Nicole Kidman's Gorgeous Hair Transformation

Nicole Kidman likely wouldn't be quite the star she is without her memorable look, and that includes her ever-changing hairstyle. After all, we pay attention to celebrities for many reasons. Following the ins and outs of their romances, for example, can show us what successful relationships look like ... or give us models for what we definitely want to avoid. Sometimes, we revel in their artistry — celebrating the work they've given fans — and that's certainly true for Kidman. We can also look to them for fashion inspiration, which is no small thing! Celebs give us examples not just of what we want to look like, but how we want to present ourselves to the world.

Kidman's hair has been a reliable source of interest and discussion since the beginning of her career, even as her star has risen to the uppermost echelons imaginable. Fans were interested in her red ringlet curls back when she was starring in movies with Tom Cruise, and they're still fascinated now that Kidman has grown-up daughters with Keith Urban and wears her hair straighter and blonder. From her early years in Australia to some of the biggest films in Hollywood to the eternal question of when she's wearing a wig, Kidman's gorgeous hair transformation has played out on the world stage. Read on for a look back at some of her most memorable looks.

Nicole Kidman can be a shapeshifter, adopting drastically different hairstyles from project to project. Kidman's got a secret: the vast majority of her film and television roles feature the Aussie actor sporting wigs.

Fans caught onto this strategy in the 2010s, when podcasts like "The Kidmanifesto" discussed her wigs. Some led to iconic looks — think about that vibrant red hair in "Moulin Rouge!" — but others seem less polished. That doesn't mean they can't be appreciated. "a nicole kidman wig is less about quality or realism. More about the way in which it consumes & alters her spirit," one fan tweeted in the wake of her poorly styled headpiece on Netflix's "The Perfect Couple."

Though this ever-changing hair trick has become a staple, Kidman isn't interested in talking about it. When the host of "The Kidmanifesto" asked her at a Q&A to rank her wigs (via X), Kidman responded, "That's an awful question. I am shutting that question down" — which didn't even make our list of Kidman's shadiest moments. A year later, she ended an interview with "The Kyle & Jackie O Show" (via The Beat 92.5) after a wig question. "Well, I'm using my own hair now," she claimed, "so I think that's probably my favorite, my own hair." As you read on, keep in mind that some of these styles might be wigs ... but we'll honor Kidman and pretend not to know the difference.

When we first met Nicole Kidman in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, she was a redhead from Australia who sported a massive mop of tightly curled ringlets. That's how she looked, for example, in movies like "Days of Thunder" and "Far and Away" — the first two films that Kidman starred in with Tom Cruise, her husband. Her hair was a particular point of interest in the interviews she conducted at that time, and she told People in 1989 (via The National Post) that it just was what it was. "I don't have the kind of hair that you can have a hairstyle with," she claimed.

Soon, though, she began to try. In "Batman Forever," as Dr. Chase Meridian, she sported a classic Hollywood hairstyle not unlike the one famously worn by Veronica Lake, featuring flowing waves that made her tresses seem far more elegant than her ringlet curls did. She began straightening her hair for public appearances, too, forcing those curls to behave so they could be styled any number of ways.

Eventually, Kidman came to regret straightening her hair. "I wish I had my curls back. I tortured them to death," she told Aussie magazine Who (via "Today") back in 2017, a sentiment she echoed to the Sydney Morning Herald in 2020. "Do I wish that I hadn't screwed up my hair by straightening it all the time?" she pondered. "Sure."

By the 2000s, Nicole Kidman was a certified movie star, and her straightened, blond hair was here to stay. In 2003, when Kidman won her first Academy Award for her role in "The Hours," she opted to slick her hair back tightly to her scalp, twisting all of it into a simple bun at the back of her head. It was a classy look that worked very well with the black gown she wore, and the golden color of her blond dye job was perfectly accessorized with the golden statue she took home from the ceremony.

Unfortunately, that night wasn't a happy one for her. As she told Dave Karger in his book "50 Oscar Nights: Iconic Stars & Filmmakers on Their Career-Defining Wins" (via People), she was lonely and sad after winning. After all, her divorce from Tom Cruise had recently been finalized, and she didn't have a date to the event. She even tried to get out of showing off her award at the iconic Vanity Fair after-party. "I literally walked in, carried it around, was completely overwhelmed, emotional, shaking, and I didn't enjoy it. I was almost apologetic, which is so stupid," she reminisced. "I wish I could have enjoyed it more."

Perhaps because the hairstyle is associated with a disappointing memory, Kidman hasn't returned to it much over the years. Instead, she went on to opt for longer locks that were a far cry from her early years.

Nicole Kidman's hair doesn't just shift styles. She has also often experimented with the precise shade of blond that she wants to be, and occasionally in the 2000s, she went a bit too light. Throughout that decade, her hair seemed to wash her out. She often ended up with a shade not all that different than the color of her skin. 

In 2006, for example, blogger Alexandra Seuthe spoke with The Sacramento Bee (via The Ocala Star Banner) about what exactly was going wrong with Kidman's particular shade of blond. "There is such a thing as being too blond," she said. Seuthe guessed that Kidman might be overcompensating for some early gray hair, trying to color-match something that wasn't the right thing to color-match. "At 39, Kidman is probably trying to dye that age right out of her hair," Seuthe guessed. "Problem is, gray hair doesn't hold color, so when red became out of the question, she probably opted for the more-workable blond."

Perhaps as a result of this criticism, Kidman would begin to opt for a more strawberry blonde look, experimenting with warmer shades that didn't have the same icy effect on her skin. As she moved into the 2010s, Kidman wasn't exactly the redhead she was in the early days, but she wasn't washing her look out nearly as much, either.

2013 was a big year for Nicole Kidman's hair. That year, she filmed "Grace of Monaco," a biopic in which she played the late, great Grace Kelly, a hairstyle icon if ever there was one. Unfortunately, the movie wasn't particularly good, and its release wound up delayed for several years before it ultimately premiered on Lifetime.

In 2013, though, Kidman was chosen as a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, meaning she had the opportunity to walk numerous red carpets at the high-profile event. In addition to paying homage to Kelly several times, Kidman also made headlines for some seriously eye-popping creations. The first, unfortunately, was a combed-back ponytail piled high on her head, guided in a layer over the top of her pulled-back hair and secured at the nape of her neck. The effect was almost like a towering faux-hawk, a ponytail so intricate and strange that it drew understandable mockery from style watchers.

That included the Beauty Police over at E! News, who wrote an article about the odd look. "Since Nicole seems to be struggling with her style identity, we'll help her out: Nicole, stick with the Grace Kelly look!" they wrote. "It works for your features and it helps promote your new Grace Kelly movie. Everybody wins! Well, except the hairstylist who told you this faux-hawk was a good idea."

Luckily for Nicole Kidman in 2013, the Cannes Film Festival stretched on for quite a while. Even though her faux-hawk ponytail got bad reviews, she had plenty of chances to transform her look once again. More than a week after the faux-hawk ponytail walked the red carpet, Kidman followed it up with an intricate look that people loved.

This time, Kidman had her hair swept up into a messy, yet detailed braid. While the messiness added a chic amount of volume, the tightly wound spiral of braided hair at the back of her head made the look intriguing and stylish, the kind of thing you'd want to copy just to see if you could do it. After all, you have to remember, social media had really taken off by 2013; people were starting to attend Coachella just for the photos they could post to Instagram, and Kidman's hair offered up something unique that you could pin to a Pinterest board called #HairGoals.

Unlike the faux-hawk ponytail, this one won raves. Styleite called it a "cinnamon roll" braid, and HuffPost's Style & Beauty section wrote that Kidman had "totally convinced us that braids aren't just for milkmaids anymore." If you're feeling inspired, check out these 15 braided styles to elevate your messy bun.

In the 2020s, Kidman firmly settled into her status as one of the most celebrated actors of her generation and began to switch up her style more frequently than ever before. She was working more, too, starring in more television shows and movies each year than at any point in her career. That meant lots of opportunities to walk red carpets, to change up her hair as often as she changed her gowns.

In 2021, for example, Kidman returned to her roots — no pun intended — when she attended the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on the arm of her husband, Keith Urban. He was there to honor Tina Turner, and Kidman's ultra-'80s look matched the occasion. In addition to a look that featured a sparkling choker and lots of leather, Kidman returned to her '80s hair and wore ringlet curls to the concert. Paired with a bold red lip, the strawberry blond curls made her look like an older, more refined version of the movie star who first graced American shores decades ago.

In this new phase of her career, as she worked behind the scenes as a producer and stepped in front of the camera more than ever before, Nicole Kidman displayed a willingness to experiment with style like never before. In 2022, she appeared on the cover of Perfect Magazine in perhaps her most eye-popping hairstyle ever. The iconic redhead's long locks were so red they bordered on orange, looking less like the Nicole Kidman hair we're used to and more like the color of the vibrant bob Milla Jovovich sported in "The Fifth Element."

Even more shocking than the color, however, was the shape of Kidman's hair. While most of it reached down to her waist, it was also chopped at the chin, forming face-framing bangs commonly referred to as a "jellyfish" haircut, then popular on TikTok.

"I honestly didn't even know it was called the jellyfish," hairstylist Evanie Frausto told Soho House. When he crafted the look for the "Big Little Lies" star, he said, he'd been inspired by the mod haircuts created by Vidal Sassoon in the 1960s. Stylist Cherin Choi told the outlet that she hoped older people would be inspired to experiment with new styles no matter their age. "Anyone who is playful and still enjoying their hair, I love," she said, "and Nicole Kidman is doing just that."

In some respects, Nicole Kidman's hair journey has been one long search for the right shade of blond, and in 2024, she may have found her best one yet. She shared a photo to Instagram of herself in a leather jacket, looking up and to the left while a long, tousled bob — also called a "lob" — cascaded over her shoulders. Rather than washing her out, the vanilla blond perfectly complemented her pale skin, made even better by a pale pink lip shade much lighter than the reds she'd experimented with in the past.

The reviews were glowing. "Love the hair!" one fan commented. "It's fresh, modern and healthy looking." Another added, "You look amazing as always! Style star!"

A few months earlier, Kidman had sported a shaggy blond look on the cover of Vogue Australia (via People). She spoke to the magazine about this period of change in her career, telling them that she was eager for all of the opportunities she was getting to switch things up. "You can become and try different things, all the time, which is what excites me. I don't even see it as reinvention," she said. "I think it's more like different facets that you discover that are in existence, but you are attuned to the discovery of them."

In 2024, Nicole Kidman picked up a significant amount of awards attention for her role in "Babygirl." She starred as a middle-aged woman thrilled by an affair with her handsome young intern, played by Harris Dickinson; the affair becomes tinged with BDSM after Kidman's character learns that she enjoys getting told what to do.

Though she missed out on the Oscar nod this time, Kidman did pick up a Golden Globe nomination for best performance by a female actor in a motion picture, drama. She walked the red carpet in a stunning silver gown, but the real eye-catching part of the look was her hair. Kidman opted for a bouffant ponytail, an elegant look with lots of volume. In addition, the swoop of the ponytail perfectly framed her face, and the strawberry blond color provided a perfect contrast to the beautiful blue teardrop earrings she'd accessorized with. 

On his Instagram Story (via InStyle), her hairstylist Adir Abergel broke down the look for fans. "Obviously, using the right products that will maintain the look for a long period of time is incredibly important," he wrote. "For me, extensions are a huge part of creating these styles." Abergel revealed that he'd used Bellami's "Golden Hour Blonde" extensions, which already layered red and blond together. To make the look even more dimensional, blonder sections were hand-painted onto the extensions.

Nicole Kidman's drastic new look at the 2025 Met Gala stole the spotlight. The fundraiser's theme was "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style," meant to raise awareness of and pay homage to the influence of Black dandyism in fashion. Many attendees opted for sharply tailored menswear in eye-catching silhouettes, but Kidman chose a strapless black Balenciaga gown to walk the carpet. 

Her hair, though, was the showstopper. Everything was slicked to the sides and back save for one large piece of bang, which covered half of her face as she flashed photographers a coquettish smile. More surprising still were the dark undertones, showing that the hair had been layered over the top of more darker roots than we've seen her wear, perhaps ever. "I wanted to celebrate this years theme by honoring the Dandies and their individuality, elegance, and confidence—where every detail is tailored to that unique person," her stylist Adir Abergel wrote on Instagram.

Once again, that age-old question gripped Kidman's fans: Was this her real hair, styled in a way we'd never seen before, or was this a wig? A follower asked Abergel that exact question on Instagram, writing, "As a Hairdresser of 32 years I have to say... This hair out shined the dress! Stunning ... Is it a wig or did you cut her hair?" In a move that surely made Kidman proud, he didn't answer the question, instead simply replying, "thank you baby. I am truly touched."