The strategy of actors dressing like their characters

Back in 1992, at the premiere of A League of Their Own – a film about women’s baseball leagues during World War II – Geena Davis turned up in a short dress with stitching that mimicked a baseball or glove. What seemed like a fun, playful outfit was actually a calculated move, part of what we now recognize as method dressing. Also called “character dressing,” this tactic has actors embodying their roles long after the cameras stop rolling, using fashion to blur the line between fiction and reality.

It’s no coincidence, for instance, that Halle Bailey, who played Ariel in The Little Mermaid (2023), frequently appeared in sea-inspired shades of blue or wore mermaid-like silhouettes during the film’s press tour. Similarly, Margot Robbie turned heads while promoting Barbie (2023), showcasing a wardrobe directly inspired by iconic Barbie outfits from past decades, essentially transforming into a real-life doll. And the examples don’t stop there: Zendaya for Spider-Man (2017) and Dune (2021), Hunter Schafer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023), Jenna Ortega for Wednesday (2022), and even Anya Taylor-Joy and Jack Black, who paid tribute to the animated characters they voiced for The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).

When actors literally “dress the part,” they become walking extensions of their characters, seamlessly aligning fashion, film, and pop culture. The goal is simple: grab attention, keep the film on everyone’s radar, and, of course, boost ticket sales. This approach doesn’t just live on the red carpet, either – it often spills over into everyday life. Just look at summer 2023, when social media users declared it practically mandatory to wear pink to see Barbie.
 

But 2024 truly raised the bar for method dressing with Wicked, the much-anticipated film adaptation of the hit 2003 Broadway musical. The movie’s stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, took center stage at a dizzying number of events, each appearing in meticulously curated, themed outfits.

Playing Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, Cynthia Erivo leaned into avant-garde fashion with a signature touch of green – her character’s iconic hue. Each appearance featured innovative nuances of green, accented by dramatic gloves, sculptural hats (often square or pointed in a nod to the witch archetype). Her nails were always a standout – elaborate and unique, impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, Ariana Grande, as Glinda, The Good Witch of the South, took a more classic approach, channeling her character’s fairy-tale vibe with voluminous pink gowns. These looks struck a perfect balance between the whimsy of Glinda’s world and Grande’s personal style.
 

What set the Wicked campaign apart, beyond the undeniable chemistry between the two stars, was its consistency. Starting in January, nearly every public appearance – whether it was at the Oscars or the Paris Olympics – became an opportunity to tie back to the film. One of their most striking appearances was at the Met Gala, where they broke away from their usual palettes. Ariana Grande wore a dreamy white Loewe gown, while Cynthia Erivo stunned in a deconstructed Thom Browne two-piece. The result? A yin-yang effect that poetically captured the dynamic between their characters.

Whether in cinema, fashion, or pop culture, method dressing has proven to be a versatile and enduring strategy. All signs suggest that it will remain a mainstay of promotional campaigns, reaffirming once again the critical role that fashion plays in storytelling.