Last night I watched the movie ‘The Wedding Date’ starring Debra Messing of Will & Grace and The Starter Wife.

I have written about Debra’s natural curly tresses many times before, going as far back as the mid 1990s when the red-haired actress appeared as Stacey Colbert on “Ned and Stacey”with Thomas Haden Church for 47 episodes (1995 - 1999).

(Image of Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney in The Wedding Date - 2005 - Universal Studios - All Rights Reserved)

Debra actually started her acting career in 1994 on NYPD Blue but became well-known as the adorable and slightly neurotic Stacey.  After Ned and Stacey ended Debra’s career took off.

Debra’s hair is often described as copper instead of red because of the multi-dimensional hues that are skillfully interwoven throughout her tresses.

It’s  well known that the funny lady, who has sometimes been compared to Lucille Ball, has the very best celebrity hairdressers and hair colorists on her speed dial.   It’s no wonder her hair has such amazing hues and always appears to be well-behaved.

This was not always the case with her hair.  Debra has told the media in the past that her natural curls and red hair have not always been treated with tender loving care (TLC).

(Image of Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney in The Wedding Date - 2005 - Universal Studios - All Rights Reserved)

The former ditzy interior designer known as Gracie to her Will & Grace co-stars actually “cut off all my hair a la Sinead O’Connor” while working on her master’s degree in fine arts in acting at New York University.  Why?

She confessed to People Magazine in their May 2000 issue of the 50 Most Beautiful People that she didn’t “want to deal with the upkeep” of her hair color and hair texture.

Although Debra has remained true to wearing her hair long and with various shades of red, she has been less true to her natural curls, wearing her hair straight in a number of roles.

In The Wedding Date the actress started the movie wearing her hair with waves and perimeter curls.  As the movie progressed, her hair became straighter and straighter.  Towards the end of the movie she was shown in the local hair salon getting her hair done into an updo with medium sized barrel curls which were pinned in a loose cascade towards one side.

I have to admit I was fascinated watching her hair go from somewhat frizzy and unruly on the plane when she first met Dermot to being stick straight during their budding romance and finally being formed into an updo with barrel curls.  Interesting to say the least.

Ned & Stacey TV Series

Although not much is left of the mid-1990s show, Debra Messing played Stacey and wore her hair really big with very little curl.  It was more like a big bouffant with a little texture on the end.  She did remain true to her red roots - no pun intended.

(Image of cast of Ned & Stacey - 1995 - FOX Network - All Rights Reserved)

Will & Grace TV Series

NBC had a huge hit with Will & Grace which showcased Debra Messing’s gorgeous red hair.  She alternated her hairstyle from wearing it in tight ringlets and straightened.

Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from 1998 to 2006. The show took place in New York City and focused on Will Truman, a gay lawyer, and his best friend Grace Adler (Debra Messing), a straight Jewish woman who ran her own interior design firm.

Also featured were their friends Karen Walker, a rich socialite, and Jack McFarland, a struggling gay actor/singer/dancer who also has had brief careers as a choreographer, cater-waiter and nurse.

Will & Grace was the most successful series portraying gay principal characters, despite initial criticism for its particular portrayal of gay people, as it went on to become a staple of NBC’s Must See TV Thursday night lineup, where it was ensconced in the Nielsen Top 20 for half of its network run.

Throughout its eight-year run, Will & Grace earned 16 Emmy Awards, and 83 nominations.

Will & Grace was filmed in front of a live studio audience (most episodes and scenes) on Tuesday nights, at Stage 17 in CBS Studio Center, a space that totaled 14,000 sq. ft.  Will and Grace’s apartment is currently on display at the Emerson College Library, having been donated by series creator Max Mutchnick.

The Starter Wife

The Starter Wife started as a limited miniseries which won huge fan approval and ratings.  After the success of The Starter Wife miniseries, it was decided to make the miniseries into a series on USA Network.  Unfortunately some of the cast members who were in the original miniseries did not follow to the USA Series.

(Image of Debra Messing as Molly Kagan - The Starter Wife - USA Network - All Rights Reserved).

Even though Debra Messing was nominated for awards for her performance in the USA Series, it was eventually cancelled.

Ironically, Debra wore her natural curls more straight then curly in both the Starter Wife miniseries and the follow-up season.

There could be many reasons for her hairstyle ranging from trying to distance her character from Grace or because she played a divorced Hollywood wife.  Who knows, there could be other reasons why Debra’s character, Molly Kagan, had straighter hair.

Debra Messing’s Hair For Red Carpet Events

For Red Carpet and other celebrity events Debra alternates between wearing her red tresses bone straight, full of loose waves and with soft curls.  Gone, at least over the past two years, are tight ringlets or curls.

At the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Hollywood in January of 2009 Debra wore her hair pulled tightly offer her face.  Her hair was worn in a pony with lots of thick soft waves cascading down her back.

For the 11th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards at the Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, CA, USA on February 17, 2009 the lovely actress wore her hair straight and pulled back into a beautiful sleek updo.

Near the end of March of 2009 she attended the Launch Party for LATISSE in Los Angeles and her hair was mostly straight with just a tiny whisper of waves throughout the perimeter.

(Image of Debra Messing at The 8th Annual Tribeca Film Festival Vanity Fair Party - 4/21/09 - HBM - All Rights Reserved).

Debra attended the 8th Annual Tribeca Film Festival Vanity Fair Party at the State Supreme Courthouse in New York City on April 21, 2009 and her hair was bone bone straight and pulled into a low nape ponytail.

Finally as recently as May of 2009 she attended The Joyful Revolution benefiting the Joyful Heart Foundation at Terminal 5, Chelsea in New York City on May 5th with her hair in a medium length hairstyle with loose curls.

It appears that Debra and her celebrity hairdressers are keeping her hair in healthy shape and changing up her look to suit the event.  Of course she looks gorgeous, whether her hair is up or down, straight or curly, light or dark red or short, medium or long.

(Image of Debra Messing at The 8th Annual Tribeca Film Festival Vanity Fair Party - 4/21/09 - HBM - All Rights Reserved).

Debra Messing attending The Joyful Revolution, an evening benefiting the Joyful Heart Foundation at Terminal 5, Chelsea in New York City on May 5, 2009 - HBM - All Rights Reserved).

What is great about Debra is she appears to have fun with her hair regardless of the texture and enjoys wearing it in a wide range of eye popping looks to complement her gowns.

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Tags: Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, natural curls, Ned and Stacey, red hair, Stacey Colbert, straight hair, The Starter Wife, The Wedding Date film, Thomas Haden Church, Will & Grace

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 16th, 2009 at 11:25 pm and is filed under Celebrity Bites, Celebrity News, Hair, Naturally Curly. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.