While it might seem like everyone in Hollywood has blonde hair, only a few of them have it naturally. And like the old saying that “the grass is always greener,” many of these naturally yellow-haired stars would prefer to be redheads or brunettes instead.
However, not all blonde celebs have changed their color out of preference. For some, dyeing their hair was an important step to boosting their careers. Modern Family star Sofía Vergara might be one of the highest paid TV actresses today, but in the ’90s she struggled to get roles. In interviews, she said her blonde hair kept her from finding work. And yes, you read that correctly — Sofía is a natural blonde!
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“I’m a natural blonde, but when I started acting, I would go to auditions and they didn’t know where to put me because I was voluptuous and had the accent—but I had blonde hair,” she explained to Self in 2010. “It was ignorance: They thought every Latin person looks like Salma Hayek.”
However, once she went dark, it ended up being a huge career boost. In the same interview, she said casting directors suddenly started to see her as “the hot Latin chick.” She also said becoming a brunette completely changed her personality, too.
“I was a lot — big boobs, tan, big mouth, the accent, the blond hair,” she told People. “The dark hair toned me down.”
Since becoming a bona fide star, Sofía has been gradually letting her hair lighten back to its natural hues. These days she sports blonde highlights in her brown hair, which looks similar to her pre-Modern Family days.
Check out the gallery to see more stars you didn’t know were secretly blondes.
