At 47, Ben Affleck has seamlessly eased into a solid salt-and-pepper look, allowing the gray flecks of older wisdom to creep in amidst the dark and tousled youthful edge that still remains.
But the lifelong creation on Affleck's head has been swapped.
Now there sits a bright blonde scene-kid sideswipe on top, with an even lighter goatee below. Mr. Affleck has gone full 90s, with a hint of court jester.
To be fair, Ben Affleck is not going through any apparent identity crisis. Nor did he swap to platinum blonde to get back at his over-protective parents.
The man is an actor, people. He's working.
Affleck is working, in fact, on a film called The Last Duel, a France-set historical drama due out in December 2020.
Affleck will star alongside Adam Driver and long-time friend Matt Damon, with whom Affleck wrote and co-starred in the Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting in 1997.
The photo of Affleck in all his toe-head glory was snagged on set during a day of filming.
If Affleck had any intention of keeping a low profile, the photo is doing him zero favors.
The rainy day of shooting has every single person around him wearing raincoats, a clothing category with a typically dark palette.
Beyond that, every other person in the photo has either a hood covering their head or a dark umbrella covering even more.
Not Ben Affleck, though. The man's head shines like a misplaced sun, poking out to warm the mortals.
Most people online understood the professional element at play. But that didn't stop the internet from absolutely loving the new look, and crafting infinite snarky comments to celebrate it.
@InterimAmy/Twitter
A couple tweets boot Blonde Ben in context with the other stars, Driver and Damon.
All make the film's December 2020 release look equal parts promising and horrifying.
Three cheers for Hollywood, for its constant efforts to make us excited, then completely appalled when we get bits and pieces like this, and then either amped AF or hugely let down. The roller coaster cannot be stopped.
@PreetBharara/X
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@christopherharris/Bluesky
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AMC