Tilda Swinton Looks Different Without Her Signature Short Blonde Hair

With her stunning green eyes, pale skin, sharp features, and (usually) short blonde hair, Tilda Swinton tends to stand out. Swinton is known for taking on roles that crush stereotypes. She first gained notice as the titular character in 1992's "Orlando," where she plays an androgynous nobleman. After cementing her status as one of the best actors around with her Golden Globe nomination for "The Deep End," she went on to portray the archangel Gabriel in "Constantine." And, to really show off just how versatile she is, Swinton played three different roles in Luca Guadagnino's remake of the horror classic "Suspiria." But, when looking at Swinton's career, her strangest role may be Dianna, the editor of S'Nuff Magazine in the Amy Schumer comedy "Trainwreck." 

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty & Universal Pictures

While it isn't unusual for famous models to become unrecognizable without makeup, for Swinton, it is the addition of makeup that makes it hard to believe that's her as the not-very-nice editor of a men's magazine in the movie. As Dianna, she wears a wig that gives her shoulder-length hair, a fake tan, and a completely painted face. The character's makeup changes Swinton's entire look and hides the shine of her emerald eyes. The actor disappears into the character to such an extent that, even though she doesn't use a different accent, it can be hard to believe that it's her.

Tilda Swinton's transformation throughout her career has led to roles like Dianna in "Trainwreck." Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, the actor broke down how she found the character, saying, "I think the tan was the beginning of all of it. It all started in a bottle." The actor dug deep into who she thought the character was and came to the conclusion that Dianna would copy the look of French stylist Carine Roitfeld. As Swinton explained, "She's the woman who's trying to look like somebody who's the editor of French Vogue — and failing."

Swinton envisioned the fictional magazine S'Nuff as "the seventh circle of hell where all of this cynicism and passionlessness, kind of unfeelingness, resides." And with her character being the boss, that must make Dianna the devil herself. That comes through in the way the magazine editor treats her staff and the types of stories she wants S'Nuff to cover, as you can see in the classic pitch meeting scene. According to Swinton, it didn't take much to reach that level: "We turned up the volume a little bit on S'Nuff, but it's not that far off, the kind of landscape of spiritless cynicism that's out there." The same went for her look in the movie. Swinton explained to the Huffington Post that "the truth is there are a lot of women walking around rocking Dianna's look ... It's available for everybody. You just have to go to a big makeup counter in a big department store and you, too, can get that look."