.

Sobriety, Fatherhood and a Career-Defining Role

The role arrives amid visible change for Davidson, who entered sobriety in September 2024 after treatment for PTSD and borderline personality disorder.

He has since discussed gaining weight and adjusting to performing comedy while sober, telling The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in July 2025 that he initially worried his instincts had dulled.

'I'm weirdly sharper and more aware, so it's more fun,' he said. Davidson also became a father for the first time in December 2025, welcoming daughter Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson with girlfriend Elsie Hewitt, whom he began dating publicly in March 2025.

The couple has continued to be seen together in the months since, balancing new parenthood with Davidson's return to a heavy production schedule. Tommy Karate does not yet have a confirmed release date, though filming is understood to be ongoing in and around New York.

Whatever the film's eventual reception, the set photographs have already achieved one thing: making one of America's most recognisable comedians briefly disappear in plain sight.