Ever wondered what it would be like to run your hands through Brad Pitt’s hair? Just ask Jaime Leigh McIntosh.
Since moving to Los Angeles 13 years ago, the Kiwi hairstylist has looked after A-list celebs. Such as Florence Pugh, Michelle Pfeiffer, Margot Robbie, Harry Styles and Kate Beckinsale. Working on award-winning films like Oppenheimer, Black Panther and Don’t Worry Darling.
Most recently, the 45-year-old was responsible for making stars Elle Fanning and Timothée Chalamet look good in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.
“I’ve always wanted to work with Timothée because he’s got the most gorgeous head of hair,” says Jaime Leigh.
Even though she’s well established in Hollywood’s film industry. The Cambridge-born hair expert still gets a little jittery the first time someone famous sits in her chair.
“It’s usually nerve-wracking on day one,” she admits.
“But I have to remember to treat them like any another client.”
It helps that everyone Jaime Leigh has worked with to date has been “really lovely”.
She shares, “I’ve been lucky in that they’ve all been professional and pleasant. It works differently for every actor because hair and makeup are the first people they see, so we set the tone for the day.
“Some actors want to talk, while others are a bit quieter because they’re preparing. I have to read the room and respect their vibe, so that I can get my work done as quickly and efficiently as possible to allow them to get on with what they need to do.”
The only client she really got star-struck over was British actor Sir Gary Oldman. Star of Harry Potter and Slow Horses.
“I’ve always loved his work, so I was freaking out a bit,” she recalls.
“I was so excited, I rang my mother in Tauranga to tell her. But Gary was adorable and amazing to work with.”
She’s become such a force in Hollywood that stars go straight to her for their glam. Including Florence, whom she had previously worked with on Oppenheimer and on the 2022 thriller Don’t Worry Darling.
“Florence said to me, ‘I’ve got these jobs coming up – can you do them with me?’” she spills.
That’s how she ended up back home recently, working on the Netflix series East of Eden, filmed in Auckland and Oamaru.
“I didn’t even know where the series was shooting when I said yes to this job! When I found out, I was like, ‘It’s so great that my work and family worlds have collided.’ “While we were shooting in Auckland, I was able to head down to Tauranga a few times to catch up with family. I try to get back once a year and if I can’t make it home, I normally fly mum over to LA.”
Jaime Leigh always knew hairstyling was her calling, and today, the dream still feels surreal.
“When I was eight years old, the teacher asked us to write what we wanted to be when we got older,” she says.
“I wrote hairdresser, flight attendant or ballerina. Mum found the list and gave it to me when I was 22.” Jaime Leigh worked at salons in Waihi and Tauranga before seeing a behind-the-scenes documentary about the movie industry.
“I didn’t even realise film hair and makeup was a thing,” she confesses.
“I thought, ‘How can I get into it?’”
Jaime Leigh moved to Christchurch to do a year’s film hair and makeup course. After graduating, the phone started to ring with jobs on movies such as King Kong and The Hobbit. When her boss landed a US Green Card and encouraged her to do the same, she applied.
“I missed out four years in a row but landed a Green Card on the fifth try!” she grins.
The move was tough at first without union membership, she struggled to find work.
“I was only able to work on music videos for $50 a day or take work outside the US, such as Prague, where I did a film with Kate Beckinsale,” she says.
Since becoming accredited, she’s worked all over the States and in 2024, she got a Bafta nomination for Oppenheimer. When she’s not working 12- to 17-hour days, she’ll be making the ninth series of her podcast Last Looks, where she chats to international hair and makeup artists about their careers, or working on a mentoring programme that partners her show’s guests with students.
Although Jaime Leigh’s well settled in California, she says Aotearoa will always be home.
“I bought a house in Long Beach five years ago, which I share with two rescue dogs,” she shares.
“I’m applying for US citizenship this year. But eventually, I see myself splitting my time between LA and New Zealand.”
