It’s their time to shine. May 26 is World Redhead Day, but we think ginger-haired people deserve to be celebrated year-round and decided to put together a gallery of a bunch of stars who have red hair naturally. You may be surprised to see some of the names that made it on the list — as well as those that don’t make the cut!
For instance, did you know that Emma Stone is not a natural redhead? It’s true! She actually has blonde hair, although she’s been known to dye it for roles. When she made an appearance at 2012’s WonderCon to talk about her role as Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man, she told MTV of her hair do-over for the film, “My natural hair is blonde, so it’s kind of nice. I looked in the mirror and said, ‘Oh my god, it’s me again! It’s been so long!'”
And while Christina Hendricks may seem like a redhead, she, too, is a natural blonde. She initially changed her hair to red from blonde for a shoot before she did Mad Men, according to Vogue UK. “People never believe that I do my hair color myself at home,” she said. “They say, ‘You don’t do your hair at home by yourself, do you?’ and I always reply and say ‘I honestly do!'” She added that the fictional character Anne Shirley — of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables book series — was her red hair inspiration. (Understandable!)
Meanwhile, did you know Benedict Cumberbatch is actually a redhead? His hair was dyed dark for his role in the BBC’s Sherlock and he frequently has black or brown hair for roles, but he is naturally ginger — although he would tell you otherwise.
“I’m auburn and there is a difference,” he told a Toronto Star reporter in September 2013. “I’ve got very good friends and relatives who are ginger and trust me, there’s a difference. And they ain’t ever gonna see the proof! … I have hair that is auburn. It’s got streaks of red in it, definitely. It’s also got streaks of bronze and lighter colors and darker brown colors.” Hey, whatever works for him!
See our gallery of several celebrities who have naturally red hair, below!