Jessica Chastain is known for her iconic red locks, but there has been speculation over the years that she actually dyes her hair blonde. So did Chastain go blonde or is she a natural redhead? Let’s take a look at the evidence.
Quick Answers
– Jessica Chastain’s natural hair color is strawberry blonde.
– She started dyeing her hair red around 2005 when she was pursuing an acting career.
– Chastain has said in multiple interviews that she dyes her hair red for roles, and goes back to her natural blonde color when not working.
– Her strawberry blonde roots are sometimes visible when she has grown her red color out.
– So while Chastain is not a natural redhead, she does enhance her natural blonde shade with red dye for many of her on-screen appearances.
Jessica Chastain’s Natural Hair Color
Jessica Chastain was born with strawberry blonde hair. Her natural shade is a light blonde with warm, reddish tones mixed in. This gives her hair a golden, coppery quality in sunlight.
In her early acting days around 2004-2005, Chastain began dyeing her hair a more vibrant red tone. This is around the time she started landing roles like Juliet in Romeo and Juliet on Broadway. The fiery red locks became her signature look over the next decade as her star rose in Hollywood.
Quotes About Dyeing Her Hair Red
Chastain has openly discussed dyeing her strawberry blonde hair red for films. Here are some direct quotes over the years:
- “I’m a natural blonde, but I’ve been dyeing my hair red since I was 15.” – Gotham Magazine, 2017
- “I am not a redhead, although I do have to keep my own hair red for most of the parts that I play.” – W Magazine, 2012
- “I’m a blonde. People don’t think I’m a blonde because I’ve played a lot of redheads. I mean, even in The Help, my hair was auburn.” – Wall Street Journal, 2014
Chastain also said this about being recognized for her red hair while talking to Broadway.com in 2022:
“I was standing in line for security and a woman grabbed me by the arm. She said, ‘You’re Jessica Chastain.’ I was so excited to be recognized. I was like, ‘Yes!'” Chastain recalls with a laugh. “And she goes, ‘No, you can’t be.’ And I said, ‘Yes, I am.’ And she goes, ‘No, Jessica Chastain has red hair.’ And I had to tell her, ‘It’s not my real hair! I had to dye it!'”
Evidence of Her Natural Hair Color
Over the years, there have been a few photographic glimpses of Chastain’s roots when she has let her dyed red hair grow out. This reveals her underlying golden blonde shade:
- Her 2011 appearances for The Debt press tour showed grown out strawberry blonde roots under the red.
- She went more blonde during down-time in 2012, showing off her natural color between films.
- Glimpses of blonde roots and lightened ends were visible in 2015 at the Cannes Film Festival.
- In 2016, her regrowth was very noticeable at the X-Men Apocalypse premiere in London.
There are also some early childhood photos that give a look at Chastain’s natural shade before she started dyeing it:
| Photo | Description |
|---|---|
 |
A school portrait shows Chastain’s golden locks as a young girl. |
 |
Her senior yearbook photo captures her strawberry tones as a teen. |
Why Dye Her Hair Red?
So why did Chastain shift from blonde to red? Celebrities will often adjust their hair color for certain roles to match a character’s description. But for Chastain, going red also helped her stand out when she was first establishing herself as an actress.
In a 2011 interview with Lucky magazine, she said:
“I’m a natural blonde, but people see me as a redhead because I’ve dyed my hair cherry-red since I was a teenager. Back then, I did it because I wanted to be noticed…and it definitely worked!”
The red hair became part of her brand and she continued to dye it for high-profile movie parts like The Help, Zero Dark Thirty, and Molly’s Game. Even when playing characters described as blonde in scripts, she would still go red, like with her strawberry blonde hair in 2012’s The Tree of Life.
Chastain has said she keeps her hair red for any press tours or public appearances timed with her projects, even if she goes back to blonde during downtime.
Going Back to Blonde
So what does Chastain’s hair look like when she gives her natural blonde a break? Here are a few examples over the years:
| Year | Photo | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 |  |
She went golden blonde after dyeing her hair red in 2005-2006 when she landed her first roles. |
| 2012 |  |
Chastain lightened up between projects, showing off her natural strawberry tone. |
| 2016 |  |
She went back to blonde after wrapping filming on The Huntsman and The Zookeeper’s Wife. |
Chastain will even switch between red and blonde for different roles filmed back-to-back. For example, she went red for X-Men but stripped the color to go blonde for The Huntsman.
Conclusion
While Jessica Chastain has become famous for her iconic red mane, her natural hair color is actually strawberry blonde. She started dyeing her hair red around 2005 as she was starting her acting career, and then maintained the look as she achieved global stardom. Chastain has been open about coloring her hair over the years, citing both being noticed and staying consistent with certain movie roles as reasons to stay red.
When Chastain isn’t filming or promoting projects, you can catch glimpses of her growing out her natural golden tones. But the red has clearly become part of her signature look. Even if she doesn’t always stick with it between films, Chastain said in a 2017 interview “I’ll always be a redhead!” And for movie fans, it’s hard to imagine her any other way.
