Normally an actor growing facial hair for a role isn't that big of a deal, but that wasn't the case for Henry Cavill and the mustache he grew for Mission: Impossible - Fallout. The upper lip decoration had already garnered a fair amount of attention when the first look at his character, August Walker, dropped, but once the facial hair caused problems for the Justice League reshoots, then it took on new life. Cavill had fun with the mustache situation on social media, but with both Justice League and Fallout behind him, Cavill admits that he did enjoy his time with it, mainly because it caused such a fuss. Cavill explained:
If I was ever going to grow a mustache, it would have to be a world-changing mustache, and I'm glad it was. I've put up with that thing for a year, I've learned to love it and now I miss it. I'm glad it got so much in the way of media attention and everything because if I ever grow a mustache again, I can look back and know that I can find so much in the way of videos and memes and Instagram posts, whatever it may be just to remind me of what it was like. And hopefully one day I can show my grandkids.
Henry Cavill's mustache could have just been a distinctive physical feature for August Walker in Mission: Impossible - Fallout and that would have been the end of this, but thanks to the controversy which is now called Mustachegate, it caused quite the stir online. Cavill's work on Fallout overlapped with when Justice League was undergoing reshoots, and the actor was contracted to keep the mustache intact. As a result, the Justice League VFX team had to digitally remove the mustache from those extra scenes in post-production, and the end results were... not great. But what was a problem for Justice League was a blessing to the internet, resulting in numerous memes being created. As Cavill told EW, all that attention was worth it in the long run, though I suspect the next time he grows a mustache for a role, it won't be received with nearly as much fervor.
In any other movie, Henry Cavill might have been able to get away with wearing a fake mustache, but not so for Mission: Impossible - Fallout, because according to director Christopher McQuarrie, a facsimile wouldn't have been able to endure the action Cavill was being put through without "a liberal dose of staples." Cavill shaved off the mustache late last month and properly paid tribute to his fallen ally, but we'll have the privilege of basking in its gloriousness on the big screen when August Walker assists Ethan Hunt in his latest spy adventure.
You can see a fully mustachioed Henry Cavill in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, which opens in theaters on July 27. Head to our 2018 release schedule to find out when this year's other major motion pictures will premiere.
