Glenn Howerton 'felt like a completely different person' after shaving his head for BlackBerry

In the just-released BlackBerry, Glenn Howerton plays hard-nosed businessman Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of the Canadian company Research In Motion, which produced the once-wildly popular titular cellphone. In addition to being baldly ambitious, Balsillie also doesn't have a whole lot of hair on top of his head.

Howerton made the decision to shave his own noggin for the movie. The star of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia tells EW that he was surprised how much his new look affected him.

"It's funny, I didn't realize how much of my identity was wrapped up in the fact that I've always had a full head of hair until I shaved it all off," he says. "It stripped me of a large part of my identity in a way that I hadn't anticipated and was very, very helpful. It instantly aged me. Even though I'm in my mid-40s, I still feel like a guy in his 20s. But once I was in a Harry Rosen suit and was bald, all of a sudden I felt like a completely different person, and it put me in a completely different place."

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images;ELEVATION PICTURES Glenn Howerton shaved his head for 'BlackBerry' and felt like 'a completely different person'

Not that Howerton is complaining about the time he spent sporting his very different look. "I walked around Canada for two months as a bald man and it turned out to be really good," the actor continues. "I actually learned to really like the way it looked."

BlackBerry director and co-writer Matt Johnson reveals that he was a little surprised by how easily Howerton adjusted to his new look.

"I'll tell you my favorite story about Glenn and that hair," says the filmmaker, who also appears in the film, playing Research In Motion co-founder Doug Fregin. "He's such a handsome guy. He's a true Adonis. I remember thinking, Ah, he is really going to be, in a sense, naked here, because he's taking away his great weapon. I was actually quite proud of him. I thought, I can't believe he's willing to do this. It showed true dedication. Day two of us shooting, we're in his trailer, he's talking about a scene, he's looking at himself in the mirror, he's kind of distracted, and then he says to me, 'I look better like this.' He can't lose!"

Everett Collection Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton in 'BlackBerry'

The cast of BlackBerry also includes Jay Baruchel, Cary Elwes, Michael Ironside, Ritchie Cheung, Rich Sommer, and Saul Rubinek. The film is now playing in theaters.

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