Today, actor Brie Larson shocked her almost 7 million Instagram followers with an extreme beauty makeover. In a pair of black-and-white photos, Larson revealed that she no longer has chest-length blonde hair—a style that perfectly suited her Lessons in Chemistry character, Elizabeth Zott. As of today, Larson is a deep brunette and with a gamine, Audrey Hepburn-esque pixie cut.
The caption of the photos, “Elektra is here,” hints at what motivated the change, facilitated by hairstylist Cervando Maldonado and colorist Jacob Schwartz: In the new year, the actor is set to star in Anne Carson’s translation of Sophocles’s Elektra in the West End. (For those who need a SparkNotes summary, it’s the story of a woman’s fight to avenge the death of her father.) Clearly, a dramatic role calls for a dramatic transformation.