Cate Blanchett Talks Wigs, Brows, and How She Really Gets into Character
by Catherine Q. O'Neill
When Cate Blanchett takes on a role, she takes on that character's hair as well. "I don't like wearing wigs. Unless it's for theatrical effect, I prefer to use my own hair," says the Australian actress. And we're not talking about a dye job here or there: This woman has shaved her hairline, buzzed her head completely bald, and--most recently--let her roots grow in for months. We talked to Blanchett, who is the face of SK-II, about what it's like to be inside a character's head (literally).
Blue Jasmine (at a 2013 premiere for the film, above): "I let my hair grow out a little because [my character] Jasmine is down on her druthers and fraying at the seams. I thought it would be better for her to have regrowth and look a bit more like she's coming apart."
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Elizabeth (1998): "I shaved my hairline, so my hair was a complete mess. And the front portion was bleached white. I had these really short tufts that used to stick out, so I had to pin them back. It wasn't a good look."
Heaven (2002): "I shaved my entire head and was completely bald. Bruce Willis was being honored for something that night--it was around the time they made G.I. Jane. I didn't want people to think I was spoofing on Demi, so right before I ran out my hairstylist gave me a wig. I look like Elizabeth Taylor in her later years."
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Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007): "In that time, people were wearing wigs because of fleas and mites. Hers are deliberately wiggy and theatrical. And they were really heavy, so it affected how much you could move. I also bleached my eyelashes and eyebrows. I quite liked it, really, that pale-redhead look."
For more on Blanchett's changing hair and makeup looks, check out the December issue of Allure, on stands now.
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