Unpacking the mystery of Matt Damon's ponytail.

Image: Youtube.

We haven’t seen much of Matt Damon since Interstellar came out last year. He’s been keeping a pretty low profile, so we imagine he’s just been busy filming movies and raising his four children. You know, the regular ‘Hollywood star’ stuff.

However, what we didn’t suspect was that he’d also spent that time growing his hair. A lot.

RELATED: Jared Leto just cut off his luscious merman hair.

At a press conference in Beijing yesterday, the 44-year-old teamed blue jeans and plaid shirt with an accessory we’ve never seen him wear before: a ponytail. And not just a little stub, either — I’m talking a golden, flowing affair with an enviable natural wave. Here’s the Damon-tail in all its glory, from a number of angles. (Post continues after gallery.)

The photos of Damon’s hair have sparked a lot of chatter in The Glow‘s office this morning. Questions and conspiracy theories have been tossed around like confetti at a wedding.

Join us as we unpack the delicious mystery of this bold new look.

1. Is Damon using the power of his follicles to take the heat off Ben Affleck?

The two actors have been close for years — remember Good Will Hunting? — so it's probably hard for Damon to watch his mate going through such a highly-publicised (and let's admit it, shocking) divorce right now.

It's also universally agreed Matt Damon seems like a decent guy; you know, the type who would grow a ponytail as red herring to draw the media's harsh spotlight away from his best friend's divorce. Right?

2. Can hair even grow that long in the space of six months?

This is Matt Damon in January this year. Note the closely-cropped hair:

As anyone who's ever had a disastrously short haircut and willed it to grow out will tell you, hair growth is not particularly fast — rudimentary Google research indicates human hair typically grows half an inch per month.

RELATED: 5 ways to make your hair look longer

It's only been six months since this photo was taken, yet Damon's ponytail boasts some serious length — surely more than three inches. Does he simply have the gift of preternaturally fast-growing hair? Has he been using some top-secret growth serum? Or is it... a wig? TELL US YOUR SECRETS, MATTHEW. Please.

3. Was Brad Pitt his hair-spiration?

Judging by the world's reaction this morning, you'd think Matt Damon was the first celebrity man to grow his hair long and tie it back. But he's in very good company — Brad Pitt is another known ponytail enthusiast.

You have to wonder — does Damon have a secret Pinterest board dedicated to 'inspirational ponytails', and is it full of photos of Brad Pitt and Jared Leto? (Post continues after gallery.)

4. What's his preferred hair elastic width?

With a great ponytail comes a great dilemma: finding a hair elastic that does the job. Is Damon a thin-band man, or does he like his hair secured with something more thick and sturdy? And here's an even more pressing question:

Does Matt Damon break and/or lose his hairbands at the same ridiculous rate as the rest of us? Because those things have a talent for disappearing, rivalled only by their partners in crime: bobby pins.

RELATED: 10 of the greatest unsolved beauty mysteries of all time.

5. Does he use dry shampoo?

The altar of dry shampoo has hordes of devout worshippers — most of them women. Now Damon is learning the ropes of long, lush hair, and the 'day three oil slick' woes that come with it, has he been introduced to the time-saving powers of everyone's favourite hair product? If not, someone should probably let him in on it. Matt, we recommend Pantene Pro-V Volume Booster Dry Shampoo ($9.99). (Post continues after video.)

6. What secrets is he keeping in there?

You know what they say about big hair:

What are you hiding in that lovely ponytail, Matt? Deep thoughts? Snacks? Movie scripts?

7. How did he achieve that incredible bounce and volume?

Seriously, it's gorgeous. Not since Ariana Grande has a ponytail so quickly captured our attention and admiration. So how does he do it? Does he use a coconut oil treatment, like Nicole Richie? Does he scrunch it up with sea salt spray? We must know.

RELATED: Half-wave hair - the new easy style that's meant to look imperfect

8. Wait a second... does Matt Damon read The Glow?

Indulge me for a moment here. Last month we ran a story on this here website about how "bronde" is an increasingly popular hair colour (bronde being a portmanteau of blonde and brown); two weeks later, Matt Damon has long hair in a colour that could only be described as bronde. You don't need to be Jason Bourne to figure out that's not a coincidence.

What do you think of Matt Damon's haircut? Do you have any theories about it?