‘Bruce Wayne?’: The internet halts to a stop as Jacob Elordi debuts his beard

Besides the stellar lineup of films of course, something very peculiar emerged as THE topic of chatter at the Marrakech International Film Festival this year, currently underway in Morocco. Jacob Elordi. Well, not really him per se, but that full-grown beard he debuted. Given his dreamboat status, first as The Kissing Booth star and then as Euphoria’s main (anti) hero, not to forget his work in Oscar-nominated films like Saltburn (2023), all his attempts to keep a low profile haven’t really quite worked out, and none of his fans are complaining.
There has however, been a period of lull, one can say, when it comes to his pop culture relevance off-late at least. And just as soon, that too is now a thing of the past. It would be wrong to say the Jacob looked unrecognisable when he walked out onto the plush red carpet — but even his most longstanding fans wouldn’t remember when they last saw him like this, if ever. No longer fitting the bill of a teenage crush, Jacob sported a full grown out beard, just unkempt enough to pass off as intentional. With it, was the middle-parted hair, which also appears to be well on its way to being grown out. The internet had their jaws on the floor, as do we, and no one can figure out if we’re impressed or upset.
“Just no” may sound a little harsh, but quite a few weren’t all that happy with the turn of events. Some were a little softer in their criticism but, examples being: “I prefer him clean-shaven. His jawline is his best feature, and I don’t want him to hide it” and “I feel like just a trim on that mustache would do so much for him”. Some however, went completely feral; case in point, these comments which read: “He looks like a gynecologist that you’re a little uncomfortable about”, “He looks 45 in that first pic” and “kinda getting charles manson vibes”.
But never discount his loyal fanbase who were still cheering for him from the sidelines. Some receipts from the internet fan mail threads read: “he looks like christian bale… 10/10 😍” and “Holy cow he looks like 1970s paul mccartney. They have the same eyes.”.
Mind you, this move comes amidst chatter of him being considered to lead 2025 animated Batman film, The Brave and the Bold. So safe to assume this was an unofficial screen test on Jacob’s part?