Keira Knightley is known for her classic brunette locks and ever-evolving hairstyles on screen. But few fans realize that many of those looks have actually been wigs.
In a 2016 interview with InStyle U.K., the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Bend It Like Beckham” star revealed she began wearing wigs after years of frequent hair coloring damaged her natural hair. “I have dyed my hair virtually every color imaginable for different films. It got so bad that my hair literally began to fall out of my head!” Knightley shared. “So for the past five years I’ve used wigs, which is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to my hair.”
Knightley explained that her hair had also changed after becoming a mother in 2015. “I have naturally crazy, curly hair, and since I’ve had the baby it’s become 10 times thicker,” she said. “So now I’ve been finding quite a lot of dreadlocks.”
In a later interview with The Cut, Knightley clarified that her use of wigs is mainly for work. “I wear wigs for films, which is a great thing and has saved my hair. On a film set, they’re doing your hair every day and dyeing it a million different colors. It does tend to fall out.”
Several of Knightley’s film roles between 2011 and 2016 suggest wig use. In Anna Karenina (2012), she wore voluminous, styled hair that likely wasn’t her own due to the strain such daily styling would cause. In The Imitation Game (2014), she appeared with caramel-toned curls, a noticeable shift from the darker brown shade she was seen with at red carpet events during that time.
Her experience with wigs goes back even further. In The Duchess (2008), she wore oversized period wigs that were notoriously uncomfortable. “The wigs were the problem. They were big like birdcages,” Knightley told USA Today (via Express). “The hats were sewn onto the tops of them. And the whole thing was glued to my head, pinned in. I had neck ache. I literally couldn’t hold the thing up.” She said a special stand had to be built so she could rest the heavy headpieces between scenes.
Thankfully, Knightley has since traded those towering wigs for more natural-looking and lightweight styles. And while fans might not always realize it, her careful use of wigs has allowed her to maintain both her hair’s health and her iconic screen presence.
