12 celebrities whose careers completely changed after dyeing their hair

• Hair can make or break your career in Hollywood, especially when you're just getting started in the business.
• The color of an actresses hair can make all the difference, which is why women like Emma Stone and Amy Adams traded in their blonde locks for a red look. 
• From Mandy Moore to Gwen Stefani, here are 12 famous women whose careers took off after dyeing their hair. 

What a difference hair makes. It’s no secret that natural hair color is somewhat of a myth in Hollywood. With so many celebrities switching up their natural-born shades for hues on the complete opposite end of the color spectrum, it’s near-impossible to track down what someone’s original hair looks like. And while most of us switch up our hair for vanity purposes, the right hairstyle in Hollywood can mean life or death for a star’s career.

When you’re starting out in the business, everything counts—even the strands of hair on your head. So, when celebrities like Emma Stone and Amy Adams weren’t booking roles as blondes, they went straight to the hair dye, kissed their sun-kissed locks goodbye, and became gingers, which is when the parts started rolling in.

And while the right color is different for everyone (for Stone and Adams, it might be red; for others, it might be black or brown), one thing is for sure: If it’s not working, dye it. Ahead, peek at 12 famous women whose careers exploded after dying their hair.

Emma Stone

Though she's primarily known for her fiery red locks, Stone is a natural blonde. She spent years trying to break into Hollywood with lighter-colored locks before testing out her luck as a brunette. Then, when she was booked on 2007's "Superbad" (the film that eventually became her big break), the movie's producer, Judd Apatow, asked her to dye her hair red. Obliging, Stone crossed over to the ginger side, and, after booking significant projects like "The House Bunny" and "Easy A," she seemed to take a liking to the color. Now, however, the actress switches between her iconic red and her natural blonde for films like "The Amazing Spider-Man" series and her new Netflix series, "Maniac."

“Judd made me a redhead,” Stone told the Easy Valley Tribune. “I was a brunette during casting. Then Judd walked in, said 'Make it red,’ and walked out. So he made me this way.”

Mandy Moore

Moore first broke onto the Hollywood as a bubbly-blonde pop-singing teenager. Though, after she transitioned to acting, the "This Is Us" star ditched her natural blonde hair color for a more subdued, mousy brunette—which has become her signature shade. The actress first went brunette for the 2002 movie, "A Walk to Remember." After seeing her career skyrocket, she thought it was best to stick with the chocolate-brown shade.

"There was a real significance to coloring my hair," she told Us Weekly. "As silly as it sounds, there was a real significance in the way that people saw me, but also in the way that I carried myself and that I saw myself."

Amy Adams

In an interview with The Washington Post, Adams, who is a natural blonde, revealed that she was consistently typecast as the "bitchy girl" before she went red. It wasn't until the five-time Oscar nominee, who is now known for playing sweet, innocent roles, dyed her hair ginger that she saw her career really catching steam.

"Everyone's always like: 'You're so typecast,'" she said. "But actually, when I came out to L.A., I was always the bitchy girl."