CANNES, France — Cara Delevingne stepped into the role of coiffure chameleon for her first red carpet as part of the L’Oréal Paris family.

She wore a Miu Miu gown Wednesday night and stunned with a jet-black, short-fringed and surprising hair transformation. Alas, it was a wig — all in good fun to mix classic couture with a twist.

“I’m glad everyone was fooled,” she said the morning after. “[The gown] was very kind of Princess Cinderella, obviously gorgeous and classic. But I wanted to take a bit of an edge to that and do something a bit different, a bit Joan of Arc. I wanted to take a risk.”

The slick, wet punk style was a definitive departure from her natural blond locks.

“It was really special to do something like that when you have such an incredible, iconic, historic stage like that red carpet,” Delevingne added.

She described her Cannes debut as part of the L’Oréal Paris family with heartfelt sincerity. “It’s been incredible so far,” she said. “Getting to meet all the other ambassadors, some of whom are friends…a lot of those women are such inspirations to me and people I’ve always looked up to.”

Among them are Viola Davis and Helen Mirren, who were also in town with the brand. Davis is the juror for the Light on Women’s Worth Award, which honors women directors of short and student films. The prize is now in its fifth year, and Davis will hand out its top prize at a ceremony Friday evening.

“There is still such a discrepancy between female and male directors. Highlighting women who wouldn’t be seen otherwise, especially by someone like Viola Davis — who’s such an incredible icon — needs to happen more,” Delevingne said.

The beauty brand backs up those efforts, she said. “L’Oréal do such a great job of continuing that legacy,” she said. “It’s all about sisterhood and empowering each other.”

Delevingne remains passionate about her acting future, following a transformative run in “Cabaret” on London’s West End.

“It was the best thing I’ve ever done. It gave me so much, not only creative fulfillment, but a belief in myself,” she said. “I’ve never felt more proud of something. It’s funny, the more I gave to it, the more it gave back to me.

“The intensity of live theater is unmatched. Whatever happens on stage happens. There isn’t a reshoot, there isn’t an edit, there isn’t control over it. It’s just you are that person that day.”

It wasn’t her first time on stage, she recalled.

“One of my earliest memories was being on stage in a school nativity play,” she said. “But this was definitely very different than that. As an expression, there is nothing like theater. I don’t think anything will ever exist in the same way for me.”

While upcoming projects remain under wraps — “exciting things” was all she would divulge — Delevingne will remain risk-taking on the red carpet.

“I like to have an edge with things, playing with androgyny. I think taking risks with fashion is always fun,” she said. She doesn’t approach it as a costume or armor but an expression of her creativity, adding: “What you see is what you get.”