Celebrities Who Dressed Like Their Characters on the Red Carpet
You’ve heard of naked dresses, mermaid-core, and the mob wife aesthetic; the trends don’t stop with the red carpet. However, one trend we’ve seen time and time again for years now is the act of method dressing.
Per Vogue, method dressing is when one’s outfit on the red carpet aligns with the project they’re promoting.
Time and time again, Zendaya and her stylist, Law Roach, prove they’re the dynamic duo for this trend. Margot Robbie consistently made headlines for the Barbie-inspired looks she wore during the tour, all based on the real clothes the dolls wore.
From Zendaya’s showstopping ensembles to the mermaid-inspired gowns Halle Bailey wore for The Little Mermaid, there are quite a few more instances of method dressing than you may think.
Below, see which celebrities have done method dressing on the red carpet below.
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Ariana Grande for ‘Wicked’
Ariana Grande wowed at the “Journey Through Oz” Tour to celebrate the Australian premiere of Wicked, wowing everyone in this Glinda-inspired, Vivienne Westwood gown.
Jenna Ortega for ‘Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice’
Ahead of the release of Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Jenna Ortega paid homage to her character, Astrid Deetz’s mother Lydia, played by Winona Ryder. She did this by wearing the look Lydia wore in the first movie.
Jenna Ortega for ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Fan Event
Jenna Ortega attended the black carpet of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Fan Event at Cinepolis Toreo Parque Central by donning this macabre-inspired look for the event: a gorgeous Lurline skull corset. Not only was it on theme, but it has stitching and skull faces throughout, paying homage to many themes of the films.
Blake Lively Ahead of the ‘It Ends With Us’ Premiere
Ahead of the release of her new movie, It Ends With Us, on August 9, Blake Lively is embodying her character Lily Bloom’s love for flowers. Lily, both in the book and movie, has her own flower shop.
So, when doing press for the movie, Lively has only be rocking florals, like this Dauphinette beaded floral mini-dress and a Judith Leiber x Katy Perry Mushroom clutch bag.
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande at the 2024 Olympics
Wicked may still be a while away in November, but Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are already playing their parts. While attending the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, Erivo wowed in this strapless custom Louis Vuitton dress and matching hat while Grande wore her best Glinda outfit in this Thom Browne baby pink dress.
Blake Lively & Gigi Hadid at ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ World Premiere
Blake Lively and Gigi Hadid perfectly embodied Deadpool and Wolverine in the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere on July 22. Lively rocked this body-hugging red catsuit with black lace from Atelier Versace while Hadid rocked this Miu Miu mustard yellow two-piece set. If they’re looking for a gender-swapped version of the movie, we already know where to look!
Anya Taylor-Joy for AUS Premiere of ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’
For the Australian premiere of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Anya Taylor-Joy donned a spikey Paco Rabanne Couture look from their 1996 collection, which perfectly matched up with the vibe of the film.
Zendaya for ‘Challengers’ AUS Premiere
Zendaya attended the Australian premiere of Challengers in a custom green Loewe slip dress, which featured the outline of a player, a ball, and a racket for the tennis drama film.
Zendaya for ‘Challengers’ Italy Photocall
Zendaya continued the tennis-theme with this custom Loewe look of a mini-dress inspired by a tennis uniform and white heels with tennis balls on the heel.
Zendaya for ‘Dune: Part Two’ World Premiere
When Zendaya arrived at the world premiere of Dune: Part Two, she donned the most iconic piece of method dressing: an archival Mugler bodysuit that perfectly encapsulated the sci-fi theme.
Zendaya at the ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Premiere
While on the Spider-Man: No Way Home tour, Zendaya wore a major nod to the movie, a spiderweb-inspired gown by Valentino that perfectly showed the theme of the superhero.
Zoe Kravitz for ‘The Batman’
Zoe Kravitz channeled her Catwoman character from The Batman movie with this custom Oscar de la Renta gown that features shadows of cat heads on the bust.
Margot Robbie for ‘Barbie’ Premiere
Throughout the Barbie tour, Margot Robbie donned numerous looks inspired by real looks that Barbie dolls wore. Specifically for the premiere of Barbie, she donned this sparkling black dress from Sciaparelli that was a recreation of the 1961 Barbie “Solo in the Spotlight” doll.
Margot Robbie for ‘Barbie’ Seoul Premiere
And for the Seoul premiere, Margot Robbie also donned this Barbiecore pink suit from Versace, which was inspired by Barbie’s 1985 “Day to Night” collection.
Elle Fanning for ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’
Elle Fanning played Aurora in the Maleficent movies, and specifically in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, her character resigns as Queen of the Moors in the beginning, which is the magical forest. She channeled the magical forest vibes with this flora, chiffon Gucci gown.
Rachel Zegler for ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ Euro Premiere
For those who need a reminder, Rachel Zegler played the iconic character Lucy Gray for the prequel film: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which predated the events of the Hunger Games films. However, Zegler donned a dramatic black and red Alexander McQueen mermaid gown that was inspired by the flame dress Jennifer Lawrence wore in Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Anya Taylor-Joy for ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Premiere
For the premiere of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Anya Taylor-Joy channeled her character Princess Peach, specifically the racer outfit her character wears for most of the film, at the premiere. She wore an all-pink leather Dior jumpsuit.
Jenna Ortega for ‘Wednesday’ Premiere
Jenna Ortega channeled all the gothic vibes of her character for the Wednesday premiere, with this black lace Versace gown.
Amber Heard for ‘Aquaman’ World Premiere
Amber Heard channeled her mermaid character from the Aquaman movies at the world premiere in 2018 by wearing this green, sea-inspired Valentino couture gown.
Kristen Stewart for ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Premiere
The film Love Lies Bleeding was a romantic thriller involving murderous 1980s gym rats. Kristen Stewart starred in the film and at the premiere, she donned this black gym-inspired look from Bettter.
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande at the Oscars
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande paid homage to their Wicked characters, Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, at the Oscars by donning gowns of the same color associated with the characters. Erivo wore a custom green leather Louis Vuitton look, while Grande wore a puffy pink custom Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown.
Lupita Nyong’o at the ‘Black Panther’ Premiere
Lupita Nyong’o donned this purple Versace gown for the Black Panther premiere, which was clearly inspired by her warrior character!
“There’s definitely a nod to her warrior character Nakia here, without being costumey. It’s a really glamorous take on our vision and it’s very fierce, certainly,” her stylist Micaela Erlanger said to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hunter Schafer for ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ World Premiere
Liker her co-star Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer also did some method dressing, but at the world premiere of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. She channeled the gold icon and themes throughout the movie with this custom Prada look.
Halle Bailey at the “The Little Mermaid” US Premiere
Halle Bailey nailed the mermaidcore aesthetic at the Little Mermaid US premiere with this shimmering blue custom gown by Valdrin Sahiti, which nailed the aesthetic and channeled her mermaid character, Ariel.
Halle Bailey at the “The Little Mermaid” UK Premiere
Halle Bailey nailed the mermaidcore aesthetic again, and channeled her character again at the Little Mermaid UK premiere with this Miss Sohee gown that features fins on the side.
Christina Ricci for ‘Wednesday’ Premiere
Along with Jenna Ortega, Christina Ricci also did method dressing for the Wednesday premiere with this sparkly, spooky spider-themed gown from Rodarte that fit the dark, Tim Burton theme.
Scarlett Johansson at the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Premiere
Now you may be thinking, how is this method dressing? Well, look closely and you’ll see Scarlett Johansson’s jewelry. At the time, this made headlines for the unique Easter egg to the film. In the film, the villain Thanos has the infinity stones in a golden glove, which Johansson did to pay homage to the iconic piece of Marvel history.
The piece was commissioned by her husband Colin Jost for her friend and jewelry designer Sonia Boyajian to create, per Instagram.
Brie Larson at the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Premiere
Brie Larson had the same idea for the Avengers: Endgame premiere! Per EOnline, jewelry designer Irene Neuwirth made a custom Gauntlet-inspired piece for Larson, which totaled over $77,000.