When we think about fierce short cuts, actress Grace Gealey definitely is on our top 10 list.

Her slick pixie cut is smokin’ hot, which is why we were pleasantly surprised that she decided to put her short hair to bed — at least temporarily.

When it came to the big switch up, Grace trusted celebrity hairstylist Ursula Stephens (who has worked with Rihanna, Queen Latifah, Laverne Cox, Rita Ora and more) to help with the major transformation. 

“Grace text me over a month ago saying she was reach to change her look along with some reference pics — I was ready!” shares Ursula. “She wanted something reminiscent to what her natural hair was like before she decided to go short.”

They decided to wait until a major red carpet moment — like the premiere of Empire — to show off Grace’s new ‘do. Surprisingly, in the past the 33-year-old Caymanian suffered from self-confidence issues and was hiding behind her hair to cover up her troubled skin. She shared the below with Essence a few years ago:

“I used to have really long hair. It was a big fro with mad curls,” she said. “When I moved to California for school my skin wasn’t used to the lack of humidity. And even though I’m light skinned, I scar like someone of a darker complexion. I was a light skinned girl with all these dark scars on her face; I was embarrassed. I would hide behind my hair and it got to the point where I was so insecure, that I said, ‘You know what Grace? You have to deal with this. You have to understand that you’re still beautiful no matter what.’ In 2008 I chopped my hair off and started using new skin products that actually worked! It was a healing process… I’ve been short ever since.”

Honestly, Grace looks gorgeous either way. We wonder what she has up her sleeve next? Maybe we’ll have to keep tuned into the new season of Empire to find out.