10 Actresses Who Shaved Their Heads for a Movie Role

Mar. 15, 2025

Sanaa Lathan, Florence Pugh, Demi Moore.Photo:Getty(3)

Getty(3)

Some actors sit through hours in the makeup chair, others take on drastic dietary changes, and other immerse themselves in the language or profession of the characters they’re hoping to inhabit. These 10 stars sheared off their hair in order to deliver the most authentic performance possible.Florence Pughrecently made headlines when discussing the buzz cut she underwent forWe Live in Time,in which she plays a cancer patient. But Pugh is hardly the first actress to go supershort on screen.Demi Moore,Natalie Portman,Joey Kingand more have all previously gotten outBelow, see some of the actresses who have shaved their heads for a role.

Some actors sit through hours in the makeup chair, others take on drastic dietary changes, and other immerse themselves in the language or profession of the characters they’re hoping to inhabit. These 10 stars sheared off their hair in order to deliver the most authentic performance possible.

Florence Pughrecently made headlines when discussing the buzz cut she underwent forWe Live in Time,in which she plays a cancer patient. But Pugh is hardly the first actress to go supershort on screen.Demi Moore,Natalie Portman,Joey Kingand more have all previously gotten out

Below, see some of the actresses who have shaved their heads for a role.

01of 10

Florence Pugh

Florence Pugh in ‘We Live in Time’.A24

A24

“[Shaving] it was really bizarre," she toldBritish Vogue. “My head was so sensitive and so many people were trying to touch it and it was so alive.”

02of 10

Joey King

Joey King in ‘The Act’.Brownie Harris/Hulu

Brownie Harris/Hulu

Joey King has shaved her head three times for movie roles. She cut her hair forThe Act, The Dark KnightandWish I Was Hereand she has no qualms about it.

03of 10AnnaSophia RobbAnnaSophia Robb in ‘Rebel Ridge’.Patti Perret/NetflixThough AnnaSophia Robb had previously shaved her head for her role in 2020’sThe Expecting,she needed help to pump herself up to do it again when it came to playing Summer McBridge in Netflix’sRebel Ridgethis year.Luckily, she had Joey King to lean on. “Yeah, I called Joey before I shaved my head,” she toldThe Hollywood Reporter.“I was like, ‘Girl, you’ve done this a couple times. Do I do it?’ And she was like, ‘Yes!’ "

03of 10

AnnaSophia Robb

AnnaSophia Robb in ‘Rebel Ridge’.Patti Perret/Netflix

Patti Perret/Netflix

Though AnnaSophia Robb had previously shaved her head for her role in 2020’sThe Expecting,she needed help to pump herself up to do it again when it came to playing Summer McBridge in Netflix’sRebel Ridgethis year.

Luckily, she had Joey King to lean on. “Yeah, I called Joey before I shaved my head,” she toldThe Hollywood Reporter.“I was like, ‘Girl, you’ve done this a couple times. Do I do it?’ And she was like, ‘Yes!’ "

04of 10Sanaa LathanSanna Lathan.Courtesy NetflixFor most of her career,Sanaa Lathanhad long hair, so to say fans were shocked when she cut it all off for her role inNappily Ever Afterwould be an understatement.And the prospect of shaving it off was nerve-racking for the actress ,who also had to do it on camera. “It was intense… I had butterflies for the week before because I knew that it was very crucial for Violet’s journey and it was a one-shot deal and there was the added thing of I’m shaving my head,” she toldEnertainment Weekly.Lathan also admitted that while there were thoughts about “what is my head going to look like?” she just had to take the leap and found that having shorter hair was “surprisingly great.” “I actually continued shaving my head for four months after we finished the film because it felt so freeing, so good,” she told the outlet.

04of 10

Sanaa Lathan

Sanna Lathan.Courtesy Netflix

For most of her career,Sanaa Lathanhad long hair, so to say fans were shocked when she cut it all off for her role inNappily Ever Afterwould be an understatement.

And the prospect of shaving it off was nerve-racking for the actress ,who also had to do it on camera. “It was intense… I had butterflies for the week before because I knew that it was very crucial for Violet’s journey and it was a one-shot deal and there was the added thing of I’m shaving my head,” she toldEnertainment Weekly.

Lathan also admitted that while there were thoughts about “what is my head going to look like?” she just had to take the leap and found that having shorter hair was “surprisingly great.” “I actually continued shaving my head for four months after we finished the film because it felt so freeing, so good,” she told the outlet.

05of 10Anne HathawayAnne Hathaway in ‘Les Miserables’.Working Title Films/Kobal/REX/ShutterstockAnne Hathaway’s role inLes Miserableswas so moving that she won her first Academy Award for it in 2013. Part of what made the performance so powerful was the heartbreaking scene in which her impoverished character, Fantine, has to sell her hair to send money to her child – and Hathaway wasn’t just acting in that scene.“I wasn’t expecting [cutting my hair] to be a big deal. It was my idea to do it, since it was something the character did,“she said onLive! with Kelly. But she became “inconsolable” the day of the cut after “I realized I couldn’t take it back.”Once it grew from a cueball cut to a cute pixie, she decided that she could get on board, she toldVulture.“I’m just so pleased with how I look, so I now quite like having short hair.”

05of 10

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway in ‘Les Miserables’.Working Title Films/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Anne Hathaway’s role inLes Miserableswas so moving that she won her first Academy Award for it in 2013. Part of what made the performance so powerful was the heartbreaking scene in which her impoverished character, Fantine, has to sell her hair to send money to her child – and Hathaway wasn’t just acting in that scene.

“I wasn’t expecting [cutting my hair] to be a big deal. It was my idea to do it, since it was something the character did,“she said onLive! with Kelly. But she became “inconsolable” the day of the cut after “I realized I couldn’t take it back.”

Once it grew from a cueball cut to a cute pixie, she decided that she could get on board, she toldVulture.“I’m just so pleased with how I look, so I now quite like having short hair.”

06of 10

Maisie Williams

“I had cut my hair short at the time, so some of the overwhelming part of that was gone before we did it,” Williams toldVariety.

She continued, “But the women in these camps having their heads shaved, although we now look back and see how degrading and dehumanizing that was, I think of all the things that happened to them in the camps, it was probably one of the easiest moments.”

“I guess for myself, kind of diving into Catherine’s psyche, I felt like it was a moment for her to prepare for what could come next,” she explained.

07of 10Natalie PortmanNatalie Portman in ‘V for Vendetta’.Warner BrosThese days, Natalie Portman rocks shoulder-length tresses, but the actress had us all stunned when she went fully bald forV for Vendetta.She has since switched between a pixie cuts, bobs, curls and many more hairstyles.

07of 10

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman in ‘V for Vendetta’.Warner Bros

Warner Bros

These days, Natalie Portman rocks shoulder-length tresses, but the actress had us all stunned when she went fully bald forV for Vendetta.She has since switched between a pixie cuts, bobs, curls and many more hairstyles.

08of 10Charlize TheronCharlize Theron.2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment/IMDbCharlize Theronis no stranger to transforming her look for the sake of a role, so it comes as no surprise that shaving her head forMad Max: Fury Roadwas actually her idea.“I had done a press junket. My hair was really fried. And I had a night where I thought, ‘You know what? What if we just shave it?'” Theron toldEntertainment Weekly.“I wasn’t fully convinced, so I called [director] George [Miller]. I probably woke him up at 3 a.m., and I said, ‘What do you think about this idea?’ And he was just really quiet. And then I could hear him breathe. It was like he took a deep breath. And I took that as a positive. And then I found out yesterday that he was concerned about the shape of my head.”Needless to say, the choice gave Furiosa some edge.

08of 10

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron.2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment/IMDb

2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment/IMDb

Charlize Theronis no stranger to transforming her look for the sake of a role, so it comes as no surprise that shaving her head forMad Max: Fury Roadwas actually her idea.

“I had done a press junket. My hair was really fried. And I had a night where I thought, ‘You know what? What if we just shave it?'” Theron toldEntertainment Weekly.

“I wasn’t fully convinced, so I called [director] George [Miller]. I probably woke him up at 3 a.m., and I said, ‘What do you think about this idea?’ And he was just really quiet. And then I could hear him breathe. It was like he took a deep breath. And I took that as a positive. And then I found out yesterday that he was concerned about the shape of my head.”

Needless to say, the choice gave Furiosa some edge.

09of 10

Demi Moore

Demi Moore’s classic buzz cut inG.I. Janewas a one-and-done. The actress shaved her long hair for the action film, butshe told PEOPLEback in 2022, that she’d be “hard-pressed” to pull off another drastic hair move at this point in her career.

“I think now that I’m older, I also know, I don’t have anything to prove. So if they really need my hair different, they can give me a wig,” she said, adding that it’s “also not as clear how it would grow back!”

10of 10Shira HaasShira Haas in ‘Unorthodox’.NetflixWe may still be recovering from watching Esty Shapiro cry her eyes out as she gets her head shaved inUnorthodox, but forShira Haas, the process was simply par for the course.“I was really ready to do it because I read the script and there was no question that it was part of the story,” she toldELLE UKof having to shave her head. “And also, I believe that if I have something that I wanna share, I wanna tell, I wanna be a part of, I’m willing to do a lot in order to tell that story.“She did admit there were some nerves involved, telling the outlet, “I was also stressed and nervous, I’m not gonna lie. It worked well for the character. After that it was amazing, I cannot explain to you the feeling of rain on a bald head.”

10of 10

Shira Haas

Shira Haas in ‘Unorthodox’.Netflix

Netflix

We may still be recovering from watching Esty Shapiro cry her eyes out as she gets her head shaved inUnorthodox, but forShira Haas, the process was simply par for the course.

“I was really ready to do it because I read the script and there was no question that it was part of the story,” she toldELLE UKof having to shave her head. “And also, I believe that if I have something that I wanna share, I wanna tell, I wanna be a part of, I’m willing to do a lot in order to tell that story.”

She did admit there were some nerves involved, telling the outlet, “I was also stressed and nervous, I’m not gonna lie. It worked well for the character. After that it was amazing, I cannot explain to you the feeling of rain on a bald head.”

source: people.com