Julianne Hough is finally setting the record straight about her infamous blackface Halloween costume that stirred up so much controversy.
The "Dancing With the Stars" pro stepped out in 2013 as Crazy Eyes from "Orange Is the New Black," sporting an orange jumpsuit, Uzo Aduba's signature hair knots and ... dark makeup.
The 26-year-old star clearly wasn't thinking about the racial implications of her makeup choice.
"Ignorance is sometimes not bliss; I really had no idea what I was doing, and it was all out of fun and respect for the character," the actress tells Allure in a cover story for the mag's April issue. "I don't even know how to talk about it because it's such a sensitive topic," she added. "It makes me so sad to think that I was that dumb. I learned a big lesson."
During the interview, Julianne also opened up about ex-boyfriend Ryan Seacrest. The pair split back in 2013, and she admits "it's hard not to" run into him. "He's everywhere," she declares.
The actress has found love again with her hockey-playing beau, Brooks Laich, but her breakup with the "American Idol" host took its toll on her heart ... and her hair!
"A little while after [I cut my hair for "Safe Haven"], when I cut ties with my relationship, I chopped more," she explains. "It was about changing it up and beginning fresh — in the movie but in real life, also."
Hough also learned to heal by reciting her "power virtues" at the start of each day. "A power virtue is who you want to be. I say the words, 'I am' beforehand," she says, explaining that her goal was to be more honest last year.
And this year? "[This year I say] 'I am determined,' 'I am passionate,' 'I am grateful,' and 'I am love.'"
To read Julianne's full interview, check out the latest issue of Allure, on stands March 31.
