Which is right, hair up or down?
- Jan 31, 2019
- 1 min read
Updated: Feb 13, 2020
Hair up or hair down is something that most actors worry about, our advice would be not to worry about it too much.
We always advise people to have what you would normally have when you go to an audition. For example, if your hair is naturally really curly, and you normally go to auditions with curly hair, We would advise wearing your hair curly, because if you change it drastically in your headshot and you never wear it like that to auditions… They won’t recognise you!
The casting directors see so many people at auditions, and they want (and need!) to be able to recognise you from your headshot straight away.
But can I wear it up?
With regards to having it up or not, we think its always good to get a variety of hair up and down.
Your photographer should allow you to play around with different styles, think about what period and status your hair sells you in. A low bun for a classical look or if you’re going for a more edgy ‘urban’ look then ponytail can work for that
Photo:Copyright Alishia Love
Reading through ZEnhancer, I really connected with the point about not changing your hair too drastically from your norm. The example about curly hair is so true—casting directors need to recognize you from your headshot, and a completely different style could throw them off. It makes so much sense to present a look they'll actually expect to see in the audition room.
Thanks for sharing this helpful advice on headshots over at popemote, especially the part about not changing your hairstyle drastically between your headshot and the audition room. It makes total sense that casting directors need to recognize you instantly. I’ll definitely keep this in mind to ensure my look is consistent and authentic.
It makes total sense that casting directors need to recognize you from your headshot, so sticking with your normal audition hair is key advice. For anyone planning a session, getting a good variety of looks is important, and a simple grid maker can help you organize those different styles to see what works best.
Really helpful point about keeping your headshot consistent with how you actually show up. I hadn't thought about how much that recognition factor matters when casting directors are seeing so many faces in a day. For anyone looking for more niche character inspiration, you can check out Bizarre Lineage Wiki for some unusual lineage ideas.
This is such a practical take. I always stress about this before auditions, but you're right that being recognizable matters more than a perfect look—casting directors have so many faces to remember. I actually started using SubtitleOps to keep my headshots consistent with how I normally style my hair, and it's made a big difference.