The Untold Truth Of American Hustle
By Emily Bell
When "American Hustle" was first released the talk of the town was not Jennifer Lawerence's decadent outfits or Christian Bale's weight gain. Those were certainly conversations, but more striking than any of that is Bradley Cooper's hair (via Philly Mag). He sports a supremely dark and curly hairdo, which is a far cry from his natural hairstyle.
Originally, David O. Russell and the film crew tried to find a wig for Cooper's Richie DiMaso, but the actor came up with a much better idea. "I called David and said, 'What if he curls his own hair?'" Cooper said (per The Wrap). "Instead of wearing a wig, I came out with curlers, having been in the heat lamp, and we just fell in love with the look." Everyone thought the result was much better and decided to stick with Cooper's idea, despite how much more time it required.
Every star of "American Hustle" spent time in hair and makeup, but nobody more than Cooper. In an interview (via The Cut) makeup department head Evelyne Noraz talked about how dedicated Cooper was to the style: "He was probably in there every day for two to two-and-a-half hours. Lori McCoy-Bell rolled his hair with perm rollers, he was under the dryer every day. Bradley would come in the trailer, long and shaggy with a darker beard, and then leave every day with permed hair."
