A lot of people would love to have red hair, but Jessica Chastain, one of Hollywood’s most famous redheads, revealed that she has actually considered going blonde in the past. The actress recently discussed the reasoning behind the potential change, as well as why she’s glad she didn’t ultimately ditch her gorgeous ginger locks.
Jessica Chastain’s Hollywood Success
Chastain is now an Academy Award-winning actress, having earned a Best Actress award for her performance in The Eyes of Tammy Faye last year. She has starred in blockbusters like It Chapter Two and X-Men: Dark Phoenix, as well as critical hits like Scenes From A Marriage and Molly’s Game.
The actress is almost as well known for her acting abilities as she is for her stunning red hair. Chastain is one of just a few redheaded actresses, which explains why she, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Amy Adams are constantly getting mistaken for each other.
Why She Almost Went Blonde
However, Chastain recently shared that she thought about dying her now-signature hair a different color in the early days of her acting career. After graduating from Juilliard in 2003, Chastain struggled to find roles.
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“I was so tired,” she told Parade. “I just kept getting told, ‘She’s a great actress, but the directors decided to go with a model.’ It’s the least helpful thing you could hear. I wasn’t auditioning to play a model! For a long time, I thought that maybe I should dye my hair and go blond.”
Chastain repeated that worry in a 2013 InStyle interview, saying, “There were a couple of times when I thought, ‘Maybe I should dye my hair blonde?’ Being a redhead and not having very conventionally modern looks, it was confusing for people and they didn’t know exactly where to put me.”
Chastain Is Now One Of Hollywood’s Biggest Stars
Her big break came when Al Pacino cast her as Salome in his 2006 production of Salome. Even though fame didn’t come immediately, Chastain credits that role with putting her name and face in front of casting directors and helping her get her foot in the door. “I got to be a vixen, and that opened the door for me to play other characters,” Chastain explained.
Her first real career success was in 2011’s The Help. She received Academy, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Celia Foote. However, Chastain doesn’t see the film as her big break.
She told Parade, “I loved that character, but she plays into what everyone has been trained to love in actresses: bubbly, sweet, not super intelligent, naive, blond, and boobs. I see a difference when I play a character that is more threatening to that old establishment of how women need to be seen.”
It’s clear that Chastain did something right, as she is now one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. From appearing on the big screen to going viral on social media, Chastain is instantly recognizable—all thanks to her bright red hair.