Jennifer Aniston’s Leprechaun Casting Came With One Condition, Which She Refused

Aniston would, of course, become rather famous for her hair. Her “The Rachel” haircut on “Friends” became something of a cultural touchstone in the early seasons of the hit show. But she didn’t have that cut when she auditioned for “Leprechaun.” Instead, she sported a very early ’90s ‘do, the color: light brown. And that color was apparently an issue for the producers of “Leprechaun.” In the Oral History of “Leprechaun” published by Mel Magazine, Mark Jones, the writer and director of “Leprechaun,” reveals that the studio wanted Aniston for the role only if she dyed her hair blonde. As Jones tells it, the studio “wanted this California-blonde kind of look” for the character.

Jones thought it wouldn’t be a problem, so he called Aniston up and told her the news. Aniston, however, balked at the idea. According to Jones, Aniston said: “No, I don’t want to do that. I’m sorry. I don’t want to be difficult.” Jones, to his credit, didn’t try to force his potential leading lady to do something she didn’t want to do. Jones told Aniston: “You’re not going to do it. Your hair is great. When you show up on the set the first day of shooting, you’re going to look great and they’re not going to shut things down to bleach your hair.”

Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. Aniston showed up on set with her non-blonde hair, and no one said a word. The rest is horror movie history.