See the emotional moment the new Anne put the red wig on
'I was trying to scale it back a little bit but my eyes filled with tears and I couldn't see'
It was tears of pure joy as the new Anne finally got the chance to see herself in her new red locks.
"It's starting to actually feel real. The coolest thing I've ever done was getting to actually be the redhead," Emma Rudy told CBC News: Compass.
This summer, Rudy will become the 19th person to play Anne Shirley in the 55-year history of Anne of Green Gables: The Musical at the Charlottetown Festival.
And putting on the wig for the first time really drove it home for her that she'll be the one on centre stage bringing the "magical" character to life.
"I definitely was emotional. I was trying to scale it back a little bit but my eyes filled with tears and I couldn't see anymore. It was great," she said.
"She's just such an iconic character … the pure joy that she has, how magical is that to be able to play that and bring her to life. It's a real honour to be able to put my own twist on it but also stay true to who she is."
As she's gotten older, Rudy said she's identified more and more with Anne's "joy and lust for life" and a bit of the character's "stubbornness" too — and she can't wait for the festival to begin.
"The fact that it's real and it's happening and they're giving me the chance to do it, I couldn't be more grateful."
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With files from CBC News: Compass