Lily James Is Unrecognizable with Black Hair and Bleached Brows in New Versace Campaign

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Karwai Tang/Getty; Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

Lily Jamesjust added a new character to her repertoire: Versace vixen!

James' appearance is further taken to the dramatic edge with the addition of dark lipstick to complement the dark tones of her outfits. Put all together, the actress looks completely different fromher days playing Cinderella.

Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

“When @lilyjamesofficial got in front of the camera she transformed!” Donatella wrote on Instagram with a collection of behind-the-scenes photos. “Wearing the collection unlocked her own personal attitude and she took on a new energy and power. That’s exactly how you should feel when wearing Versace!”

Versace shared in a press release that theCinderellastar’s “impulsive and daring attitude” embodies the brand’s confidence, making her the perfect person to front this campaign that juxtaposes the fashion house’s rich history with contemporary energy.

She told Net-a-Porter’sPortermagazine in January of herPam & Tommytransformation, “I’ve never done anything where I look very different from myself before. And I’d really like to continue in this vein, because I felt there was something very freeing and liberating in it,” she continued. “There was a bravery that came from that. A courage that came from… disappearing.”

Hair and makeup started bright and early each day of filming and included a chest plate, wig and tan. James also wore dentures to emulate Anderson’s teeth, and special-effects makeup designer Jason Collins toldVoguethat the team was “able to match Pam’s teeth to a tee, and this helped to push Lily’s upper and lower lips out slightly, providing the full and voluptuous lips Pam has.”

For her wigs, the hair and makeup team also added prosthetics to James' forehead so that her hairline could sit farther back from where it naturally is. This was due to James' head being a different size than Anderson’s. Fortunately for the team, that also meant they could better tweak James' brows to match the real deal.

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“By blending the prosthetic above the eyelids, we were able to cover Lily’s beautiful thick brows and place finely laced tie eyebrows that replicated the look of the early- to mid-’90s tweezed arch brow,” Collins toldVogue.

For James, though, the transformation was fun. “It was like being stripped of all these superpowers!” she toldPorterof having to remove the whole getup after a day of filming. “I’d really enjoyed the physicality and the sensuality, even down to the long fingernails. There was just so much character to hold on to — it was really thrilling.”

source: people.com