What started as a simple mustache turned into a force of nature over the course of a year. Alright, that’s going too far, but Henry Cavill’s upper lip decoration for Mission: Impossible - Fallout definitely attracted a lot of attention, particularly for how it affected the Justice League reshoots. Alas, once Fallout finished filming, Cavill shaved off the mustache, and he won’t be bringing it back for the foreseeable future. In Cavill’s words:
The mustache had its moment. Maybe someday it will return, but that will probably a while.
Henry Cavill’s mustache was among the many topics discussed during the actor’s interview with GQ Germany, but those of you who were hoping that he might regrow the mustache at some point will be disappointed. Mission: Impossible - Fallout wasn’t the first time Cavill had facial hair in a role, but it was definitely the most infamous time, to the point that months after Fallout had been released in theaters and even longer since Cavill shaved, Paramount Pictures made a charitable donation in honor of the mustache. Few mustaches in history have wielded such power, so perhaps Cavill is wise to make sure it doesn’t rise again by staying clean shaven.
The decision for Henry Cavill to grow a mustache for the role of August Walker in Mission: Impossible - Fallout wasn’t given a lot of thought, but the facial hair would have enormous ramifications for the actor on Justice League. Because Justice League’s reshoots coincided with when Fallout was still shooting, Cavill was unable to shave his mustache when he reprised Superman. As a result, the mustache had to be CGI’d out for numerous scenes in Justice League’s final cut, and the end result… did not look great, to put it lightly. Cavill acknowledged that had he known what was going to happen with Justice League, he would have made a “difference choice” with his Fallout look.
But even beyond how Henry Cavill’s mustache affected Justice League, a.k.a. Mustachgate, plenty of people had fun with the facial hair online for months, to the point that it became meme worthy. Even HBO continued the teasing long after the fact. Nevertheless, this was just a brief period of amusement, and Mustachegate 2.0 is on indefinite hiatus. However, that’s not to say that all is lost.
It was announced last week that Christopher McQuarrie is returning to write and direct two more Mission: Impossible movies, and he’s reportedly considered bringing back Henry Cavill and Alec Baldwin to reprise August Walker and Alan Hunley, respectively, for flashbacks. If that ends up happening, then perhaps Cavill will be required to grow back that mustache, though it would be for a shorter amount of time. Hey, it’s better than nothing, right?
You can see Henry Cavill next in the upcoming Netflix series The Witcher, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on the actor’s career. In the meantime, look through our 2019 release schedule to learn what movies are being released in theaters later this year.
