Why Julie Andrews Cut Her Hair Short To Begin With

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Julie Andrews and Princess Diana: One is British acting and singing royalty, and the other was actual royalty. On TikTok, an interview clip of Andrews from 1983 resurfaced, and fans immediately commented on the similarities between the two stars. "She has the same aura as Princess Diana," one wrote, while another said, "She looks like confident Princess Diana." Indeed, they share two main physical characteristics: blue eyes and short, blond haircuts. We know the reason that Princess Diana kept her hair short, but what's the story with Andrews, who celebrated her 90th birthday at the beginning of October 2025?

It all comes down to ease, essentially. Andrews revealed in her 2019 memoir, "Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years," that issues arose when she had to wear a brown wig for her role in 1964's "Mary Poppins." She wrote (via Vanity Fair), "I've always hated wearing wigs, and the Poppins wigs drove me nuts. My hair was long at that time, and I began to cut it shorter and shorter ... to endure the wig every day." And she never grew it out again.

It isn't hard to hear or picture Julie Andrews. Just think the words "dearest reader," and "Bridgerton" fans will immediately get Lady Whistledown's voice in their heads. Or, folks might imagine her flinging her arms wide in the Austrian hills as nun-turned-nanny Maria in "The Sound of Music" or giving Anne Hathaway's character a stern look as Queen Clarisse Renaldi in "The Princess Diaries." No matter what, you'll picture Andrews' short, blond hair. But did you know that she's among the celebs who are nearly unrecognizable with their natural hair color? This British dame naturally has brunette locks. We already know her cut was because of work, and as it turns out, her color was, too.

For her 1965 role as Maria, the production team thought her hair looked too dark on camera and wanted it lightened. Unfortunately, hair knowledge isn't what it is now (i.e. they didn't have our guide to fixing and preventing brassy hair), and Andrews wrote in her 2019 memoir, "There was a mistake in the coloring process, and I ended up with a bright orange mop. My hair had to be cut even shorter, and what was left of it was dyed pure blonde" (via Forbes).

She's mostly kept the buttery tone since, with a brief dip into red for "Victor/Victoria" in the mid-'90s. Some celebs love to dabble in an array of hair colors, but there's also something to be said for sticking with a tried-and-true signature look like Andrews, who still rocks it well.