Lily James Is Nearly Unrecognizable After Dark Hair Transformation

Lily James has been known for her breezy, dream girl blonde hair since starring as Lady Rose MacClare in the historical series, "Downton Abbey," but she recently switched things up to a moodier brunette shade. In an Instagram Story shared on July 7, the "Cinderella" star shared a gym selfie that showed off her newly dyed dark hair, which she wore in a tousled top knot. It was quite a departure from her usual honey-blond shade, which we've all come to recognize her for. 

It's unclear if James went back to her naturally brunette color for fun or if the changeup was for a role, but she's used to altering her hair for work. "It's interesting being an actor because you get to transform all the time and take on different roles. Often, you hold a bit of them with you, whether purposefully or by accident. Sometimes it takes a while to let things shed off of you after you've pretended to be someone else or totally inhabited a different look," she told Glamour. This wasn't the first time James stunned fans with her chestnut-colored mane, and she just proves time and time again that she's one of the few celebs who can pull off dark and light hair colors flawlessly.

After portraying the blond bombshell Pamela Anderson in "Pam and Tommy" in 2022, Lily James opted to go back to her dark brown roots, which she showed off in an Instagram carousel. "Such a fun night with the one and only @charlottetilbury to support @EdwardEnninful and the @princestrust," James wrote. She had her almost-black tresses worn loose in a relaxed middle part, thanks to her hairstylist Danilo Dixon. The "Wrath of the Titans" star's stylist, Rebecca Corbin-Murray replied, "Why are you such a fricking SMOKE SHOW!?"

Later that year, in September, James debuted her amber hair at the Emmy Awards, which had her resembling Ariel from "The Little Mermaid." The shade perfectly complemented her Versace Atelier chainmail gown in a deep bronze color that was custom-made just for her. "It was designed for me, and I was kind of a part of the color choices and building it together, so it's just unreal. I'm obsessed with every tiny bit of it," James told People. While giving her glam squad a shout-out on Instagram, she wrote, "Thank you for the transformation. Did not wake up like this. And @traceycunningham1 thank you for the copper hair." It seems there isn't a color James can't pull off flawlessly.