Susan Sarandon's Wigs Catch Attention — But What's Her Natural Hair Color?
Susan Sarandon has long been known for her buoyant red-auburn curls, but she often gets assistance with her hair by rocking wigs. The "Dead Man Walking" star has looked so youthful that people could confuse Sarandon's daughter for her twin, but the actor has been fairly candid about how she achieves her enviable locks. "My hair is naturally curly, so I have to work at it," she told Hello! in July 2017. "Often when I work I wear wigs because it is so unmanageable in the weather and it takes too much time," Sarandon revealed. Even though she opts for wigs while filming, the "Thelma & Louise" actor prefers a natural look when out on her own. "But going out I like it to be no mess, no hairspray and just hope for the best," she told the outlet, adding that her hair had been dyed.
Sarandon is among the older celebs who were really attractive in their youth, and she used to put minimal effort into looks, even at high-profile events. "I didn't have a lot of money for clothing and I certainly didn't know a stylist — even when I got nominated for the Academy Award I didn't have make-up and hair," she told British Vogue in January 2016.
That low-effort approach continued as Sarandon aged. On multiple occasions, Sarandon has shared non-wig snaps and videos to Instagram. One November 2025 pic appeared to be taken at home and showed the seasoned film star with minimal makeup as she posed in a t-shirt. Sarandon's signature curls were there — although less prominent than usual — and her hair color was lighter, but it still had a reddish-auburn hue. Sarandon has opened up about dyeing her hair as she's grown older.
Susan Sarandon covers up her grays
Many celebs went gray and became unrecognizable, but Susan Sarandon was able to do so gracefully while maintaining her reddish-auburn curls. Speaking to People when she was 70 years old, "The Client" actor was candid about how her hair had changed. "I have a little tiny bit of gray hair but some of my sisters that are really blessed with really thick, fabulous hair turned gray much faster," Sarandon told the publication, adding that it was a gradual progression. "[A]t the moment I don't really think I have enough to go gray and mean it. That's going to be a little while coming I think," she added.
Sarandon may have acquired grays, but she appears to have kept them at bay with mostly tasteful touch-ups and coloring — and using the aforementioned wigs on film sets. She embraced both wigs and gray hair when she starred in 2014's "Tammy" as the grandmother of Melissa McCarthy's character. At the time, Sarandon discussed playing a character who was a similar age but appeared older. "But she could be 70, and I'm almost 68. Pearl has just led a very aging, hard life and doesn't have the advantage of my makeup and hair people," Sarandon told Time in July 2014.
Besides the gray wig, Sarandon wore prosthetics to age her up. In real life, Sarandon still sported curls that were reminiscent of her "The Witches of Eastwick" days. Those bouncy red and auburn curls were achieved with a DIY approach. "I just hold it up and trim it. It's a mess," Sarandon told InStyle in April 2018 (via the Daily Mail). "I cut hair with the scissors that are like teeth so that you can't see the lines. I didn't have to know that much of what I was doing," she added.