Hollywood’s hilarious sweetheart Anna Faris shot to fame for her role in horror parody Scary Movie, which introduced us to her signature blend of incredible comedic timing and girl-next-door heart. Universally recognised for her bright blonde hair and wide grin, the Marilyn Monroe-lookalike has cemented herself in Hollywood not only as a talented actress, but also a red-carpet favorite.
Join HELLO! as we look back at the actress’s transformation over the years from budding talent to America’s sweetheart.
© Scott Gries2000
The Maryland native had grown up performing in local theater, and planned to go traveling after school before a last minute decision brought her to Los Angeles.
Anna was just 24 years old when she shot to fame after starring in Scary Movie, the 2000 thriller parody. At the time, she was dating fellow actor Ben Indra, after meeting and falling in love on the set of slasher flick Lovers Lane in 1999, which was Anna’s first major film role.
Her youthful, fresh-faced beauty paired with her charming wit and acting chops made people sit up and pay attention; for her role in Scary Movie, she was nominated for two awards at the 2001 MTV Movie Awards.
© Michael Caulfield Archive2002
Before settling on her signature blonde locks, Anna played around with her hair as her star power was rising. In a photoshoot in 2002, the actress opted to dye her locks a deep brown, a stark contrast to the blonde tresses that her audience were used to.
At the time, Anna’s career was thriving; she had starred in the sequel to Scary Movie, as well as the comedy The Hot Chick alongside Rachel McAdams.
The actress was proving over and over that she wasn’t just beautiful; she was also incredibly funny and talented to boot.
© Jon Kopaloff2005
After chopping her hair short and dyeing it back to a fresh blonde, Anna had a bumper year in 2005 off the back of her wedding to boyfriend Ben Indra in June 2004.
The comedy queen starred in Southern Belles, Brokeback Mountain, Waiting…, and Just Friends opposite Ryan Reynolds all in the same year, making her a highly sought-after Hollywood star.
Ryan called her “one of the funniest people I’ve ever worked with” in a birthday Instagram story from 2023.
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The world was slowly falling in love with Anna Faris; the Los Angeles Times praised her “fearless comedic skills” and the “freshness of her radiant blonde beauty”, and she continued to prove her acting chops with films like Smiley Face.
With the rising fame came rising insecurities about her appearance, leading to her decision to receive lip injections.
The 47-year-old opened up about her lip injections in her 2018 book, Unqualified, and how she had to “wean” herself off them as it was “definitely not the right choice for her”.
“I started getting lip injections in my upper lip,” she wrote. “I did it for a little bit and I noticed a small difference, but no one else ever said anything. I kept wondering if anybody else even noticed.”
© Jon Kopaloff2008
Anna hit the big time in 2008 when she starred in the college comedy The House Bunny; while her career was taking off, her personal life was rocky.
She had divorced her husband in April 2007, after meeting future-Marvel star Chris Pratt on the set of the film Take Me Home Tonight in January of the same year.
The actress revealed to Women’s Health in 2018 why she chose to get breast augmentation in 2008, saying, “I was always a negative-A cup, so when I was 30, I was getting a divorce, I had just finished House Bunny and I’d sold another movie. All of these new things were happening to me, so I got my breasts done.”
She continued, “I never, ever thought I’d do something like that. I always thought plastic surgery was caving in to ‘the man,’ you know? But it came down to a really simple thing: I wanted to fill out a bikini. What would that feel like? I’m still floored that I did it, because I am a staunch feminist.”
© Jon Kopaloff2009
The blonde bombshell also spoke on the ‘What’s the Tee’ podcast in 2017 about her decision to get plastic surgery, revealing that at the time, “that’s what all the Hollywood actresses do”.
“I was like, I’m turning 30. I wanted to make a change. So, I got my boobs done. Because…we’re all going to die early!”
While Anna was busy starring in four films in 2009, she also quietly got married to Chris in July of the same year, in a small Bali ceremony, after dating for two years.
© David Livingston2012
Anna and Chris fell pregnant at the beginning of 2012; the expectant mother looked radiant and glowing with happiness on red carpets leading up to their son’s birth.
The couple welcomed their son Jack in August of the same year; he was nine weeks premature, and had to stay in intensive care after he was born to stabilize his condition.
A representative at the time told People of the birth, "He arrived earlier than expected and will be spending some time in the NICU. The happy parents thank you for your warm wishes and ask that you honor their privacy during this time.”
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Anna continued to stun on the red carpet despite her rocky personal life; in December of 2017, Chris and Anna announced their divorce in a statement.
It read, "Anna and I are sad to announce we are legally separating. We tried hard for a long time, and we're really disappointed.”
“Our son has two parents who love him very much and for his sake we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward. We still have love for each other, will always cherish our time together and continue to have the deepest respect for one another."
In happy news, Anna met cinematographer Michael Barrett in the same year while working on the remake of Overboard, and the pair began dating after her divorce was finalized.
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Anna stepped away from the spotlight in 2020, choosing to leave her incredibly successful sitcom Mom to spend more time with her son, as well as her husband Michael, whom she married in 2021.
She told People in 2023, "I kind of took my foot off the gas and I spent a lot of time with my son. It felt really good. It wasn't conscious, but sort of a sabbatical, I guess."
The mother of one also continued to focus on her wildly successful advice podcast, Anna Faris is Unqualified, which launched in 2015, and featured guests like Gwyneth Paltrow and Paris Hilton.
© Raymond Hall2024
Despite laying low for the last few years post-Covid, Anna is back and better than ever after the release of her new film, My Spy: The Eternal City in July.
She still sports her signature blonde tresses and the actress looks like she hasn’t aged a day past 25. How does she do it? Just ask her son.
“For better or for worse, I think I am a mom who really likes to have fun. I do love to laugh with Jack, and that makes me feel youthful,” she told People.
