Khal Drogo may have met his untimely death at the end of Game of Thrones' first season, but the dearly departed character has continued to live on in our (and Daenerys Targaryen's) hearts — and actor Jason Momoa's beard. But at a time when the show's current cast is preparing to part ways with their Westerosi personas, the man behind the late khal has followed suit, doing away with one of his most identifiable features (when he's not wearing a waist-length ponytail fastened with gold rings, that is): his beard.
The actor posted a video to YouTube that showed him buzzing off his iconic facial hair — the first time he's shaved since 2012, as he revealed in an Instagram caption. "Goodbye DROGO, AQUAMAN, DECLAN, BABA ... I’m SHAVING this beast off, it’s time to make a change," he wrote.
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But the purpose of the makeover wasn't just to shed the weight of his recent characters: Momoa actually did it to raise awareness about how plastic is harming the planet. In the four-minute video, the actor urges viewers to drink out of recyclable aluminum cans rather than plastic water bottles, and reveals that he's launching a brand of his own to make it easier to do just that. “I just want to do this to bring awareness that plastics are killing our planet," he says.
The video has garnered over 400,000 views since it was posted yesterday, so Momoa definitely knew what he was doing when he teased a dramatic transformation for a greater cause. Long live Khal Drogo, a savage with a soft side — and a real passion for the environment.