Due to an upcoming television role, Robert Downey Jr. has shaved his head completely bald.
Since Downey Jr.'s 11-year stint with Marvel, the actor has been relatively quiet, starring in 2020's Doolittle and is set to star in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer which releases on July 21, 2023.
The 57-year-old actor is also reportedly returning for a third Sherlock Holmes film that may start filming by the end of 2022.
As the actor's post-Marvel career ramps up, Downey Jr. is set to begin filming his first-ever starring role in a TV series. In order to begin filming, Downey Jr. had to make a drastic change to his appearance.
Robert Downey Jr. Shaves His Head
In lieu of wearing a bald cap for his new role in HBO's The Sympathizer, Robert Downey Jr. decided to shave his hair off with a little help.
The Sympathizer series, based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is currently in production, filming in Los Angeles and Thailand.
Alongside his wife Susan, Downey Jr. showed off his new shaven look at the Governor's Ball.
The actor took to Instagram saying with the following caption:
"Honored to be amongst great company at this year’s Governor’s Ball. A big congrats to this year’s inspiring recipients. Thank you @netflix & @theacademy for having us."
The couple is all smiles and laughs on the red carpet, even with Downey sporting a new look.
Here's a closer headshot of Downey Jr. rocking his cleanly shaven head.
A New Era for Robert Downey Jr.
It will be interesting to see how fans respond to Downey Jr.'s upcoming roles, especially after a lackluster reception to the kid's film Doolittle.
None of these upcoming roles feel like a pattern, as the actor is seemingly just trying to figure out where he fits in Hollywood after Marvel revitalized his career and he was the leading man of one of history's largest franchises.
A fresh, shaven look in The Sympathizer will lend itself well to audience members trying to move past the actor as Tony Stark and embrace his new role.
A popular fan casting the images of Downey Jr. hit the internet of his newly bald head hit the internet was the actor playing Lex Luthor in the DCU.
While this should be viewed as nothing more than a fun idea that would keep Downey Jr. in comic book movies, with James Gunn sorting out the future of DC Studios, anything is possible.
