High School Musical’s Monique Coleman says she wore headbands in franchise because crew styled black hair ‘poorly’

Actor played Taylor in all three High School Musical films

Monique Coleman says that she wore headbands in High School Musical because the franchise’s stylists didn’t know how to style black hair.

The actor played Taylor McKessie, the best friend to Vanessa Hudgens’ Gabriella Montez, in all three High School Musical films.

In the first movie in the Disney Channel series, which celebrated its 15th anniversary last week (20 January), academic-whizz Taylor was often seen wearing colourful headbands, with the character repeating the style in the 2007 and 2008 sequels.

However, speaking to Insider, Coleman revealed that she had asked for the item to be incorporated into the character because the crew had “poorly” managed her hair.

“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.

Coleman often wore headbands as Taylor (Rex Features)

“But the truth is that they had done my hair, and they had done it very poorly in the front.”

Coleman said members of the team were short on time to style her hair before filming began, so she suggested that they “just make [wearing headbands] a part of who she is”.

However, reflecting on her character’s role in the franchise, Coleman said that it had “meant the world” to her to play such a smart character “at a time where, often, black girl characters tended to be the ones who had an attitude or to be sassy”.

“There was Taylor before the Obamas were a thing,” she said. “We didn't have people to look up to. So knowing that this generation got to look up to her really is special for me.”

High School Musical starred Zac Efron and Hudgens as Troy and Gabriella, while Coleman, Corbin Bleu, Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel made up the supporting cast.