SHARK TANK APPROVED 
It Ends With Us is a film adaptation of a Colleen Hoover book by the same name. The story is a dramatic romance in which the main character is Lily Bloom, a redheaded flower shop owner. We got a sneak peek of the movie and Lily’s character, played by Blake Lively, in early 2023 when Lively posted a photo of her with red hair to her Instagram story. At the time, we noted how excited we were to see Lively in this role and for her to reprise her red, which she had rocked in the past.
The film dropped in early August and is one of the year’s most anticipated films, but redheads have some thoughts and a bit of a disappointment. For some redheads, the frustration came because Lily’s hair was described as vibrantly red in the book, and in most scenes, Lively’s hair is more of a strawberry blonde. However, the actress Isabela Ferrer, who plays young Lily Bloom, does seem to have a more true red hair shade.
Other redheads had different grievances with the casting. TikToker @faithieeanne spoke out about her feelings in a TikTok video. Faith says “I was absolutely treated differently my whole childhood, my whole life, for being a redhead. Not in the way people that have different races are, obviously, but in the way that I’m fetishized, bullied…because of my hair color, so it has set me apart.” Chosen redheads in the film play both the teenage and adult versions of Lily Bloom. Faith explains how she gets frustrated when she sees roles that call for a natural redhead being given to redheads ‘by choice.’ She talks about how the redhead experience impacted her life and how, in the book version, Lily experiences some of these same things.
Many people in Faith’s comments agree, with some saying a natural redhead like Sadie Sink should have played the role and some sharing how their redhead experience has shaped them. Some even say they felt like they were the only ones bothered by the casting of non-redheads for redhead roles. Check out Faith’s video here:
@faithieeanne Pls dont take this too seriosuly
Here at H2BAR, we would love to see more redheads in the industry get more redhead roles. Although, some of our favorite redhead characters are played by non-redheads. These roles often require extensive hair and makeup transformations to achieve the look of the character’s signature red hair. Here are some notable examples:
1. Ginger Grant in Gilligan’s Island: Originally played by Tina Louise, Ginger Grant is a glamorous movie star known for her red hair. Tina Louise is not a natural redhead.
2. Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit: Voiced by Kathleen Turner, Jessica Rabbit is a classic cartoon character known for her striking red hair. While iconic in her own right, Kathleen Turner is not a redhead.
3. Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man (2002): Played by Kirsten Dunst, Mary Jane Watson is a redhead in the comic books. Dunst is naturally blonde.
4. Daphne Blake in Scooby-Doo: Played by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the live-action films, Daphne Blake is another redhead from the cartoons. Gellar is naturally blonde.
5. Jean Grey in the X-Men series: Famke Janssen played Jean Grey, a character with red hair in the comics. Janssen, however, is a natural brunette.
6. Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey: The character Anastasia Steele is described as having red hair in the books, but Dakota Johnson, who played her, is a brunette.
7. Rita Hayworth in Gilda: Rita Hayworth, known for her red hair in the film, was naturally a brunette.
8. Anne Shirley in Anne of Green Gables (1985 TV miniseries): Megan Follows played Anne Shirley, a character with famously red hair. Although Follows’ hair is not naturally red, she wore a red wig for the role.
What do you think about this? Should natural redheads get specific roles because of their hair color?
Rock it like a Redhead!
RELATED POSTS
READ: Blake Lively Debuts Red Hair and Confirms “It Ends With Us” Casting News
READ: Reddit Thread: Recasting of Redheads Is a “Reasonable Artistic Decision”
