Ben Affleck showed off a shocking new look when he led a presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Wednesday, DailyMail reports.
According to the report by DailyMail, the 52-year-old actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck sported noticeably darker hair, while his beard also seemed to have lost its salt-and-pepper character after an apparent dye job.
Ben Affleck was on stage at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace to promote his upcoming thriller The Accountant 2 in a presentation that featured fellow stars Jon Bernthal, Daniella Pineda and Cynthia Addai-Robinson.
The actor is the latest Hollywood A-lister to feel compelled to darken up his hair amid an apparent ‘midlife crisis’ craze.
Leonardo DiCaprio previously showed off his darker brown hair when he made appearances during award season, and his dye job appeared to have gotten a boost earlier this week when he also appeared at CinemaCon to promote his upcoming collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson, titled One Battle After Another.
Even George Clooney has gotten in on the craze, despite having been known as a silver fox for decades now.
Ben’s new darker hair gave his beard, which appeared thicker than he usually wears it — an oddly patchy quality.
The day before, DiCaprio appeared at CinemaCon with what appeared to be newly dyed hair.
He was on hand to promote One Battle After Another, following reports that Warner Bros. executives have feuding over the film.
With a budget of $150 million, it is the largest film by far that director Paul Thomas Anderson has ever helmed, despite being known for a string of widely acclaimed comedies and dramas.
His most successful film, the Oscar winner There Will Be Blood, previously grossed $76 million against a $25 million budget in 2007, while his second most expensive film, 1999’s Magnolia, cost $37 million to make but only grossed around $48.5 million.
However, much of the new film’s budget is likely eaten up by DiCaprio’s fee.
Last month, George Clooney also shocked his fans when he was seen out in New York City with newly dyed dark brown hair.
However, it wasn’t evidence of Clooney trying to chase his youth. Instead, it was a work necessity, as the actor is making his Broadway debut in Good Night, And Good Luck, which is adapted from his film of the same name.
Although he originally directed, co-wrote and played a supporting role in the original film, Clooney is now taking on the lead role of legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow, and Murrow had notably darker hair than Clooney’s usual salt-and-pepper look during the 1950s.
Despite Ben’s odd hair choice, he looked dashing in a tasteful navy suit with barely perceptible tonal pinstripes.
He dressed it down with a light-blue shirt, and he opted to forego a tie and just unbutton it at the top.
Bernthal favored a light-gray suit that hung tightly against him, but rather than wearing a three-piece suit, he instead wore what appeared to be a clashing darker gray cardigan under his jacket, along with a tie-free white shirt.
Pineda wore a chic navy double-breasted suit with padded shoulders and loose, flowing pants, along with beige open-toe wedges.
Addai-Robinson looked effortlessly elegant in a black off-the-shoulder dress with a voluminous skirt and classic black pumps.
During the presentation, Ben Affleck gushed that it felt ‘great to continue the story of The Accountant,’ according to The Hollywood Reporter.
‘I’m thrilled to be playing this part again with this great cast. In some ways, I feel like this character never left me,’ he added.
Affleck and his colleagues debuted new footage from The Accountant 2 that shows his character Christian Wolff reuniting with his brother, played by Bernthal.
In the original film, Affleck plays an autistic man who works as a forensic accountant for criminal organizations.
His ability to dive into their books is used to help launder money and discover any theft from within the organizations.
Ben Affleck and his colleagues debuted new footage from The Accountant 2 that shows his character Christian Wolff reuniting with his brother, played by Bernthal.
In the original film, Affleck plays an autistic man who works as a forensic accountant for criminal organizations.
His ability to dive into their books is used to help launder money and discover any theft from within the organizations.
However, he reveals his deadly instincts when hit men working for a company he has been hired to audit attempt to kill him to prevent him from discovering what has been going on behind the scenes.
The 2016 film received mixed reviews, but it earned an impressive $155 million against a relatively modest $44 million budget.
Before flying out to Las Vegas, Ben was pictured earlier on Wednesday in Los Angeles as he filmed scenes for his upcoming Netflix thriller Animals.
He originally planned to only director the film, while his best friend Matt Damon was set to play the lead role.
However, it was announced in early February that Matt was dropping out of Animals in order to star in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey, so Ben replaced his old pal as the film’s lead.
Despite his departure as actor, Matt will still be part of the production as a producer.
The film, which is a kidnapping thriller, will also feature Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun.
Joining Ben on set was his costar, Kerry Washington.
She looked stylish in a navy sweater paired with voluminous brown slacks and a thick brown leather belt cinched over the sweater.