If Savannah Lee Smith was going to immerse herself in the scandalous live of Manhattan’s elite, she needed to have the right wigs to play the part.
So, when she signed onto the Gossip Girl reboot for the role of Monet de Haan, one of the richest students at Constance Billard, she insisted on creating an iconic hairstyle evolution that went along with her character’s status.
“I thought to myself, ‘I wear wigs all the time. I change my hair every two weeks. So if I had a billion dollars, why wouldn’t I be doing that? If I had that much money, I would have a closet of hair!’” she exclusively told Us Weekly. “I brought that up to the producers and the writers and they were like, ‘Oh yea, duh.’”
In addition to having the opportunity to experiment with different looks, Smith explained that depicting various hairstyles over the course of filming was important for viewers to see. “That’s what Black women do,” she said. “Whether they’re the billionaire elite or not.”
While she served up everything from red bobs to box braids in season one, the actress promised Us that there’s plenty of hair inspo to come in season two, which is set to premiere in November 2022.
Through it all, the looks represent a lot more than a good hair day though — they’re key to Monet’s personal journey. “Monet is very goal driven, she’s always thinking two steps ahead. I would try to think of what she was trying to exude. If she was trying to illustrate power, what does that look like for her hair? Or if she’s trying to look prettier than everyone else, what does that look like for her hair?” Smith explained.
While the star was the hair expert on set, she revealed that she turned to costar Zión Moreno, who plays Luna La, for all things skincare. “She’s literally taught me 90 percent of what I know about my skin now. She’s just a skincare god,” Smith joked.
One of the tips she took away? Sunscreen — always. “I never used to put sunscreen on my face. When I told her [Zión] that, she almost had a heart attack. I use my sunscreen now, we’re good,” she assured Us.
SPF isn’t the only newness Smith has incorporated into her beauty routine lately. She’s also become a Humphreys Witch Hazel convert. The actress, who admittedly has dry skin, says the mist has done wonders for her complexion.
“I use the mist mostly and I put it in my bag and mist my face whenever I get dry,” she said. “It’s actually really hydrating for me … it gives me a nice little bump of moisture.” The best part? The product retails for just $10.98!