Famous Redheads That Aren’t Real Redheads
Red Head Imposters
Did you know that only 1% – 2% of the entire world’s population naturally have red hair? Red is the rarest hair color due to a recessive gene. (Read more stats on red, the rarest hair color)
These famous redheads were not born with fiery locks. Find out which famous redheads are salon imposters and why they chose to veer from their natural hair color.
Amy Adams
Amy Adams says that changing her blonde hair to red dramatically influenced her acting career. “Based on roles that I was getting, called in for, people were responding to certain types of characters with me as a blonde and the minute I went red, it was quirky and fun instead of flirtatious and dumb,” Adams revealed at the New York Times-hosted TimesTalk event in 2016.
Adams first went dark red at age 27 for her 2004 role in the TV show Dr. Vegas.
Nicole Kidman
Because Nicole Kidman appeared in so many movies as a redhead, many people think that the actress actually dyes it the blonde color we see her with now. It’s actually the other way around.
When asked by Jonathan Ross if she was a “real ginger” on his talk show in 2008, she told the host that she is asked to dye her blonde hair red for roles. “They said, you have really pale skin, you should have red hair”, the actress revealed.
If you like this look, be sure to check out more Nicole Kidman hairstyles below!
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Christina Hendricks
Unlike many actresses who first tried out red hair for a role, naturally-blonde Christina Hendricks died her hair red when she was 10! “I had a cool mum,” the actress told Cosmopolitan.
Gillian Anderson
Somewhere in the first season of X-Files, Scully became a redhead. Gillian Anderson’s natural color is dark blonde.
Cynthia Nixon
[Hairstylist: Rebekah Forecast]
Probably best known as the fiery redhead Miranda on Sex and the City, Cynthia Nixon had to dye her naturally blonde hair to play the role. In an interview, she told Marie Claire, “I like the red very much…but it’s a lot of work to maintain.”
Emma Stone
[Hairstylist: Daya Ruci]
Emma Stone first became noticed as Jonah Hill’s redheaded love interest in Superbad. But she wasn’t always a redhead. She dyed her naturally blonde hair brunette to try out for the role and was told by the producer to “make it red.” They took her to a colorist, and the rest is history.
Debra Messing
As with many actresses, Debra Messing was asked to color her hair for a role. Before Will & Grace, Messing sported a brunette hair color on Ned & Stacey. The producers at Will & Grace asked Messing to make her hair redder because “red is funny.” Obviously, Messing’s talent makes her funny and not her signature red hair color, which should be defined as gorgeous rather than comedic.
Sophie Turner
[Hairstylist: Gregory Russell]
Sophie Turner dyed her blonde hair red at thirteen for her role as Sansa Stark on Game of Thrones. And though we may adore her red locks, she prefers her natural hair color.
“Red, it’s a gorgeous color but I’ve always want to style it one way: classic, waves. I feel so comfortable being blonde and much more like a ‘cool girl’”, she revealed in an interview with Elle.
Kristen Stewart
Today, no hair color or style would surprise us when it comes to the hairstyle whims of Kristen Stewart. But back in the day, when she colored her hair red, it was a fairly rare sighting.
Kristen Stewart dyed her naturally brunette hair reddish/orange for her role in American Ultra.
If you like this look, be sure to check out more Kristen Stewart hairstyles below!
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Molly Sims
Molly Sims has dyed her naturally blonde hair red. The model told People, “I wanted to be vibrant, and I wanted a change.” “I wanted to do something bold. I thought about cutting my hair, but then I was like, Everyone is cutting their hair! I wanted to do something different and to look different in clothes.”
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson dyed her naturally blonde hair a gorgeous deep red for her role as the black widow in The Avengers.
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