Helen Mirren, 77, Debuts Daring Hair Transformation at Cannes Film Festival and Fans Go Wild

• Helen Mirren rocked a daring new look at the 2023 Cannes International Film Festival.
• The 77-year-old underwent a bright hair transformation, showing off blue-purple hair while wearing a coordinating blue gown.
• This marks one of many dramatic hair debuts on the red carpet for the star.

Helen Mirren has been busy, with three films—Golda, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and Fast X—either in the works or newly released and a slew of red-carpet appearances. The respective premiere events came with glamorous looks aplenty, and yet, the 77-year-old continues to outdo herself. In attending the screening of Jeanne du Barry at the Cannes International Film Festival, Mirren debuted a daring new look. The star stepped out wearing frosty blue hair piled high on her crown and a color-coordinating blue gown.

“She knows how to make an entrance,” Mirren’s stylist, Lee Harris, wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of the look. The gown, designed by Daniel Del Core, sported a structured peplum shape, long sleeves, and a wide V-neckline. To top off the drama, Mirren wore a silver choker and carried a fan printed with “#WorthIt,” a nod to her role as a L’Oreal ambassador.

Fans and followers of Harris took to the comments section to ogle Mirren’s bold demure. “I can’t with her blue hair! She is 🔥,” one person commented. “That color! 😍,” another added. “So great !” someone else wrote.

It’s a close call, but this colorful concept of Mirren’s may top her big hair moments of Cannes Film Festivals passed, including the pink pixie she wore to the event in 2019, and last year’s look, for which she wore XXL platinum gray hair—a shiny shade that celebrities including herself, Andie MacDowell, and Jane Fonda have increasingly embraced over the last few years.

In 2021, Mirren told Vogue that going gray was an “easy” transition for her. “I have to say it was very easy for me because my hair was always blonde. I was a natural blonde and although it was quite dark at times, in the summertime when I’d spent time in the sun, it would basically go white,” she said. “So the process of me losing the color of my hair was very easy—it just looked more and more as if I had been in the sun, but year-round.”

She praised other “spectacular” women who have made the leap and encouraged others to try it out. “Going gray is to be encouraged—that’s not to say you can’t have fun with your hair, because it’s a very important part of how you feel about yourself. People should do whatever makes them feel comfortable,” she said.

In fact, it’s her strands’ light silvery shade that allows Mirren to easily switch it up for big events. “You’ve got these great dyes now,” she told People in 2019, referring to her pink look.“You can wash them in, wash them out. So the great thing about this color is it’s a great base for going pink or green or blue.”

When Mirren’s not rocking a temporary bright hue, she tends to her strands with products made especially for hydrating and brightening gray hair. You can shop her favorites below.

Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo

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Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner

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L'Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Magnesium Silver Neutralising Shampoo

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Shimmer Lights Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo & Conditioner 31.5 oz Duo (Blonde & Silver)

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Kayla Blanton

Kayla Blanton is a freelance writer who reports on all things health and nutrition for Men’s Health, Women’s Health, and Prevention. Her hobbies include perpetual coffee sipping and pretending to be a Chopped contestant while cooking.