The Evolution Of Amy Adams

Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

Ms Adams made her debut as gormless, free-spirited wannabe pageant queen Leslie in this tongue-in-cheek mockumentary. She’s perky, bendy and side-splittingly hilarious.

Bagging the role was a stroke of luck. She auditioned for the part while taking time off as a dancer after spraining a muscle, and won the role there and then.

Co-star Kirstie Alley convinced her to move to LA permanently.

Natural Red? Hmmm, Amy’s conscpicuously not a redhead here. That's because she's actually a closet blonde...

Psycho Beach Party (2000)

“Parents are such squares!” Amy goes all spoilt brat ‘50s style and totally rules at it.

Using her wily, girly ways, she attempts to bag herself a hot surfing stud by any means necessary – including pulling seductive poses by the tide. Butter wouldn’t melt – it would probably vaporise.

It all goes horribly wrong when Amy’s left almost totally nude on the beach. Wrong for her, that is...

Natural Red? Still blonde and perky – this time in a rad ‘50s way. The ginger crown goes to co-star Lauren Ambrose.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (2000)

Fresh from an appearance on bewitching WB series Charmed (in which she played a down-on-her-luck woman haunted by an evil entity), Amy pops up in another WB teen dream.

This time, it’s series five of Joss Whedon’s cult vampire series.

In the episode ‘Family’, written and directed by Whedon himself, Amy plays Cousin Beth, the relative of shy lesbian witch (ouch) Tara. She’s a bit of a bitch.

Natural Red? The red’s creeping in ever so gradually. It's almost like Amy wants to go full-on ginge, but isn't quite sure yet...

Cruel Intentions 2 (2000)

Originally planned as a Cruel Intentions spin-off TV show entitled Manchester Prep , Amy’s first foray into lead territory ended swiftly. The studio didn’t like the show’s pilot episode, scrapped the series idea, and re-packaged shot footage as a straight-to-DVD film.

Amy retains the bitch characteristics she honed in Buffy to take on the role of Kathryn, previously played by Sarah Michelle Gellar (yeah, Buffy, odd). She’s horrible, conniving and riveting.

Natural Red? That warm autumn blonde can't conceal the chilly machinations of her character.

Smallville (2001)

Amy in a fat suit!

“As an actress people always tease me. Like, 'If there's anything you can do to make yourself unattractive, you will do it,'” Amy said at the time. She returned to the WB for first season Smallville ep ‘Craving’.

Her character Jodi wants to lose weight, so starts eating kryptonite-infused veggies. But she’s filled with an insatiable hunger for human flesh... Horrific.

Natural Red? The strawberry blonde’s back, emphasising Jodi’s feelings of loneliness and difference. Not that all gingers feel that way.

Serving Sara (2002)

What initially looks like another blonde bimbo on Adams’ CV turns out to be, well, another blonde bimbo... this one with a plan.

Mistress to Bruce Campbell’s rich cowboy, Kate wants to rinse him for every penny, and hatches a scheme to get her hands on his money.

Matthew Perry basically plays Chandler (again), while Liz Hurley plays a conniving lovey. The film's a bit of a mess.

Still, brownie points for that boob clenching thing...

Natural Red? She's back to blonde again - all the better to bimbo.

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

“No pressure, right?” Amy nervously laughed about her team up with Steven Spielberg and man of the moment Leo DiCaprio.

Spielberg called hers the “part that should have launched her career”, but Amy’s turn as a candy striper whom DiCaprio’s Frank Abagnale falls head-over-heels for failed to earn her the accolades that it deserved.

One good thing: Amy realised she had what it took to work with the best.

Natural Red? The red locks return with a vengeance, adding shades of gorgeous to Amy’s geeky brace-wearer.

The Wedding Date (2005)

Amy was allowed to improvise a bit in The Wedding Date , which saw her combining her natural comedic flair with powers of icy manipulation.

You wish you could hate her character. But when her giant eyes fill up with tears, you just want to wrap her in a blanket and tell her it’s all going to be alright.

How does she do it?!

Natural Red? Ice queen blonde again. Which is odd considering 'sister' Debra Messing is a redhead. We wonder if there was a behind the scenes hair-off, with only one actress allowed the redness?

Junebug (2005)

It’s the role that got Amy an Oscar nomination (for Best Supporting Actress), and a win at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival (the Special Jury Prize for Acting).

Boy did she deserve it. As pregnant gal Ashley, she's just one part of a Southern family, but the main character that audiences latched on to.

The final scenes, in which Ashley gives birth, will slay you with their raw emotion. Amy is, quite simply, devastatingly good.

Natural Red? Once you go red you never go... Ah, never mind. Amy whole-heartedly embraces her phoenix tresses.

The Office (2005-2006)

Amy brings a touch of elegance to The Office , entering as a purse saleswoman who quickly attracts the attention of Michael and Dwight.

She ends up dating Jim, until he realises he still fancies Pam (idiot!).

So far she’s appeared in three episodes, the last in 2006.

Her burgeoning movie career thereafter probably accounts for her character’s disappearance.

Natural Red? Red all the way. No turning back now.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Straight girl to Will Ferrell’s funny guy (if in doubt, just check out those glasses, a symbol of seriouness if we ever did see one). By now, Amy’s making a name for herself as someone who consistently brings the heart and the funny.

Which explains how she ended up in Talladega Nights ’ most pivotal scene, helping Ricky Bobby to believe in himself once more. Ahhhh.

Natural Red? Mhm, and she flips those locks around a lot in Ricky's face. Sexy.

Tenacious D In The Pick of Destiny (2006)

Could this be the shortest cameo ever made? Amy doesn’t even get an audible line. But yeah, she’s so famous now that she’s doing blink-and-you’ll-miss-her cameos for Jack Black.

“Hours in the make-up chair and you see me for half a second,” Amy giggled to an interviewer. “But I love Jack Black so I had to do it."

Mr Black, meanwhile, says that Amy was “overqualified” to play the part of ‘The Gorgeous Woman’.

Natural Red? She looks pretty vampy in her half-second shot.

Underdog (2007)

Being asked to voice an animated mutt is sort of like an induction to Hollywood. You’ve made it, we need a name for this voice, can you do it?

Pairing her tones to the moving maw of live-action hound Polly Purebred, Amy could have literally phoned this in. She probably did. Easy money.

We called it "a plot-less, CGI-laden mess of flying beagle footage and lame mad scientist gags". Sorry, love.

Natural Red? She’s more of a brown/white mottle here.

Enchanted (2007)

Certain things just go together. Jam and Bread. Torvill and Dean. Amy Adams and Disney.

When it was announced that Amy had been signed to play a live-action Mouse House princess, the sound of a million hands slapping foreheads probably rang across Hollywood.

She sings, she dances, she has those giant cartoon eyes... Perfectly emulating previous ani-gals while putting her own spin on things, Amy is a faultless, fragile beaut.

Natural Red? All princesses are redheads, don’t you know that? Oh, alright, just Amy and Ariel, then.

Charlie Wilsons War (2007)

“Amy would never be so bold with Mr Hanks,” said the actress of the differences between her and her character.

She played Bonnie Bach, assistant to the eponymous Wilson (Tom Hanks), and likened her experiences on the set to going to film school, because she was surrounded by so many pros.

Natural Red? It's looking a bit light strawberry again, but we'll forgive you. After all, Julia Roberts had that terrible dye job, and you can't go up-staging her, can you?

Sunshine Cleaning (2008)

Amy paired up with our very own Emily Blunt for this heart-warming tale about families pulling together against the odds.

Amy’s former cheerleader Rose recruits her down-and-out sister Norah to start their own cleaning business. It’s cleaning with a twist, though – they’ll be mopping up crime scenes.

Reviews were mixed, but it was basically lauded as an offbeat charmer.

Natural Red? Nope, it's an Emily Blunt-matching dark brown here. We bet Amy's inner ginge was weeping the day the red (got) dyed.

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day (2008)

Wait, did we say Amy was a perfect match for Disney? We actually meant she’s a perfect match for the ‘30s.

The proof’s in the Pettigrew. Dolled up to the nines, Amy slips into that classy, brassy era like a hand into a silk glove. She plays Delysia Lafosse, a wannabe actress who can't decide between her numerous suitors.

Ditzy and impish, she’s very almost a ‘30s reprise of Giselle.

Natural Red? The red’s now Amy’s trademark, and she’s turned it into a symbol of cool, quirky elegance.

Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian (2009)

Girl power! Amy chops off her hair and takes on the role of Amelia Earhart in this kiddie crowd-pleaser sequel.

Sticking to the ‘30s era look, she sheds Delysia’s floaty wardrobe for a much harder woman of her time. And a heck of a cool accent.

Not only does Amy get to dance (again), but she slaps that smug look off Ben Stiller’s face, and mostly saves Night 2 from being a total lost cause. Attagirl!

Natural Red? It’s looking a bit wig-like, but we're liking the style.

Julie & Julia (2009)

Opening in second place to a giant blockbuster like G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra is no mean feat, especially if you’re a food-themed comedy. We attribute Julie & Julia ’s box office success entirely to Amy (oh, alright, that Streep woman may have helped).

Bored call centre worker Julie (Adams) decides to start her own blog and cook her way through Julia Child’s ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’. It’s twee and sweet, and the food looks amazing.

Natural Red? Cropped close in a tomboyish pixie cut, the red's muddier. No doubt to imitate Madame Child.

Leap Year (2010)

Amy travels to the Emerald Isle for an old-fashioned rom-com romp.

See, her boyfriend’s gone to Dublin, and she’s heard that in Ireland a woman can propose to a man on the 29 February (i.e. during a leap year). Because doing it any other day would just be unseemly...

She chases after him to pop the question. But on the way, she meets handsome rogue Matthew Goode... The flick's out on 26 February.

Natural Red? She looks like a translucent Irish beauty anyway. No need to mess with her lustrous red locks for thissun.