See Jennifer Grey's hair-raising transformation to embody church leader Gwen Shamblin Lara

The higher the hair, the closer to portraying a controversial religious leader.

Actress Jennifer Grey shocked her Instagram followers Monday when she posted an image in character for her upcoming Lifetime movie, "Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation." The feature, premiering Feb. 4 (8 EST/PST), centers on the founder of Remnant Fellowship Church located in the Nashville suburb of Brentwood, Tennessee, whose signature hairdo featured voluminous teased roots.

"call me gwen" Grey, 62, captioned the image. The actress, known for roles in ‘80s films "Dirty Dancing" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," credited her wig and hairstyling to Wigmaker Associates founder Rob Pickens and Lyne Lapiana, respectively.

Grey's look impressed her fellow actors.

"Ok….. you have my full attention," commented Michael J. Fox.

"Saved by the Bell" alum Elizabeth Berkley Lauren said she was "dying to see" the feature.

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A year after Gwen Shamblin Lara's death, her presence looms large at Remnant Fellowship

Gwen Shamblin Lara's book "The Weigh Down Diet" (which encourages worship as a replacement for mindless eating) published in 1997. She and her church, founded in 1999, were the subjects of HBO Max's docuseries "The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin," Chrissy Teigen's first docuseries as executive producer. Part 1 premiered in September 2021, and two additional episodes were released in April which were added following Shamblin Lara's death. On May 29, 2021, Shamblin Lara; her husband, "Tarzan in Manhattan" star Joe Lara; and five other leaders of the church were killed when a small Cessna crashed. Shamblin Lara was 66-years-old.

In the docuseries, church members said Shamblin Lara's diet plan could be incredibly restrictive. “I was told, myself, that I needed to just quit eating to lose more weight,” said Terasee Morris (a member from 2014-17). “It’s the faster you do it, the holier you are.”

The church also allegedly advocated physically disciplining children, said Gina Wilson, a member from 1996-2012. She was told, "The way to train (her children) is to spank them until they cry, or I'm not spanking them hard enough." Two members of the church, Joseph and Sonya Smith, were convicted of murder for the 2003 death of their 8-year-old son, Josef, who "died from blows to the head," The Associated Press reported.

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In an emailed statement addressing the docuseries, the Remnant Fellowship Church described its claims as "false, defamatory accusations from members who have left the church," and said, "The comments made about Gwen Lara are completely false. She was one of the world’s most kind people we have ever known, and she spent her whole life simply trying to help others find their freedom thru the help of God. Our children are strong, happy, healthy, and fully taken care of with the most beautiful loving care."

HBO Max will be adapting the docuseries for a scripted project in which Sarah Paulson will portray Shamblin Lara.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jennifer Grey as Gwen Shamblin Lara: See the hair-raising makeover