Why Anne Hathaway's blond hair in 'Eileen' represents more than just a wig

When the first images of the film "Eileen" found their way to the internet earlier this year, Ottessa Moshfegh fans everywhere almost completely lost it.

First, there was Anne Hathaway as Rebecca. Second, it was Anne Hathaway with blond hair. And some say she's never looked better.

To achieve the internet-breaking blond bob in the film, which is based on Moshfegh’s debut novel of the same name, Hathaway wore a wig.

But it was more than just a hairpiece. Hathaway says the wig had to work in tandem with the '60s-set story, following a woman in her 20s, Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie), who becomes obsessed with her new co-worker, Hathaway's Rebecca.

"It was such a heightened performance, and (Rebecca) is a really grand character, and I knew that if the wig looked ‘wiggy,’ then it would kind of undo everything," Hathaway tells TODAY.com.

The illusion of calmness and peace in their newfound friendship is key to creating suspense before it all comes crashing down, when Rebecca asks Eileen to participate in an unthinkable crime.

"You’re doing an accent, and you’re wearing little suits, and it’s all stylized, and you’re smoking out of the corner of your mouth, and you’re speaking in a mid-Atlantic dialect that hasn’t existed for many years," Hathaway says. "There's so many things that you're doing and if there's a false note in any part of it, it kind of gives the whole game away."

The mastermind behind the wigs on set was Colleen LaBaff. Hathaway's hair was partially inspired by Italian actor Monica Vitti in the 1960s, LaBaff tells TODAY.com.

"(Director) Will Oldroyd had a very specific look that he was going for, but he wanted a throwback to 1957, 1958," LaBaff says. "He wanted it as real and raw as possible, which is right up my alley, because doing wigs in period work, sometimes it's just too overdone. I love the raw, real, and that's exactly what we did. It's so much better to do less than more in our world."

Working with the inspiration of a real, raw Vitti, Hathaway's wig arrived from London, but it was about 22 inches in length — way too long for a look like Vitti's tousled, signature to-her-shoulders style.

"They let me cut like 12 to 13 inches off. Then I had to tone it down because it was a little bit too yellow blondie, and then I put a soft shadow in there for roots," LaBaff says. "We did a couple of camera tests and actually did a great updo, but we just kept it the the one look for really the whole show."

LaBaff says keeping the look "as natural as possible" was crucial to securing Rebecca's effortless beauty.

"We did a roller set every day on it, no back combing, no teasing. Just kept it raw and real and barely any pins," she says.

One scene in particular caught LaBaff off guard — when Rebecca calls Eileen and asks her to meet at a local bar for a night out.

"Little did I know the dance number was that come out like that," LaBaff says, referring to the moment when Rebecca punches a man in the face while she's dancing with Eileen. "So then we reinforced a few more pins and (Hathaway) just upped the dial. She got down and dirty — it was great."

The bar scene was filmed in extreme conditions, LaBaff says. On set in New Jersey, a snowstorm crept in, and the temperature fell 10 to 15 degrees below zero. And she wasn't just managing Hathaway's wig — there was one for Hathaway's stunt double, plus McKenzie's four photo doubles.

The amount of wigs on set for the actors and extras amounted to more than 40, LaBaff says. It's no wonder Hathaway calls LaBaff her "amazing, amazing hair genius."

"She put that wig on me every day," Hathaway says. "I really, really, really relied on Colleen and she just delivered so beautifully."

LaBaff was quick to gush back about Hathaway: "She was just such a light in all of it, and we had some tough days and tough nights."

She recalls one day on set when she was putting Hathaway's wig on, radio blasting, when an announcer cut in to break the news — Meatloaf had died.

"She flew out of my chair," LaBaff recalls, as "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" came on the radio. "It's an eight minute song, and we danced the whole eight minutes. I was hanging from the trailer door — right in the middle of the wig, half on, half off and just going to town."

Hathaway says the effectiveness of the movie's plot twist comes with the realization of what's behind the front we put on for the world — the narrative equivalent of taking off a wig.

“So much about why I love this movie — and I love this movie — is it’s about what happens underneath the façade,” Hathaway says. “The ending of it — you almost don’t want to set it up. You just want to let people go on the ride. But I think the film ends at the beginning point of a conversation that we’re really excited to have.”

The authenticity of Hathaway's performance came down to the question: Was it her real hair, or was it a wig?

"The fact that you had to even ask if it was a wig thrills me more than you can know," she says. "It's the biggest compliment, for sure."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com