"Much dismay" : why Henry Cavill’s mustache in Mission Impossible cost the production an arm and a leg

To play a villain in the cinema, nothing beats a good mustache! But the one worn by Henry Cavill in Mission Impossible: Fallout cost DC Comics very, very dearly, for whom he was shooting the film at the same time Justice League.

Fans of Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One were waiting for the release of this new opus of the franchise led by Tom Cruise with great impatience! If the saga made its comeback in 2023 in cinemas, the other films are available for streaming. This is the case of Mission Impossible: Fall out, the sixth opus and biggest success of the saga with more than $790 million in global box office revenue, to be seen on Paramount+. The action film released in 2018 is notably marked by impressive stunts performed by the tireless interpreter of Ethan Hunt and the fearsome high-level assassin August Walker, played by Henry Cavill. For his first real role as a villain in the cinema, the Briton sports a mustache, a vanity which would have cost the production of Justice League (2017).

The production of Justice League paid $24 million to erase Henry Cavill’s mustache

Due to two ongoing shoots, the production of Impossible mission had demanded that Henry Cavill keep his character’s mustache and beard. Except that Superman is hairless. So to create an illusion, the American studio DC would have spent an additional 24 million dollars on special effects to create an illusion, as reported by the media Empire! This is why in the opening scene of the choral blockbuster, Henry Cavill’s face is not quite as usual: director Joss Whedon had it digitally modified to fit the character. This little trick also greatly amused Internet users on social networks, making fun of a result considered too “amateur” for such a production. In an interview given to Empire MagazineHenry Cavill quickly explained this “mustache gate”, although he said he was “a little surprised” by the extent of the reactions.

A far-fetched result: Henry Cavill’s amusing reaction

“When we decided to go for the mustache, I didn’t expect it to turn out this way.“said Cavill, admitting that he did not expect the Justice League reshoots to take so long. And adding shortly before the release of the 6th part of Mission: Impossible after Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015) : “As you’ll see when the movie comes out, wearing a fake mustache wouldn’t have been possible“. Once filming was completed, the star of the Netflix series The Witcher was able to get rid of that mustache of discord, a move documented on Instagram. “This led to much consternation (…) I loved it a lot over time, but I’m also very happy to have my own face back“, he said with humor from his dressing room. As a reminder, the most fashionable actor of the moment will not reprise the role of the witcher in The Witchernor even that of Clark Kent.

Article written in collaboration with 6Médias