Robert Downey Jr. is unrecognizable with receding red hair in pic from new series

Robert Downey Jr. looked nearly unrecognizable after undergoing a physical transformation for his role in the upcoming HBO spy series "The Sympathizer."

The "Iron Man" star, 57, was spotted on the series' set in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 11, wearing a curly red wig with a receding hairline. The actor also had bleached eyebrows, which added to his shocking change of appearance.

Downey wore a burgundy windbreaker jacket, a pink buttoned-down shirt and navy blue pants.

The "Sherlock Holmes" star prepped for his new look in October when he asked his kids Exton, 10, and Avri, 8, to shave his head. He posted a cute video of the procedure on Instagram.

"The things we do for our work… and our kids. #Sympathizer set ready," he captioned the clip.

In November, Variety described “The Sympathizer” as a “satirical espionage thriller.” The series, which is based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel of the same name, tells the story of a half French, half Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and the spy's subsequent exile in the United States.

Downey plays multiple supporting roles in the series, which stars Hoa Xuande as the story's main character. Sandra Oh, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le, Alan Trong, Kieu Chinh and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen round out the cast.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com