Alan Ritchson’s notorious stature left Guy Ritchie unable to find anybody big enough to fight him in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare — although Reacher‘s third season definitely found somebody — so he slipped on a pair of tiny glasses in an effort to un-Reacher himself. That didn’t quite work, so Ritchson is trying harder with his tattoo miracle worker‘s help.

The Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thailand star will soon lead Motor City, an upcoming action thriller from Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov, and magic needed to happen in order from him to disappear into a new role. Did it work? Well, he’s got a new head of hair and slightly less bright teeth, and he needed to “drop weight fast,” but there’s only so much that a dude can do within a few days. As he wrote on Instagram, “I refuse to play myself.”

Additionally, he did make clear that, for Motor City, he wanted to “get as close to unrecognizable as possible,” but “[n]ot having days off between jobs makes it hard to go as far as I want.” How did he do?

Well, he failed at “unrecognizable,” but he did so with style and made a valiant effort. If there’s a “good” type of fail, Ritchson nailed it with aplomb. In a different post, his snack time cravings on set are also something else. Apples, peanut butter, and M&Ms? Craft services must have so much fun with him.

According to Variety, Ritchson’s Motor City character, John Miller, leaves prison in Detroit and embarks upon a vengeance-filled rampage. The movie shall be “characterized by immersive visual storytelling, with stunningly choreographed and stylized action sequences.” And plenty of hair, too.

Meanwhile, we are hanging tight for a Reacher return date.