Andie MacDowell says she told her managers they were ‘wrong’ after they tried to convince her not to go gray

‘Once I did it, it was just so clear to me that my instincts were right because I’ve never felt more powerful,’ actress says

Andie MacDowell opens up about decision to embrace gray hair (Getty Images)

Andie MacDowell has opened up about her decision to embrace her natural gray hair, revealing that she decided to stop colouring her hair despite guidance from her managers.

The actress, who debuted her new salt-and-pepper curls on Instagram amid the lockdown, discussed her new look while speaking with Vogue.

According to MacDowell, she first started going gray at the beginning of quarantine, with the 63-year-old revealing that her children, Justin Qualley, 35, Rainey Qualley, 31, and Margaret Qualley, 26, were fans from the beginning and would tell her she looked “bada** with my gray hair” every time they saw her.

The Groundhog Day star was also influenced by celebrity hair colourist Jack Martin, who coloured Jane Fonda’s hair, as well as “real women” on Instagram who were transitioning to gray hair, adding that she ultimately believed it was time to “make that transition” to silver hair because she “felt like it was appropriate for my personality and just who I am”.

“I’ve been saying for a while now it was time for me, personally, to make that transition because I felt like it was appropriate for my personality and just who I am,” the actress said. “During lockdown, I had a lot of downtime and became obsessed with Jack Martin, who did Jane Fonda’s hair. I shared those pictures with a lot of people going: ‘Hey, I want to do this.’ I got a job and very quickly I had to make up my mind about what I was going to do.”

However, according to MacDowell, while she was a fan of her gray hair, her managers advised her against keeping the colour, guidance that she said she respectfully disagreed with.

“My managers had actually said to me: ‘It’s not time.’ And I said: ‘I think you’re wrong, and I’m going to be more powerful if I embrace where I am right now. It’s time because in two years I’m going to be 65. If I don’t do it now, I won’t have the chance to be salt and pepper. I always wanted to be salt and pepper!’” MacDowell recalled.

While she ultimately decided to go gray, MacDowell told Vogue that she was apprehensive about the choice at first because she “didn’t want anybody to be upset”, admitting that she had even contemplated wearing wigs to “please people”.

Once she fully embraced the colour, however, she told the outlet that it was clear to her that her instincts had been right because she’s “never felt more powerful”.

“I feel more honest. I feel like I’m not pretending. I feel like I’m embracing right where I am. I feel really comfortable. And in a lot of ways, I think it’s more striking on my face. I just feel like it suits me,” she said, adding that she also likes to compare herself to fellow silver-haired celebrity George Clooney “because why not?”

The L’Oreal spokesperson also told Vogue that she thinks the colour makes her look younger because it is “more natural,” and that going gray is a “power move”.

“I think that it’s a power move, and that’s what I kept telling my managers. It’s exactly what I need to be doing right here,” she said.

MacDowell first debuted her natural colour on Instagram in November 2020, at which point numerous fans praised her for embracing her gray hair.

“Your gray is gorgeous on you!” one person commented, while another said: “Love that you are embracing your gray!”