Matthew Vaughn explains Henry Cavill’s questionable Argylle haircut

The spy-comedy movie Argylle gives fans a hopeful idea of what Henry Cavill could look like as a secret agent and one of the world’s best spies, but his on-screen haircut left fans doing a double-take – with Matthew Vaughn explaining his reasoning behind it.

Since Daniel Craig’s exit as the well-loved James Bond, fans have put in their bets for Cavill to take on the role. But it doesn’t seem like it will happen any time soon or at all, so the closest fans will get is him in Vaughn’s upcoming movie Argylle.

Argylle focuses on Elly Conway, a published author famous for her spy espionage books Argylle. But when her book storyline proves to have happened in real life, and there’s really an Argylle, she’s thrust into the world of secrets and espionage. Cavill plays the role of Elly’s version of Argylle from her book.

During the official trailer release of the movie, fans were stunned to see Cavill sporting a less-than-desirable action figure-like haircut. Also combined with a deep emerald green velvet jacket.

Speaking to Matthew Vaughn at NYCC, he explains why he gave Cavill that specific hair look and how it ties into Sam Rockwell’s character.

Argylle has Henry Cavill as the world’s best spy

Matthew Vaughn revealed that giving Henry Cavill a specific haircut and look in Argylle was to create a juxtaposition between Elly Conway’s idea of great spies, versus real spies like Sam Rockwell’s character.

In the official trailer for Argylle, audiences learn that Elly’s book storyline happened exactly the same way in real life. Everything she has written has come true and opens up a can of worms in the espionage world. To make matters more interesting, what she thought was a made-up Argylle, really does exist.

On the train, she meets Aiden (Rockwell), a die-hard fan of her books. He also reveals he works in espionage, aka a spy. He is her introduction to the reality she thought was made up. At New York ComicCon a special sneak peek at the train scene revealed Aiden is nothing like what Elly imagined a spy to be. While watching chaos break out, she fluctuates between seeing Aiden as the messy long-haired spy he is and the handsome and suave Argylle she created.

In the end, Cavill’s look in Argylle was to create an “iconic” version of a spy. “When Sam Rockwell (Aiden) says to Bryce (Elly), you know you’ve written a spy with a stupid haircut. Nero jacket looks like a male model. How does he not fit it in? How does he walk in the room without anyone noticing it?” explained Vaughn. “So that’s why we came up with this sort of crazy iconic spy. That would be the world’s worst spy. Even though he’s the world’s greatest spy. And that’s where Rockwell comes in. He’s like you wrote this great thing, but what’s going on?”

Cavill’s version of Argylle is everything we expect from a renowned secret spy. The same way James Bond is infamous for his pristine tux, martini, and overall gentlemanly persona.

Argylle is due to hit cinemas on February 2, 2024. You can find out more about the movie here, and check out what we know about its mysterious author Elly Conway here.