Joey King’s Cannes Bob Fooled the Internet — How Her Hair Pro Pulled Off the Dramatic 'Haircut'

Joey King’s bob at Cannes was the haircut seen ’round the world.

When the actress hit the red carpet on May 25 for the closing ceremony at the annual film festival, she was wearing a striking yellow Miu Miu gown and embellished sheer black gloves.

It was her hair, however, that caught everyone off guard. Her long honey-blonde locks were gone, and in their place was a chic “Prada bob,” according to her hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos.

Just one day before, however, her long hair was intact, leaving everyone to assume that Giannetos had chopped King’s length mid-festival for the ultimate makeover.

PEOPLE even documented King’s haircut in real time while she played Slay or Nay (she called a pre-carpet chop a slay, of course), but while we all thought Giannetos was cutting King’s real hair, it turns out the duo pulled off the biggest trick of all. It was a wig!

“I’m flattered by the reaction,” Giannetos tells PEOPLE. “In reality, Joey’s hair is still as long and beautiful as ever. We used a high-quality, waist-length wig for the transformation. By cutting and styling the wig into a sleek bob, we achieved the dramatic change without any permanent commitment. It’s all about versatility and playing with different looks.”

Giannetos tells PEOPLE that he and King, 24, wanted to make a “bold statement” for the last night of Cannes, especially since it was the actress’ first time at the festival.

“We felt a chic bob would be the perfect way to showcase her features and bring a fresh, modern edge to her look,” he says. “Plus, it’s always fun to switch things up.”

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“The inspiration for the bob came from the classic Hollywood glamour with a modern fashionista twist,” he says. “We wanted something that was elegant yet edgy, reminiscent of iconic starlets, but with a fresh, current vibe.”

Once Giannetos cut King’s wig into the desired bob length — which was fun to do while she was filming our Slay or Nay! — he used a few go-to L’Oréal Paris products to get the hair just right.

“I toned the color and added shine using the L’Oréal Paris Le Color One Step Toning Hair Gloss in Honey Blonde to give Joey a base for the sleek, straight finish,” he says. “I styled the hair using a flat iron to create the beveled ends for a polished look.”

After that, the We Were the Lucky Ones star was ready to hit the red carpet and knock everyone’s socks off with her brand-new (faux) ‘do!