Sofia Coppola’s buzzy new Civil War-era movie, The Beguiled, could easily have been called The Braided, thanks to the period-correct plaits French hair stylist Odile Gilbert designed for all seven female actors in the movie, including Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning. Gilbert’s influence even extended to leading man Colin Farrell’s hair. She ordered him not to wash it. At. All. Here, she tells us why.
Tell me about the inspiration behind the hair in The Beguiled.
We tried to go into the personality of each character, and also be true to the period, which obviously meant no curling irons or hair dryers. They all have long hair, which women tended to have back then. It’s wartime, they are living in a boarding school in the country, essentially cut off from the world, and their resources are dwindling. So they try to look chic and nice, but have to make do with what they have. (I had to do research about accessories, about what little pieces of jewelry would have existed at the time, etc..) Nicole, who plays the headmistress, has naturally wavy hair, so we mostly kept it softy, but neatly, pinned up. Kirsten is a teacher, and had to look a bit more strict, so her braids are tighter, and pinned primly on her head. Elle, the oldest student, is a bit more naughty--dare I say a floozy--so she wears her hair looser and down. And the little ones, who play the four younger schoolgirls in the film (Angourie Rice, Oona Laurence, Addison Riecke and Emily Howard), had to look more prim and proper. It was so much fun doing their hair- the young ones were always so happy and excited to be in front of the mirror, having their braids done. It was a delight.
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