Monique Coleman has a surprising revelation about why her character in the Disney Channel’s “High School Musical” franchise had a fondness for headbands.
“We’ve grown a lot in this industry and we’ve grown a lot in representation and we’ve grown a lot in terms of understanding the needs of an African-American actress,” Coleman said in an interview with Insider.
“But the truth is, is that they had done my hair, and they had done it very poorly in the front,” she continued, explaining that the hair and makeup crew were on a tight timeline. She suggested they “incorporate headbands into her character” and “just make that a part of who she is.”
She also addressed the responsibility she felt to be a role model.
“I’m really grateful to have been someone who was able to bring representation at a time where there wasn’t very much, and I’m so happy when I see this next generation of young artists and there just being so much more room for people of colour,” Coleman added.
“It means the world to me, particularly because Taylor is such a dynamic character and the smartest person at school and all of that at a time where, often, Black girl characters tended to be the ones who had an attitude or to be sassy,” she said.
“And I appreciated that that wasn’t why people loved Taylor. They loved her because she was smart and supportive. And it definitely means a lot to me for people to see her. There was Taylor before the Obamas were a thing. So we didn’t have people to look up to,” Coleman reflected. “So knowing that this generation got to look up to her really is special for me.”
