James McAvoy Defends His Man Bun

James McAvoy is making a stand for man buns.

The 42-year-old actor defended the debated 'do while appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live Wednesday night, chatting with guest host Sarah Silverman about the "comedic" hairstyle he grew for his new movie Together.

Not long after McAvoy joined her onstage, Silverman, 50, turned the topic to his hair, pointing out that he styled in what most people would call a "man bun" – but teased why she wouldn't be doing the same.

"I call it a bun. I feel like 'man bun' is like saying, 'lady pilot,' " she joked.

McAvoy agreed, telling the comedian, "Yeah, thank you. That joke is not getting the laugh that it should because people are confused. But they shouldn't be. And the reason they shouldn't be is because you're right."

He explained that he has Together to thank for his new look. Because the film was shot over the course of just 10 days, McAvoy had to change his character's appearance to show the passage of time, he said.

"I decided to grow my 'bun bun' because we just needed to show some passage of time … I didn't want to wear a wig, so I was like maybe we can do something. I'll grow my hair and I'll have it long but then I'll do a man bun," he said.

"Also I thought, buns on a guy — not a man bun, but a bun happened to be styled by a fella — I don't know, there's just something slightly comedic about it and funny about it, right? Do you know what I mean?" the actor asked, pointing to his hair pulled back.

This got a chuckle out of the audience, as McAvoy teased "See? I just had to point to it and you laughed."

After growing out his hair for the role, the actor told Silver man he's "stuck with it" now.

"And now I'm just wandering through life being mildly comedic for nothing more than my bun bun," McAvoy declared.

The longer locks mark a new look from the shorter styles he's worn in recent years, having had to shave his head for his roles in 2019's Dark Phoenix and 2017's Atomic Blonde. However, the actor previously confessed to PEOPLE that he prefers to have a bit more hair on his head.

"I used to like the fact that it afforded me a certain amount of anonymity but it no longer does that," McAvoy said in 2017 of his bald head. "Since I did two movies that everybody saw where I had a bald head, now it's like a f------ beacon. But what do I like about it? Not a lot at the moment."

Though he felt he looked "a bit weird" without any hair, McAvoy found one silver lining – less time styling.

"I do like the fact that I don't have to do anything in the morning," he joked.

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