Enchanted Star Amy Adams' Iconic Red Hair Isn't Natural
Arguably, Amy Adams is one of the most popular actresses in modern Hollywood. Getting her start in 1999's "Drop Dead Gorgeous" alongside Denise Richards, Kirsten Dunst, and Allison Janey was only the beginning of what would lead her to now have six Academy Award nominations (via IMDb). You might know her as Lois Lane from the DC Extended Universe or have seen her in widely popular features like "Arrival," "Vice," "American Hustle," "Her," and several other projects. Although many fans truly recognize Adams as Giselle from 2007's "Enchanted." It was one of Adams' first leading roles and a Disney movie that took an ambitious approach at the time in merging animation and live-action.
The plot notably follows Giselle, a princess in Andalasia that is about to marry a prince named Edward (James Marsden). However, she's cursed by Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) and sent to the live-action New York City, trying to navigate her way around a reality that's foreign to her. She then meets a handsome lawyer named Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey), who take her in. The movie received excellent reviews from audiences and critics alike (via Rotten Tomatoes).
Now, the sequel, "Disenchanted," is upon us, and Adams has explained that her iconic red hair helped her succeed in "Enchanted" and otherwise, although it isn't her natural coloring.
Amy Adams said changing her hair color gave her a rapid increase in acting opportunities
While attending The New York Times' TimesTalk event in 2016 to discuss her career and experiences as an actress, Amy Adams explained that her red hair color has been essential in getting some of her most popular roles. She has natural strawberry blonde hair and began her career that way, but dyed it red as she noticed different responses from casting directors between the colors. "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 said. Rather than taking possible offense to this difference, Adams explained that it has been a great tool more than anything else. "It was great; I liked that. But in all seriousness, it's just hair color. It was really fascinating to see just one element of yourself change people's perception, and that became a very powerful tool for me, even in my acting," she noted.
Adams also told Backstage during a 2012 interview that 2004's "Dr. Vegas" got her to change it to red as she was up against another blonde actress. Ultimately, Adams feels that it taught her a valuable lesson about how people can perceive you based on certain physical qualities. Adams still has her signature red hair in "Disenchanted," which is available to watch with a Disney+ subscription.