There were many reasons why Zayn Malik decided to quit One Direction last year, but it seems we can now add his desire to grow a beard to the list. Speaking to Paper magazine, Zayn says he wasn't allowed to grow a beard during his One Direction days, meaning he sadly couldn't imitate Al Pacino in Carlito’s Way.

Zayn MalikZayn Malik is now free to grow a beard since going solo.

"Facial hair was a weird thing," he said about his time in One Direction. "I think it's 'cause I just looked old. And they didn't like that. [And] I always wanted a beard! I think every dude does when they're young. Seeing Al Pacino in Carlito's Way, I needed the goatee after that."

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“I was like, 'I wanna be Al Pacino.' I've always been obsessed with that, and I had to shave it off. I used to get a bit sad.” One person who hopefully supports Zayn’s current facial hair decisions is girlfriend Gigi Hadid.

But while Gigi is certainly beautiful, Zayn says he actually values intelligence over looks when choosing a partner. "I've always said it and I still stand by it: I find intelligence attractive," he said. "When I learn something from somebody and they teach me something, that's an attractive thing for me.

"Obviously, I find physical appearance attractive as well, but it's definitely squared more towards a personality as I've gotten older, because you can't have a long-term relationship unless you get on with the person. It doesn't matter really about the exterior.”

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Zayn also says that he’s not really into partying and instead prefers to spend nights at home. "I don't really enjoy going out too much and partying," he added "I like to have my own time and be at home, and I kind of need a partner with me to do that. I just like the security of that. It feels good to me. It feels right.”