9 Celebrities Who Were Brave Enough to Cut Their Hair Off but Still Lit Up the Screen

For many actresses shaving their hair for a role might be quite challenging. Yet, celebrities eagerly accept the opportunity and sacrifice their looks to make their performance even more spectacular. However, even bald, they still possessed the beauty and charm they were gifted with.

1. Willow Smith

Then 20-year-old musician shocked her fans by getting her hair buzzed off right on stage after performing her single Whip My Hair. This was initially a kind of rebellious deed, and it really helped her to step out of the shadow of her famous parents at the time.

Actually, this was the third time she had her head shaved. She always does it at monumental times in her life, when things are really changing. And to her, this was definitely one of those moments.

Previously, she cut off all her hair in March 2020. She allowed herself to be locked in a glass case for 24 hours — this was a performance for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. That time it was like shedding a lot of emotional baggage for her.

They even say her hairdo inspired her mother, Jada, to try to do the same hairstyle herself. On her Instagram, she said, “Willow made me do it because it was time to let go.” Her daughter came with an even more philosophical post: “A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return.”

2. Kristen Stewart

Stewart has actually wanted to change her hair dramatically for a long time. There came a point in her life when she was finally able to do that. This time it was for her movie Underwater. And when the director suggested it, Stewart said, “That’s a great idea! I am game... It feels amazing.”

3. Natalie Portman

Portman’s hair was shaved in one of the scenes in the movie V for Vendetta. And since it was all for real, they had to do it in just one take. What’s more intriguing is that her short hair made her even more recognizable on the street. “With hair, I can camouflage with people,” said the actress, “but as a female with a shaved head, people tend to stare just naturally.”

4. Anne Hathaway

The actress cut her hair off for the movie adaptation of the hit musical Les Misérables. For this emotional scene, she invited her own hairdresser to the set and allowed him to chop off her long hair live on camera. This time, all the sacrifices were worth it, and Hathaway got an Oscar for the role.

5. Cate Blanchett

Blanchett shaved her hair off for Tom Twyker’s 2002 film Heaven. It was also done live on camera, and later the actress said that it was liberating for her. “I had to do it once for a film role, but I’ve done it periodically too.”

6. Kate Hudson

The actress cut her hair off to play the character in the first film from singer-songwriter Sia called Music. After that, Hudson preferred to appear in public in a blonde wig. But after all, she decided to go natural, and during the premiere of her film, Marshall, she showed up on the red carpet with her hair short.

7. Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron bravely shaved her hair off in 2012 for Mad Max: Fury Road. She said she had just finished 2 press tours, and her hair was totally destroyed from heat damage, so she was pretty glad to get rid of it. “I was also a new mom,” added the actress, “and just loved the idea of not having to style my hair every morning. The timing was perfect.”

A few years later, she still didn’t regret a thing about it. She simply can’t imagine doing the movie any other way. “I could never see this character with a ponytail, and that’s always where we got kind of left off. I was, like, so over the ponytail in these movies.” And she did a really great job without it.

8. Cynthia Nixon

Nixon went totally bald to play a cancer patient in the Broadway show Wit. The actress admitted she was always curious to see what it would be like. Though, of course, she’s not going to keep it forever. Especially after she had to shave her head every day for the role.

What’s more interesting is that her character’s story is close to Nixon’s heart since she herself discovered she had early-stage breast cancer. It was discovered in a routine mammogram in 2006. Thankfully, she had a lumpectomy and radiation and continues to take drugs that are used to treat and prevent some types of breast cancer.

9. Cara Delevingne

At some point in her career, the model turned her attention to acting. And for her role in the 2020 movie Life in a Year, she had to sacrifice her glossy locks and go completely bald to fully immerse herself into the role of a dying woman.