It has always been very important for me to be as authentic as possible
in the things I stand by or endorse, so to have been asked by Kérastase to collaborate – a brand that has already been on the shelves of my bathroom for 10 years – was a no-brainer for me. I’m a real fan – I love the fashion aspect of the campaigns and the luxury of what the brand represents for haircare. It also gave me the opportunity to work with great, artistic people which is always inspiring.
I try not to put a lot of heat on my hair when I don’t need to.
I have stopped colouring it as light as I did on Mad Men and have only been highlighting it a few times a year to give it a rest. I love when my base colour creates low lights or depth, I’ve embraced the different shades that I have naturally. Like our skin, hair benefits from vitamins, good nutrition, sleep and water! But I also love a good scalp massage – I’m growing my hair out so this helps stimulate the follicles.
I think hair style and colour play a very important part in the roles I play.
I always try to collaborate with the hair stylist about what my character would have and I try very hard to not let vanity stop me from a realistic interpretation. Hair, along with make-up and costumes are an exciting way of forming a visual idea of a character before I even say anything. It can also really help you feel like a different person instantly.
I have had my hair every shade of the rainbow.
I think because Mad Men was a period piece and it was the character I played the longest, Betty was the role where my hair was used to tell its own story. It was in the late 50s to early 60s style so we had it in a regular set most days but there were moments when Betty was feeling sad so my hair had to look sad too. The episodes where Betty is trying to find herself again and she dyes her hair black were really fascinating as I had to actually dye my hair instead of using a wig because I was wearing prosthetics on my face and a wig wouldn’t work – it was an interesting experiment! I felt that I wasn’t noticed as much as I am when I’m blonde and I had to wear more make-up to avoid looking washed out. The reaction Betty’s family had to her change wasn’t very positive either – it’s funny how a hair colour can change so much.
I have always been a nervous hair tucker,
I tuck my hair behind my ear frequently when I am anxious or even excited. I often have to remind hair stylists not to leave my hair down around my face for red carpets events because it will inevitably be tucked sooner or later.
