“Nothing could have prepared me for the picture" - Memefest spark online as Jacob Elordi debuts a beard at Morocco film festival

Australian actor Jacob Elordi attended the Marrakech Film Festival in Morocco on Friday, November 29, 2024. During the event's opening ceremony, the actor debuted a new look when he appeared on the red carpet as a jury member, sporting a thick beard and a longer hairstyle.

The Priscilla actor paired a black suit with a colorful frog brooch. He was photographed along with fellow jury members Andrew Garfield and Luca Guadagnino.

As photographs from the event began circulating online, netizens were quick to comment on the actor's new look. One expressed their surprise by writing that they were not prepared for the picture, something that several other fans agreed with.

"nothing could have prepared me for the picture."

A comment reacting to the news (Image via X/ @PopCrave)

However, other fans didn't like Elordi's new look and compared him to Lorax, as they took to X to ask the actor to "please go back to clean shave."

"Cut that shh off NEOWWW!!! Out here lookin' like fkn lorax," one wrote while sharing a gif of the character.

"Please go back to clean shave… you look more s*xy and handsome that way omggg," a fan commented.

"Can he un-debut it?" another remarked.

Others, meanwhile, claimed that he looked "10x better" with the beard.

"He looks 10x times better omg," an user gushed.

"That time jump in euphoria has got to be the 20 year reunion," another added.

"If he grew his hair a little longer he’d look like a Bee Gee," a fan quipped.

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Jacob Elordi is set to star as a young Richard Gere in Oh, Canada

While Jacob Elordi's look caused a stir on social media, some fans wondered if it was for an upcoming role. An X user who uses the handle @elordidelrey said that the actor had grown out his beard for a new role. They added that it was all for the new role and asked the other fans to "trust the process."

A comment reacting to the news (Image via X/ @PopBase)

While there is no official word on whether the beard and long hair are for a particular project, the actor is set to star in several upcoming movies. These include his roles in Oh, Canada with the veteran actor Richard Gere, which centers around the life of writer-filmmaker Leonard Fife (Gere).

In the film, Fife is shown to be on his deathbed, telling his life story to his former student, played by Michael Imperioli. Jacob Elordi plays the role of a young Leonard Fife in the movie.

The film is written and directed by Paul Schrader and based on the book Foregone by Russell Banks. It is scheduled for a theatrical premiere on December 6, 2024.

Apart from that, Jacob Elordi is also set to portray the iconic monster in the Gothic horror film by Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein. Oscar Isaac is set to portray Victor Frankenstein in the film.

According to a September 2024 report by Screen Rant, the principal photography for the film began in February 2024 and concluded in September. At the time, the director took to his X to announce the news.

"Shooting has been completed on “F” - Joy!!!" the director wrote.

Frankenstein is currently in post-production and is expected to be released on Netflix sometime in 2025.

According to a September 2024 article by the Guardian, Jacob Elordi is also set to lead a new adaptation of Wuthering Heights opposite Margot Robbie. The film is the brainchild of Emerald Fennell of Saltburn fame, which was another film Elordi starred.

Jacob Elordi has not publicly commented on the fans' reaction to his new look.