These are photos of Natalie Dormer on the set of Mockingjay in Paris. Natalie plays Cressida, who is part of the the rebellion cause during the Hunger Games finale. She first encounters Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss during the District 8 chaos where Katniss toured a hospital. She’s also instrumental in helping Katniss and Finnick share their stories as a form of anti-propaganda. Cressida later joins the infiltration of the Capitol, which is what was shooting yesterday in Paris.
Natalie shaved half her head (instead of wearing a wig) to pay the role of Cressida, and she talked to Glamour about why she took the hair jump:
Speaking to Glamour, the Game of Thrones star said, “A lot of my friends ask to touch my head. I just stand there and get stroked for five minutes. It’s a free massage.”
Natalie was made to shave half her head for her role as Cressida in the final installment in the trilogy. She turned heads at the SAG Awards in January where she unveiled her new look.
The actress says she cut off her hair to be true to the character she plays in the sci-fi adventure – gutsy video journalist Cressida.
“It’s fascinating how much of our sense of attractiveness and feminine identity is bound up in our hair,” Natalie told Glamour. “But in the Mockingjay novel, Cressida is described as having a shaved head with a vine tattoo, and I wanted to do right by the book.
The drastic haircut made her feel “peculiar at first,” Natalie revealed. “But you take a deep breath and keep everything in perspective. It just takes time getting used to.”
“Cutting one side of your head for a few months is not a big deal compared with what other people have to deal with in the world. Plus, hair grows back.”
[From Glamour]
She’s correct about hair being tied to our sense of female attractivness. We as females tend to get caught up on that dead stuff hanging from our head. It’s funny in a way, and it must feel nice to say “f— it” and shave a huge chunk of hair off.
Nat seems like a pretty fierce chick in general. Game of Thrones fans already know her well, but she grabbed my attention by completing the London marathon last month. Natalie finished with a very respectable 3:50 time. She beat Shia LaBeouf’s time (4:35), which should be everyone’s goal in a marathon.
These Mockingjay scenes are exciting and pivotal ones, and JLaw was too busy filming to attend the London X-Men: Days of Future Past London premiere a few days ago. Is this post a not-so-covert excuse to post Jennifer Lawrence photos without fully logging a JLaw post? Perhaps. We’re also getting a look at Josh Hutcherson in his cute little cape. Plus some combat shots of Liam Hemsworth. Ugh, Gale. Team Peeta.
Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News
She is right! I hope this doesn’t lead to criticisms of those who wear wigs and extensions though. I mean, to each their own. Sometimes women need to wear them due to medical issues.
Absolutely love her in GoT! She’s flawless as Margaery. Haven’t seen Catching Fire yet but now I will.
She is right. I had my hair down at work one night and this total stranger (male) followed me for a bit and then said to me “Never cut your hair. ” It was a weird experience.
Ack. Imagine the roles reversed and you give unsolicited advice to a man on his appearance. How would that go over?
Eeek, Katniss has the different arrows! #nerdalert
Cressida is an awesome character, am really looking forward to seeing what Natalie Dormer does with her 🙂
I will admit it. I love the Hunger Games movies. Can’t wait to see the next ones.
Me too 🙂
I found Catching Fire so boring. I was really excited to watch it, but then couldn’t wait for it to be over. i bought the DVD, tried to watch it too and keptskipping forward. Especially when the games begin and they’re in the jungle. Snore
I agree. It didn’t live up to the hype. Neither did Jennifer’s acting, but her acting is almost always overhyped so I wasn’t surprised.
Really? I loved it. Found it vastly superior to the original film.
I especially like that last sentence. She’s totally right, it’s just hair, there are more important things in the world. I really like her more and more.
Gale is so annoying–and a douchebag for totally blowing off Katniss at the end of the book after he was saying how much he cared for her previously. And Liam Hemsworth is a terrible actor.
WORD.
Book talk, not really SPOILERS but discussion of the characters’ personalities in the books versus the movies:
The Gale character in the books is so problematic, I can’t understand why anyone would be Team Gale. In Catching Fire alone, he’s all “let’s run away, Katniss, grab our families and run!” but balks when she says she wants Peeta, his family, and Haymitch to come with them, all “look, we can’t have too big of a group, also Peeta can’t come because I suddenly want you in a big way”. And then later when she says “ok, you were right, we should run, let’s go” he’s all “god, what’s WRONG with you?! We can’t just run! We have to make a stand, we have to start a revolution! ….I can’t BELIEVE you wanted to run, Katniss, seriously, I’m disappointed in you.” And I was all “buhhh???” Exactly when am I supposed to swoon over this jackass whose personality is constantly changing to suit the author’s needs of the moment??
What I really hate, though, is that the movies so far seem to be very Team Gale and making him out to be the swoony, brooding anti-hero, while at the same time neutering Peeta in a big way and taking out a lot of his wit and smarts and strength and turning him into someone who only reacts to whatever Katniss is doing at that moment.
/rant over
Gale had a boyhood crush but he matures into a freedom fighter with different priorities.
My husband said in HS he wanted his X-Men super power would be to that every time one of our cadets who had hair past their butts responded with my gentle suggestion that if they were going to be participating in military activities that they might what to get a hair cut with “I CAAAAAAAAN’T MY HAIR IS A PART OF ME /melodrama”, he could touch them and all of it would come out. It was so aggravating to be up til 0300 braiding hair when we had to fall in at 0500 but I was a Cdt. Lt. Colonel so I had to grin and bear it.
@monicaq I swear you’ve repeated yhe story everytime a news story pops up about hair. People love their hair… so what?
I like my hair and make no apologies for that. Lol.
They joined the military and knew they had to eventually cut their hair. It’s their fault.
This is why I shaved my head like the dudes. It meant 15mins of extra sleep.
Wob you’re a real renaissance woman huh?
I love Natalie, nice that she is getting more attention.
I love her. She’s a great actress and seems to have a good head on her shoulders.
Having said that, that hairstyle is one of the ugliest ever. It’s up there with the mullet.
I so agree. Such an ugly haircut. Such a pretty woman.
Shes got a Ragnar thing going on and therefore I think when she’s not participating in the Hunger Games or trying to be a queen in Westeros she can definitely make an appearance in my favorite show of the moment, Vikings.
I’ve liked Natalie since the Tudors so I’m happy to see her kind of everywhere now
Could you imagine her and Lagertha being bff’s? I mean, obviously, Lagertha’s not exactly the type to have a bestie but, godd@mn, that Viking suggestion was bang on for tv awesomeness that needs to happen…
Yeah no shit. I used to have a similar hairstyle to Nat’s but a bit shorter, all-around undercut. Wore it in a small ponytail, looked GREAT. Now I’m completely buzzed. While most of my acquaintances love it, there are people who think I’m too mannish or lesbian (the latter happened recently when I found out that a gay girl who was visiting our humble bar in which I work thought I was gay because I sport a buzz cut). I’m not offended by getting hit on by a gay girl, I am however offended that her straight guy friend thought I was gay just because I lack the 1-meter white-blonde hair I used to sport before.
It’s HAIR. Doesn’t signify shit. Nat’s all right. Also even when I had the undercut it’s just so much easier to handle than a head full of long hair. I’m growing mine back but it’s got nothing to do with regaining my ‘femininity’. I just like hiding behind it, as I feel very bare and vulnerable with nothing to hide my features.
“It’s HAIR. Doesn’t signify shit”
Historically, long hair did signify femininity. That’s why Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (the movie) cut her long hair when she decided she would be Queen without a husband, to signify her power/masculinity–she was no longer the sexual woman, and was now the powerful ruler.
^ This.
I used to shave my head all the time. I had mohawks. Bihawks. Chelsea cuts, fully bald…and always found my sexuality questioned because of it. Then again I was a bit of a commie, vegetarian and liked riot grrrl music so I can sort of see why perhaps I might have been seen as a lesbian. But seriously people if I have the balls as a woman to walk around proud and powerful with my shaved head don’t you think I’d own being gay if I were? The years I spent like that taught me alot about people and their snap decisions about someone. And as Natalie said it’s just hair. It grows back.
I admire women who cut their hair short. Wish I had the balls to do it.
I admire women who cut their hair short. Wish I had the balls to do it.
well, if i had perfect cheekbones, i would shave it or cut really short 🙂 As it is, i’m round faced as round as it gets, i wont pull it off…
But I like the feeling of cutting longish hair short – u know? it feels always so refreshing and energizing!
I shaved my head on my 23rd birthday (went from waist long to nada) They didn’t think I was lesbian but that I had cancer. I think it had to do with me having a 4month old baby. The growing out was a bitch but I wanted to see if I could pull it off and when else if not in your early 20s.
Cut my hair into a sort of pixie three months ago, love it! Will probally never have long hair again. Highly recommend it!
She’s right and it’s kind of crazy. I always laugh when people tell me how “brave” I was to cut all my hair off 10 months ago. Well, sometimes I laugh because it’s a ridiculous thing to say (when a woman says it) and sometimes I want to tell them to f— off (when a man says it). The woman say it with admiration usually, the men say it with a bit of disappointment :/
My worst half gets asked all the time if he wants me to grow mine back. He always says as long as there’s enough for him to grab he doesn’t care. Shuts people up quick.
Every summer I contemplate shaving my head. It would be so nice to not have a head sweater in 30 degrees with 90% humidity!
Hurry and come back to Elementary, ND. I would rather watch her than Watson.
I have had a girl crush on her since the Tudors. So happy she’s getting more mainstream work. When she is on screen, it’s hard to not pay attention.
Team Gale!
*runs and hides*
I actually like her hair shaved like this. She has a cute face and can pull it off, I think.
I really like this actress I think she’s super talented.
But Id never shave my head. Never. It just doesnt look good. Its a very specific look if thats what youre going for but Id never.
It’s more about head shape. And it’s hard to tell if you’ve got a lump unattractive noggin until you’ve already taken it all off.
THIS. If I had the head shape/face to pull it off, I think I’d try it. I just don’t want to risk it haha.
So true. I know I’d look awful cause my head is very small, my shoulders are very wide, and my face is very round. Wish I could cut it very short but I found it makes my head too small for my body lol, even when I tie it…
My head is buzzed. At first it was weird, people either though I had cancer or I was a lesbian. It is quite liberating though. I also live in coastal Georgia and I’m patting myself on the back everyday right about now. It is freakin’ hot.
I love Natalie!! I’m sure she’s gonna kill it. And these on set pictures are amazing!!
I always think Natalie Dormer looks like Care Blanchett.
We could have a trio of alien creatures: Natalie, Cate and Tilda!
She totally does!
Yes, all three actresses are very ethereal in appearance.
I love her! She’s beautiful. A little out of topic, but is Celebitchy going to do a Game of Thrones recap this week? I’m dying to hear everyone’s thoughts on it!!
I love Natalie Dormer, she speaks things as they are without any sugar coating. Hope her character Margery gets more to do in the coming GOT episodes.
Yes! I need more Margery in GOT.
Speaking of hair, Natalie looks SO much better as a brunette. The dark hair she had on ”The Tudors” really flattered her pale skin, unusual features and wonderful eyes. With blonde, she just looks washed out and a little odd at times. I know Natalie says blonde is her ‘natural colour’ but there ain’t nuttin natural about that brassy shade she sports. Maybe a dark ash blonde would suit her, but that very yellowish blonde really does nothing for her, and she’s so gorgeous.
Haha its funny you say that cause I was just commenting to say that she has practically the exact shade of blonde that my daughter has and its nice to see someone who isn’t bleached to the extreme LOL
Natalie’s hair is definitely bleached, and heavily so. It doesn’t look so bad in the photo above, but in most cases it has a definite brassy tinge to it. Not sure why she insists on it as imho it really doesn’t suit her but I suppose if she’s happy with it that’s all that counts.
I like my hair. But I’ve been short, long, all colors, shaved at the sides, etc. It’s only hair, but what you do with it is an expression of who you are at a given moment in time.
I am fairly invested in this subject emotionally. I’m a woman who has had total Alopecia all my life. I’ve never known, nor will I ever know, what it’s like to have hair. I mean, hair anywhere. I grew up and live in a fairly patriarchal country with rigid hetero-normative gender rules. So, being a visibly different looking woman was…um, interesting. Most of the bullying, fake concern, ‘sympathy’ when I was growing up came from adults.
Hair is vestigial fur. Purely decorative at this stage of our evolution but the premium placed on it, especially for women is unbelievable. I was cruelly bullied, told I’d never find romantic partners etc. I was constantly made to feel I was deficient as a woman.
It has been an interesting journey living with this condition. Here’s my blogpiece on growing up bald in India, if anyone’s interested.
http://www.insertism.blogspot.com/2014/01/takli.html?m=1
Your article was fantastic, and I sincerely hope that you’re receiving the respect you deserve for being an extremely intelligent woman (TWO Masters? Go on girl!) and for dealing with decades of bullying with grace.
I’d never really thought about the ramifications of conditions such as Alopecia in different cultures – this was really enlightening. Thanks so much for letting us see through your eyes!
Maybe I’ll see you in London one day. I’ll be the one giving you a thumbs-up. 🙂
I’m sharing this via my FB, if that’s okay.
Your blog was amazingly brave and how we’re lucky that you’re willing to share your experience with us and others.
This made me so mad:
“On the first day of my Masters, a classmate expressed sympathy towards my parents: “it must be so hard for them. They must be so worried that they can’t get their daughter married off”. Or “have you considered wearing a wig for interviews? Employers might feel more comfortable…”
Ugh. What the hell is wrong with people?
You seem more secure and content with who you are (as you should be) than almost anyone I know. It’s obviously been a difficult journey, but I’m so happy you got there 🙂
Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful words 🙂 Much, much appreciated. I have been thinking about starting an Indian website for Alopecia sufferers where thye can talk to each other about their experiences. There are global organisations dealing with this but Alopecia experiences are so culture specific…Anyhow, thank you for your words! Damn, the community on Celebitch is amazing. 🙂
mkyarwood: Yes, please feel free to share it 🙂
I love your story! So sorry you had to go through all that. Thank you for sharing.
In some cultures, a woman’s hair is considered a sexual attribute- that’s why they have to hide it away. In the Western world, long hair seems to be found attractive, but it actually distracts from the facial features. Just picture Cindy Crawford with short hair- would she still be called attractive? When Anne Hathaway first appeared with a short haircut, she was called ugly, because all of a sudden people noticed her features. I personally think it suits her well, just not blond. So yes, a woman’s hair seems to be almost more important than her overall looks. But an attractive person is made of many things, not just hair, so Nathalie is completely right. Lupita Nyong’o- with long hair you wouldn’t see her beauty that well.
Of course, Natalie can get away with anything. She needs to be a superhero, stat. I cut my hair short at 19 and never looked back — it wasn’t doing me any favors to try and keep it long, and I feel like I fall somewhere in the middle in terms of ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ anyway. I like a more gender blended style on a woman.
I kind of love her now. Especially knowing about the marathon. It has been a goal of mine for years to run a marathon but I can’t seem to make it happen, not even a half. I really want one of those 26.2 stickers for my car but I want to earn it.
I adore Dormer!
I’ve loved this woman since she played Queen Anne on the Tudors.
I’m not saying I agree with this bible verse at all, but Christians believe this nonsense:
Quote from 1 Corininthians:
“1 Corinthians 11
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ.
I praise you because you remember me in all things. You follow closely the teachings I gave you. But I want you to understand this: The head of every man is Christ. And the head of a woman is the man. And the head of Christ is God.
Every man who prophesies or prays with his head covered brings shame to his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies should have her head covered. If her head is not covered, she brings shame to her head. Then she is the same as a woman who has her head shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, it is the same as cutting off all her hair. But it is shameful for a woman to cut off her hair or to shave her head. So she should cover her head.
But a man should not cover his head, because he is made like God and is God’s glory. But woman is man’s glory. Man did not come from woman. Woman came from man. And man was not made for woman. Woman was made for man. So that is why a woman should have her head covered with something that shows she is under authority. Also, she should do this because of the angels.”
That’s why people (especially in America) have a backward view of hair, because it comes from religious roots. Again I’m not agreeing with this statement just explaining why this is an actual issue from people and where the problem comes from. As like most things in America, religious believes (which are mostly wrong) from the Christian faith, is ruining our culture.
People are entitled to their religious beliefs – even Christians.
She’s the best female character (acting wise) in GOT and she will kill it in HG.
I love her as Marjorie in Game of Thrones. She fits the part so well!
3.50 for a full, 42 km marathon is respectable? That’s impressively bloody fast!