Zach Galifianakis Shaved His Trademark Beard For ‘The Beanie Bubble’ And Honestly? It’s Creeping Us Out

Apple TV+ just launched the trailer for The Beanie Bubble, the upcoming biopic about Ty Inc.’s Beanie Babies and Ty Warner, the businessman behind the toy who became a household and Hallmark store name, as well as “the unsung heroes whose names didn’t appear on the heart-shaped tag,” according to the streaming service.

Now, before we dive into the craze that was stuffed animals filled with beans in the 1990s, we have to spill the beans about something else: Zach Galifianakis shaved his beard!

The trailer begins with a voiceover from Galifianakis, who plays Warner, asking, “Do you know what the greatest thing about America is?”

“You can make things happen here like no where else,” he continues. “You have the power to create your own future.”

At exactly 13 seconds in, viewers are first exposed to Galifianakis’ (Beanie) baby face, as he inspirationally exclaims, “You can be anything! You can do anything!”

Clearly, he is speaking to his experience shaving. Surely you can shave your beard, Zach, but why?

It turns out, after further investigation, that the real Ty Warner did not sport any facial hair, proving Galifianakis’ apparently immense dedication to the role.

Anyway, the intense music behind the voiceover eventually cuts out, as an executive glumly asks, “You want to sell high-end stuffed Himalayan cats?”

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“Under-stuffed actually,” Warner replies, “for greater posability.”

Warner is seen sitting alongside his business partner Robbie (Elizabeth Banks), who adds, “We’re professionals. We’re giving the people what they need.”

The trailer then fast-tracks through various scenes of Warner making it big, the fame and fortune going to his head, with the words “SEE THE CRAZY BEHIND THE CRAZE” gracing the screen.

“Ty would tell you he did it all,” Robbie’s voiceover utters, “which is as crazy as believing stuffed animals are gold.”

According to Chicago Magazine, the real Ty Warner pleaded guilty to stashing millions of dollars in a Swiss bank account and lying to the IRS about it in January 2014.

As the trailer progresses, the words “BETRAYAL,” “GREED,” and “POWER” gradually appear on the screen in between snippets of scenes featuring Sarah Snook as Warner’s wife Shiela and Geraldine Viswanathan as Maya, an employee at Ty Inc. It’s exciting, it’s intriguing, and at times scary — primarily due to Galifanakis’ lack of a beard.

While Insider has previously noted that this isn’t the first time he has shaved his beard for a role (he only sported a mustache as Marty Huggins in The Campaign), this is certainly something to feel jarred by.

The Beanie Bubble will be available in select theaters on July 21 and will be streaming on Apple TV+ on July 28.