Christina Hendricks Lightens Her Locks, Debuts New Blond Hair Color—Watch Now!

Star lightens her hair color for new campaign

By Nicole Adlman Mar 19, 2015 7:38 PMTags
Watch: Christina Hendricks Goes From Redhead to Blonde

Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks is ready to enter a new era—a blond one, that is. (What would Joan say?!)

The 39-year-old, who has portrayed one of the most recognizable redheads on television, lightened her locks to a strawberry blond hue just in time for a new partnership with Clairol's Nice ‘N Easy. Although, as E! News found out when we caught up with her yesterday, the change also reflects the transition going on in her life right now.

"I was the one who chose to be a redhead years ago. I always felt that maybe I was supposed to have been a redhead," she said. "So it felt very natural for me to be that. And I became known as a redhead. I think it's kind of fun to be adventurous [as a blond], and change people's idea a little bit. I think it will open up different characters to play and my own personality."

Hendricks, a naturally blond who says she was "[using] Nice ‘N Easy when I was 10 years old," admits that it's going to take a while to ease into her new hair color: "I sort of have this giddy feeling [you have] when you change something," she said. "I'm a natural blond and I haven't been for years, so I did a nice and easy shift—two or three shades lighter than I normally am. And I sort of feel like a kid again!"

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The star also noted that it's not only fans who have a deep connection to her character Joan Holloway and, well, her character's red hair.

"I did start to associate red with Joan, even though I have been red years and years before," she admitted. "It was [emotional to] end Mad Men after eight years, and all of sudden I was moving to New York [with husband Geoffrey Arend], and all these changes were happening and I thought I'm just going to embrace this whole new time in my life. I'm going to give myself a fresh new look, I'm going to move to a different city. It's given me this boost of confidence [for] what's in the future."

And if you're looking for Mad Men series finale spoilers, sorry bub—Christina wasn't biting: "Joan goes blond," she quipped when asked if her new hair color might be the finale twist. "I think she would go blond but no, Joan has the same old hairdo."

Christina isn't the only celeb to transition to blond for the warmer months: Kim Kardashian and Jared Leto both recently went platinum during Paris Fashion Week.

"I think it looks cool," Hendricks said of Kim's ultra-light locks. "I think she looks great—I think she's a beautiful woman. She did more than shift a shade. I think it looks cool…if you want to do it, do it."

We're all about that blond-to-blond love.

—Reporting by James Chairman