Aaron Taylor-Johnson Ditched His Signature Scruff for a Clean-Shaven Look — Now He's Almost Unrecognizable

The 34-year-old actor's transformation further fuels 'James Bond' casting rumors

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is changing up his look.

On Thursday, Aug. 1, the 34-year-old English actor surprised fans when a posted a photo of his clean-shaven makeover on his Instagram Stories. In one Stories post, Taylor-Johnson appears with his usual scruff, including his long hair slicked back and his fluffy beard on full display. He also wears a pink button-down shirt and sunglasses.

"From one look..." he wrote over the photo.

".. to another," the caption continued on the next slide, showing a mirror selfie of Taylor-Johnson with freshly chopped hair and no beard. The actor donned a sleeveless orange shirt and matching shorts for the photo.

The transformation is adding fuel to the rumors that Taylor-Johnson will step into the role of James Bond following Daniel Craig's exit from the franchise.

The actor — who is married to director Sam Taylor-Johnson — skirted the claims in a 2023 interview with Esquire, saying that he had “to go by the beat of my own drum.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

"It’s my own path, what feels intuitive to me,” he added. “I’ve never made a decision based on other people’s perspectives, or their judgments, or their expectations of me.”

Related: Lily-Rose Depp Goes Mad for a Sinister Vampire in Nosferatu Trailer

However, in March 2024, the U.K. newspaper The Sun suggested that the Marvel star had been officially offered the role.

PEOPLE contacted representatives for Taylor-Johnson and the James Bond franchise for comment at the time.

“Bond is Aaron’s job, should he wish to accept it. The formal offer is on the table and they are waiting to hear back,” a source reportedly told The Sun.

Related: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Subtly Evades Question About His Rumored James Bond Casting

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Craig, 56, played the iconic role for 15 years and revealed in 2019 that No Time To Die, which was released in 2021, would be his last James Bond movie.

"Are you done with Bond?" Stephen Colbert asked the British actor during his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Craig replied, "Yes.”

“It’s done,” he added.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.