With the Cannes Film Festival back in action in 2021, so is its extremely glamorous red carpet. The French film festival is known for bringing out some of the most stunning red carpet looks of the year, and this event is no different. One actor who is turning heads at this year's festival is Andie MacDowell, who has people talking not just about her fashion choices but about her hair. After years as a brunette, Andie MacDowell is now rocking her naturally gray hair, and she's commented on the decision in a couple of interviews. Read on to find out why she chose to stop dyeing her locks.
MacDowell is at Cannes as part of a longterm partnership.
MacDowell is not starring in any of the films showing at Cannes this year. Instead, she's at the film festival as part of her 35-year partnership with L'Oréal as one of the brand's ambassadors. So far, she has attended the opening night premiere of the Adam Driver and Marian Cotillard musical Annette, wearing a beaded Prada dress with her curly hair worn loose, and the premiere of the French drama Everything Went Fine, at which she wore a white sequined Versace Atelier gown with her hair in a low ponytail.
RELATED: See Jodie Foster and Her Wife Make a Rare Red Carpet Appearance.
MacDowell is embracing her hair as it is.
In an interview with People, MacDowell spoke about her Cannes trip and styling her hair for the hot July weather. "I'm not worried about keeping it under control," she said. "We've emphasized the wildness. We've gone with that."
The 63-year-old actor and model did share that she uses "lots of conditioners" to style her curly hair. "I just put conditioner in and leave it in there. If I'm not working, that's all I do. I just sleep in it sometimes." She added, "Because of the silver, it gets even a little drier. The texture becomes even more wiry, but I'm embracing all of it. I'm comfortable. I like me. That's where you get to by the time you're my age."
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She's happy to be a "silver fox."
During a February interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, MacDowell also talked about her decision to embrace her gray—or silver—hair. "My daughters kept telling me that I looked badass, and the idea that I looked badass really appealed to me, so I went for it," she said. "And I enjoy it. I'm salt and pepper. It's silver. I always correct people: It's not gray its silver." MacDowell has two daughters, Margaret and Rainey Qualley, with ex-husband Paul Qualley, as well as a son, Justin Qualley.
She also said that she likes being a "silver fox." She told a story about seeing a man who she would describe as a "silver fox" at the grocery store and how that flicked a switch for her.
"I immediately just put my shoulders back, and was like, and so am I," she said. "We shot a look to each other, and I was like, I'm a silver fox."
Her daughters help keep her positive.
MacDowell told People that she's taught her daughters to be loving toward themselves and that they repeat that lesson back to her. "They remind me quite often not to say anything derogatory about myself," she said. "They're actually better than I am in a lot of ways because I taught them well. They listened."
She also said that she feels a responsibility to be a positive force for other women in her role with L'Oréal. "It is what I'm most proud of, outside of my children," she said. "It's the biggest part of my life, for sure. And I do feel a responsibility to be a positive reflection of women as they age. I hope that I'm doing that."
RELATED: See Andie MacDowell's Two Daughters, Who Are Taking Over Hollywood.
Lia Beck Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more.Read moreFiled UnderCelebrities • Entertainment • NewsRead This NextSee Andie MacDowell's Daughters Now
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