It’s not that unusual for an actress to appear bald in a movie but usually this has been achieved with the assistance of the makeup artist and a bald-cap. But sometimes for the sake of the part (or the money – when Sigourney Weaver was asked how she felt about being bald for Alien 3 she famously responded with a price) an actress undergoes a transformation that goes beyond makeup. Some have submitted to having their heads shaved (or severely shorn) on screen: in a few cases they have even shaved off their own hair on camera.
This section includes a mixture of bald-caps and bald actresses.
Makeup changes an actress’s appearance for a role but at the end of the day it comes off. Well mostly – eyebrows may have been plucked or hair coloured but essentially she gets her own face back. Over the years a number of actresses have made the ultimate sacrifice of shaving their heads. Why do they do it? I’d like to think it was for the art but mostly the films have been exploitational or the baldness/shaving a stunt. Those particularly vulnerable to the pressure seem to be young actresses attempting to make a mark or those whose career is on the slide.