To immerse themselves in their roles, many stars set about drastically changing their appearance, with losing or gaining weight becoming a rite of passage for actors looking to go deeper into a character.
While men and women change their body shapes for parts, when it comes to shaving their heads for a role, it remains more surprising when an actress chooses to lop off her locks.
The latest star wishing to go super-short is Anya Taylor-Joy. The actress, who recently won the role of Furiosa in a prequel about the freedom fighter made famous by Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road, is said to want to shave her head as Theron did for the role.
“She wants to, but [director] George [Miller] doesn’t want her to,” Jenny Beavan, the costume designer for Furiosa, revealed. “So, I don’t know whether she will or not.”
With Taylor-Joy chomping at the clippers to ditch her trademark long blonde hair, here are 15 actresses who shaved their heads for their roles …
Tilda Swinton
That wasn’t a bald wig Tilda Swinton was wearing to play the Ancient One in 2016’s Doctor Strange, the British actress really did shave all her hair off to inhabit the role.
Opting to keep her bald head a secret until the film’s trailer was released, the Oscar winner said she thought “it would be such fun if people don’t know anything”.
Cara Delevingne
The model-turned-actress shaved her hair off for her role in the film, Life in a Year.
Playing a woman with cancer who is given one year to live, Delevingne told Elle: “Before I even got the project, I said to the director, 'I want to shave my head for it.' My agents and managers were like, 'Please don't! Why would you do that?’”
Cate Blanchett
The Australian actress dug out the clippers for her role in the 2002 film, Heaven.
“Shaving off my hair is so liberating,” she told The Daily Telegraph. “I had to do it once for a film role, but I’ve done it periodically too.”
Joey King
The actress has shaved not once but three times for different roles. Most recently, she received a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination for her role as Gypsy Blanchard in the biopic, The Act.
Shaving her head to play the troubled teen, King told Allure: "I've never really had an attachment to my hair. I couldn't care less what happens to it. So many people would ask me, 'Are you really scared?' or 'Are you nervous?' or say, 'You're so brave.' And I'd go, 'I'm not brave. I'm just cutting my hair off.'"
Demi Moore
One of the most famous head-shavings in cinema was carried out on-camera by Demi Moore in the 1997 action film, GI Jane.
The film is about a woman who joins the male-only US Navy Seal training programme. The actress took a set of clippers to her hair as director Ridley Scott filmed.
Karen Gillan
The Scottish actress agreed to shave for her role as Nebula in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
“I was told even before I auditioned that the actress who got this would have to shave her head, and I didn’t think I was going to get it. So I was like, ‘Absolutely, I will shave my head! Sure,’” she said. “Then three screen tests later, it was ‘Oh God, this might actually happen.’”
Olivia Cooke
The actress ditched her mane to portray a leukaemia patient for the indie film Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.
Cooke credited having her head shaved with helping her be more authentic. “It was the best thing I did to get into character and to feel all of the emotions I was supposed to be feeling at the time.”
Sigourney Weaver
Another famous cinematic head-shaving came courtesy of Sigourney Weaver’s famous character, Ellen Ripley, in Alien 3.
The alien-fighting warrant officer revealed her shaved head in the third instalment of the successful franchise, which had her stranded on a prison spaceship.
“I think it brings out the faces and the vulnerability of these actors very much,” she said of her and her fellow cast mate’s shorn locks.
Charlize Theron
The South African actress has sported a pixie crop during her career, but she went full-on shaven-headed for her role as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road.
Playing the fearless heroine in the film, which also starred Tom Hardy, Theron said of lopping off her locks: “I highly recommend it. I think every woman should do it.”
Persis Khambatta
The former Miss India-turned-actress paved the way for going above and beyond for a role, and was among the first women in modern cinema to shave their heads for a part.
Khambatta went fully bald for her role as Ilia in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Kristen Stewart
The Oscar-nominated actress shaved her head for her part in indie film, Underwater.
She later revealed that getting a buzz cut made sense on a practical level because she was wearing a diving helmet for much of the film.
“I'm not going to be able to have touch-ups once I put the helmet on, so I must shave my head," she told The Today Show.
Amandla Stenberg
The Hunger Games actress had zero regrets about shaving their hair off for their role in When Hands Touch, about a biracial teen living in Nazi Germany.
"Shaving my head was wild,” Stenberg wrote in an essay about the experience. “I felt a sense of complete neutrality. It was so freeing.”
Natalie Portman
Like Demi Moore, Portman decided to undergo her head-shaving onscreen while the cameras were rolling. The actress had her hair cut off to play Evey Hammond in the 2006 film V for Vendetta.
"I was really excited to get to shave my head — it's something I'd wanted to do for a while and now I had a good excuse," she said. "It was nice to shed that level of vanity for a girl."
Kate Hudson
The actress reached for the clippers to play the character Zu in Music, the first film from singer-songwriter Sia.
Hudson later revealed that Sia, and Hudson’s son, Bingham, then aged 6, cut her hair.
Millie Bobby Brown
The British actress was only 12 when she had her head shaved to play Eleven in the Netflix hit, Stranger Things.
The young star later called the experience “the most empowering moment of my whole life”.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
RESULTS
Catchweight 63.5kg: Shakriyor Juraev (UZB) beat Bahez Khoshnaw (IRQ). Round 3 TKO (body kick)
Lightweight: Nart Abida (JOR) beat Moussa Salih (MAR). Round 1 by rear naked choke
Catchweight 79kg: Laid Zerhouni (ALG) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ). Round 1 TKO (punches)
Catchweight 58kg: Omar Al Hussaini (UAE) beat Mohamed Sahabdeen (SLA) Round 1 rear naked choke
Flyweight: Lina Fayyad (JOR) beat Sophia Haddouche (ALG) Round 2 TKO (ground and pound)
Catchweight 80kg: Badreddine Diani (MAR) beat Sofiane Aïssaoui (ALG) Round 2 TKO
Flyweight: Sabriye Sengul (TUR) beat Mona Ftouhi (TUN). Unanimous decision
Middleweight: Kher Khalifa Eshoushan (LIB) beat Essa Basem (JOR). Round 1 rear naked choke
Heavyweight: Mohamed Jumaa (SUD) beat Hassen Rahat (MAR). Round 1 TKO (ground and pound)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammad Ali Musalim (UAE beat Omar Emad (EGY). Round 1 triangle choke
Catchweight 62kg: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR). Round 2 KO
Catchweight 88kg: Mohamad Osseili (LEB) beat Samir Zaidi (COM). Unanimous decision
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
By Sean Penn
Simon & Schuster
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
