Julia Roberts' Natural Hair Color Isn't Red & We're Stunned

Did you know Julia Roberts' natural hair color isn't red? Because it isn't, and we're stunned. Though we've seen the rom-com queen rock various shades of red in some of her biggest movie roles (including "Pretty Woman," "My Best Friend's Wedding," and "Flatliners"), she's actually a natural blond. Roberts made she surprising revelation years ago during an appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman" while sporting the chestnut brown shade she wore in "Steel Magnolias." The actor — who's a celeb over 40 with amazing hair for salon inspo — shared, "My hair is naturally blond. Kind of a dark blond." She explained she initially dyed it for the 1988 rom-com "Mystic Pizza," in which she sported dark brunette locks with a red tint.

We saw Roberts' gorgeous natural color in a sweet throwback photo from her childhood, though. The youngster wore her shiny, golden blond locks in adorable ponytails as she gave a partly tooth-less grin. But the light hue was a world away from the predominantly darker shades that would make up some of Roberts' most iconic hair looks later in life.

Julia Roberts dyed her blond hair red for her role in 1990's "Pretty Woman," and it caused a major mishap while filming. During a reunion with her co-star Richard Gere on "Today," Roberts recalled the color being stripped from her hair while shooting in a tub. "They had this strong detergent to make the bubbles and I kept going under and coming out and going under and coming out. And by the end of the day, the detergent had taken off all of my hair color," she said (via The Hollywood Reporter). "As I was leaving and saying goodbye to Carol, who did my hair, she said 'Why do you look blond?'... We had emergency hair color at 10 o'clock at night because of the bathtub."

It was all worth it though, as red tresses became one of Roberts' most stunning hair looks and one of the most in demand colors of the time. Roberts' hairstylist Serge Normant recalled the firestorm her mane created, telling Refinery29, "In the early '90s, everyone wanted that curly, wavy red hair — it was emblematic of the decade. So, of course, when I started working with her regularly, my other clients asked me to give them 'Julia Roberts' hair."

But with so much dye being layered on Roberts' locks over the years, her team has to ensure they're keeping her naturally blond locks healthy. In a 2024 Instagram post, Roberts' colorist Kadi Lee highlighted the importance of transitioning slowly. "When making drastic color changes ... my approach is always the same — slow and methodical, while always keeping the health and integrity of the hair first and foremost," he wrote, alongside a snap of Roberts with freshly colored, warm blond locks.