You know that "oh man, what have I done?" feeling you get right after you make a drastic hair change? For most of us, that bolt of immediate panic eventually subsides. But for Henry Cavill, the initial response after shaving off all of his facial hair recently brought on a more lasting, forlorn feeling — one that required a full post-mortem tribute to his dearly departed mustache.
In a video post shared to Instagram today, the actor is shown completely clean-shaven. Standing in front of a vanity mirror, Cavill nails the part of the spoiled, self-possessed actor: Not only is the man decked out in a plush white terrycloth robe with a towel wrapped around his head, but he's also holding the world's daintiest cup of espresso. It’s the perfect setup for the actor to hilariously pay respect to his former facial hair.
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“Oh, hello,” he says, facing the camera. “Don’t be alarmed. It’s me, Henry Cavill, sometime superhero and former secret agent. But now, I’m completely clean-shaven. I know, it’s hard to recognize me without KingStache.” (For the uninitiated, KingStache was not only the name Cavill anointed his mustache; it really took on a life of its own. Just last month, KingStache posted its own soliloquy while sharing the trailer for Mission Impossible - Fallout on Cavill’s Instagram account.)
“Sometimes, I even have a hard time recognizing myself. It’s hard to admit: This is not CGI,” Cavill deadpans into the camera, referring to a certain on-set chaos that ensued when Cavill served double-duty this year, shooting two characters on two different film sets — one with a mustache, one without.
Concluding the solemn clip, the actor laments, “He’s really gone,” stoically referencing his once-substantial mustache. “I can tell you this: I will remember him. Always.” What comes next is a full in memoriam-style slideshow that would do the Oscars proud. The sequence of mustachioed pics are all set to Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You,” and are followed by a “shaved but not forgotten” title card to drive home the drama.
We thought we were in love with Chris Hemsworth’s shorn facial hair video posted this week. But dare we say Cavill and his beloved #KingStache tribute have just upped the ante? Your turn, Lionel Richie. (Just kidding, Lionel — never change.)