When Margot Robbie burst onto the scene, part and parcel of her appeal to audiences was that classy, untouchable Hitchcock blonde look. Don't expect that version of Robbie in the tense science fiction drama Z For Zachariah , though. As the actress plays a survivor of a devastating nuclear war, her signature blonde locks are nowhere to be found. Farmer's daughter Anne Burden is a brunette, and there are more necessary tasks to take care of post-apocalypse than sitting for some face-framing highlights. So, what's the deal? Did Margot Robbie dye her hair for Z For Zachariah ?
She sure did. Even the best wigs are noticeable on the big screen, and are especially distracting in quiet, character studies. Instead of getting her wig cap on, Robbie took the plunge and altered her appearance for the role. She debuted her new look on Twitter all the way back in January 2014 when filming abroad had just begun. And her new hair color didn't just stay in the hills of New Zealand; brunette Robbie came out to play at the 2014 Oscars (where her chestnut waves complimented her classic black gown) and to Fashion Week in Paris. The actress already knew how to rock the hue; she told Elle about her hair color history: "I always dyed it dark in high school. I was devastated when I had to go blonde." As if she wouldn't look amazing in any hair color under the sun.
Of course, Robbie isn't the first actress to turn in her hair identity to suit a role. These actresses also underwent drastic makeovers in the name of making movies.
1. Jennifer Lopez In Enough
This close-cropped cut may not have jived with Jennifer Lopez's ultra-glamorous pop star image. But it did indicate that she meant business going up against her abusive husband in this 2002 drama.
2. Natalie Portman In V For Vendetta
Portman made huge headlines when she shaved her head for her role in the movie based on a famous graphic novel. She still managed to look impossibly chic at every phase of the grow-out, proving that the hair does not make the woman.
3. Shailene Woodley In The Fault In Our Stars
Shailene Woodley has a gorgeously expressive face. Her grown-out pixie in Fault is meant to show that Hazel recently completed a round of chemotherapy, but it has the extra benefit of leaving no curtain for the character to hide behind while the audience watches her fall in love.
4. Zooey Deschanel In Elf
I've seen this movie thousands of times, yet my brain still cannot comprehend a blond Jessica Day.
5. Kate Winslet In Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Clementine is a changeable woman, and she exercises the right to change her mind often. Her rainbow of hair colors are the outward manifestation of her wild heart. But out of all the choices, I think I prefer Winslet in Clementine's tangerine phase.
6. Anne Hathaway In Les Miserables
Hathaway lost her waves and gave a completely stripped down performance as a young mother forced into prostitution in the movie musical. Her "I Dreamed A Dream" is one of the highlights of the uneven film; her hopelessness is palpable.
For these women, a hair transformation is just one more way of getting into character.
Images: Roadside Attractions; Margot Robbie on WhoSay; Giphy (5)
