Would You Shave Off All Your Hair For A Film? by Ayesha Casely-Hayford

Episode 11: “Would You Shave Off All Your Hair For A Film?”

About Afro Archives

Afro Archives explores heritage and identity within UK society. It investigates images of black women through promotion of self-expression and confidence to be who we naturally are. This project seeks to promote and celebrate afro hair by having inclusive discussions about hair and hair-related experiences with people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures and creeds.

“A Performer’s World”

“A Performer’s World” showcases with comparison the experience of women with afro-textured hair through the eyes of the acting industry, where what we look like, matters. By asking to a diverse group of actors questions like: “Would You Shave Off All Your Hair for a Film?” and “Your Hair Represents Who You Are”, True or False?” we uniquely examine the responsibility of media, and curators of culture, as well as how we see ourselves and how society sees and portrays us. “A Performer’s World” could not have been made without the time, generosity, and collaboration of the featured artists, and co-creatives. Thank you to all involved.

Big Thanks to our host filming location, The Black Cultural Archives, in Brixton.

Creatives: Africa Fashion Plus (Afro Archives Blog Host), Robbie Spotswood (Photography), Chris Lovell (DOP), Imogen Mackay Dall (on-location Director), Loreen Brown (Photography), Livvy BakerMendoza (Music) Ayesha Casely-Hayford (Editor, Producer).

Main Creative Team Creator & Producer Ayesha Casely-Hayford is an actress, award-winning voice artist and employment lawyer of Ghanian descent, born in London and raised in Kent. With her roots in law, specialising in employment law and discrimination, and as former chair of the board of trustees for The Act For Change Project, a charity campaigning for greater diversity in the arts, she is uniquely positioned to see the social, performative and legal issues facing black women in the UK today.

Photo credit: Helen Murray Photography

Director Imogen Mackay Dall is a Sydney-born writer, director and ‘ginger ninja’ raised in Tokyo, Washington D.C. and London. She wrote and directed the award-winning conservation documentar y Mystery of the Gnaraloo Turtles (2017) and is writing features for Pinewood Studios and Same Name productions. Keen to advance social issues in her work, Imogen is also writing Creative Breakdown Insurance, a book to help artists and freelancers manage their mental health.

Photo credit: Helen Murray Photography

Featuring in this Episode and With Thanks To

Alexandra Conlon

Alice Fofana

Verona Rose

Tania Rodrigues

Ketorah Williams

Simone McIntyre

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Ayesha Casely-Hayford

India Ria Amarteifio

ÂŠ 2018 Ayesha Casely-Hayford

Peter Warnock

Amrou Al-Khadi

Tobias Deacon

Linden Walcott-Burton

Holly McFarlane

Syreeta Kumar

Anwen Ashworth

Judith Quinn

Annabelle Brown

Ann Akin

Anni Domingo

Nicky Goldie

Jasmeen James

Andrew Macbean

Martina Laird

This is a verbatim transcript of our interviews

“Would You Shave Off All Your Hair For A Film?” Part 1 Featuring actors Alice Fofana, and Verona Rose with Alexandra Conlon, Ann Akin, Anni Domingo, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Peter Warnock, and Syreeta Kumar VERONA: Oh sorry, I’m daydreaming - If I was asked to shave off my hair for a film would I do it - hell yeah! ALICE: If you would pay me 20 million Dollars, Pounds, I would do it. Is that the only time? Hey sister. Do you know how long it takes to grow this hair? Heh, you want me to cut it? It would grow quick though Sister! I’m cool with it. If you pay me a lot of money, then I will cut it. Do not make me try and cut my hair for, no offence to everybody else who’s trying to make it out there, I give it to all the film-makers ‘cause me and my sister here are trying-o but let me tell you something, I am not going to cut my hair for something so small. I’m sorry, it takes long, it takes time.

This is funny though because we’ve been asked this question do you remember I text you? Oh yeah, and I said no. Yeah she said no, she actually did say no. I got short-listed for a commercial and it was a, I’m not really sure but they actually said would I be happy to have my hair shaved And I said hell yeah, but I’m thinking is it enough money?! My dad fully encouraged me though, he said go for it, but then my dad’s the one, when I did cut my hair, I had this bit shaved [indicates] and he said “Oh your hair’s never gonna grow back” That’s the only reason, the only thing that encouraged me to grow my hair back, because my dad told said to me it was never going to grow back. Thanks Dad. But yeah I wouldn’t I’m sorry, only if it cost, if you’re gonna pay me enough money for me to be able to have the most expensive, best products for my hair to grow back within a year. But if not, mmm. It will grow back. Yeah of course it will grow back but it will take time-o, come on sister. KOBNA: If I was asked to shave off all my hair for a film I would do it, it’s not really a problem. I used to have a shaved head, that used to be my look. PETER: Not a problem, I’ve had it dyed, it’s gone green, I have shaved it, I’ve shaved everything actually, erm for jobs, so that’s as much as you’re going to get to know there! ALEXANDRA: That is a question that me and many of friends have had before and debated, but I definitely think, you only live once, just do it. I think as well I’ve been pretty good I haven’t dyed it or anything and I trust it to grow back but I think it depends always on the script and the story, for sure. That’s a factor as an actor because it’s got to be worth the project But you’ve also got to take into consideration the rest of your career, for you know at least the foreseeable future

And if that’s gonna interrupt or affect that in a certain way you’ve kind of got to weigh up the pros and cons So it’s actually quite an important discussion and kind of something that you shouldn’t take lightly and go “let’s do it!” ANN: Er, that’s an interesting question, it’s very rare that I’m lost for words, But I don’t know. I think it would really depend on the role, really. I mean if it was like integral to the character it was a cancer sufferer, or it made sense to me then I would consider it, because, why not. But, I dunno, difficult. SYREETA: If I was asked to shave off all my hair for a film yes I would And actually I have done that when I was very young And I actually used it as a way of getting the film Because I said that I would shave off my hair. Because I thought my hair was getting very thin at the time and I thought it would be a really good, [a] healthy thing to do, but actually when I did it, it was just really interesting. It was really interesting the reactions I got from people. A lot of people thought I was ill, which was very interesting. But it felt really beautiful as well. And it was really nice to see the shape of my head. ANNI: Now if I was asked to shave off all my hair for a film I would do it in a heartbeat. I’ve always wanted to have my hair shaved. My children don’t like it. They don’t even like it when I cut it to a number one. I remember the first time I cut my hair short and my son saw me, his face, he put his hand like that [indicates covering eyes] he wouldn’t look at me and he kept talking to me without looking, so I wouldn’t mind shaving my hair at all. I don’t think I’m defined by my hair, my hair is just something on top of my head. I like it to look neat, I like it to look, but I don’t want to bother about it -

I don’t want to worry about it I don’t want to be spending hours having it braided and, you go and have it done and curled and tonged Na-ah. I am too busy for that.

Part 2 Featuring actors Ketorah Williams, and Simone McIntyre with Anwen Ashworth, Jasmeen James, Judith Quin, Linden Walcott-Burton, Nicky Goldie, and Tania Rodrigues KETORAH: No way! I would never. SIMONE: If I was asked to shave my hair off for a film… I would never ever do that, I wouldn’t even consider it. I don’t think you would ever find a black actress who would do that, I don’t know. I definitely wouldn’t, I mean… No. No. And the time that my hair takes to grow as well, no way. Then again, what’s the fee? No. Couldn’t you wear a wig, couldn’t you find a wig that was like a bald head? Make this part make-up on the front. No they could do it with the wigs like they do aliens. I think, actually, I might consider it. Really? I’m thinking that it could be a really good fee [laughs]. How long would it take for your hair to grow back to how it is now, years or months? Years? Yeah. Ok, maybe not. Cause then you wouldn’t even have enough hair to put it into a weave or to put it into cane rows? You’d have to be that actor with the short hair look for a couple of years. But you know what I think with the right make-up you could still look kinda hot. With the right make-up, the right eye make-up. mmhmmm. No. © 2018 Ayesha Casely-Hayford

LINDEN: If I was asked to shave all my hair off for a film, or a part, I’d love to first of all I’d love to shave my hair off completely to a grade zero. One of the things I’ve noticed when it comes to film and TV is that bad guys always have low hair, they always have it short. So when you look at a thug or when you look at really aggressive guys or people in prison or the army, they always have usually skinned hair for various reasons. I never want to cut mine off that much because I don’t want to look like a thug in everyday life and my mum says the lower my hair goes the more thuggish I look. So I’ve always wanted to completely cut it off, even lower than it is to see what it would look like and to see how it would be. But I don’t want to do that because of the consequences of it in terms of how people would perceive me. So having the excuse to be able to do that for a film or a play or whatever, I would love, I would love to do that. TOBIAS: If I was asked to shave off all my hair for a film I would do it. Yes. I’m quite happy shaving my head. I’ve had my head shaved for plenty of roles that I’ve done in the past, I quite like having short hair. Until I was 16 I always had short hair. TANIA: Erm, I might do it. Depends what the film is and what the part is and stuff, but yeah. I think I would. JUDITH: I would do it in a heartbeat. Doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I’ve had my hair pretty much shaved anyway before and I chose to do that for me, because I wanted to and it’s just liberating and I think people put way too much stock in their hair. So yeah, I would shave it off in a nano second. As long as I was paid for it, for a film, I’d have to be paid for it for a film. NICKY: Oh my God, if I was asked to shave all my hair off for a film, I would be really quite loathe to do that Because it seems to me, I know this is not the case, but it seems to me that its taken me all this time to grow it as long as it is. © 2018 Ayesha Casely-Hayford

It is actually quite long, look. A lot longer than it probably looks, but when it is wet it is definitely about shoulder length and erm, I feel that my face is, well, I don’t have the cheekbones, I don’t have the cheekbones! I remember once I was working with a black actress and she corn rowed my hair and I remember arriving at my mum’s door after this had happened with my corn row hairstyle and she said to me “Oh my goodness, you looks so ugly” And I thought, oh, thanks mum! ‘Cause some people can carry off, they have the facial structure, and still look beautiful. They say that a woman’s hair is her crown and glory and I absolutely do feel that about my hair Which is possibly quite sad really. ANWEN: If I was asked to shave my hair off it would really really depend on the part, erm, And possibly the pay because it would stop me doing a hell of a lot of work for a while, while it grew. But yeah if it was for a good part I would absolutely shave it. JASMEEN: Oh Gosh, erm. That’s a really really hard question, erm Do you know what I think truthfully if I connected to the character, connected to the script, and I felt like it was a story that I really wanted to tell And I just felt really connected to this project I feel like I would. I love, love method acting and I love delving into a person and really getting into them. So I feel like…Do you know what, it would be very very hard. Especially as everybody knows that afro hair does not grow that quickly, well mine doesn’t. But yeah I think if I really connected to a role and a script then I would, I think I would.

Part 3 Featuring actors Ayesha Casely-Hayford, and India Ria Amarteifio with Andrew Macbean, Annabelle Brown, Amrou Al-Khadi, Holly McFarlane and Martina Laird, India: I would say yes. Because, I mean it would have to be say like a massive Hollywood film, where I would be like the main character. And to me at the moment it doesn’t matter about the money, I don’t act for the money, especially at my age as well, I don’t depend on it. I definitely would because hair is hair, and I could wear a wig or do something else and I think it would be quite fun to see how quickly my hair would grow because at the moment, my hair’s growing but I don’t know how much or at what rate because I think to myself that my hair grows quite quickly but sometimes when I have a hair cut, like cut my hair off, like for trims it takes ages to grow back so I think maybe if I add or do something else to my hair, it might change it, I don’t know. I think it could be quite cool. What would you do? AYESHA: I think I’m the same in that if it was a lead part it would be an interesting journey to go on and why that character was doing that And I think I’m at a place in my life where I’m letting go of a lot of things You know I’m changing a lot of stuff generally So it would sort of fit with my philosophy of not being attached to things. I think the reality of it, like imagine stepping out of your door That’s the thing, realistically. It’s an interesting idea that we can talk about, like you know sometimes when you’ve got your hair a bit different and you go out and you’re sort of like, how are you going to be received? I think it’s different if you were actually asked that, like if you went to an audition and they said would you be ok with shaving your hair, it would be an in the moment thing. ANDREW: Yeah, no problem I’d shave my head, in fact I would love to do that. © 2018 Ayesha Casely-Hayford

I think it would be incredibly interesting to see what I looked like without any hair and I think that as well you’d get a completely different reaction from everybody around you so yeah, I’d definitely do that. I dyed it once. I dyed it black and at the time I had a beard, a big beard as well and I dyed all of that black and, I did it in the shower and I got out and I couldn’t believe the difference, and I didn’t go out all day. I was really shocked. I didn’t like it. AMROU: If I was asked to shave off my hair for a film, I would do it I mean I love acting, erm, and I would just see it as a part. Definitely. I would be happy to do it. MARTINA: Do you know what, I’ve actually thought about this sometimes and I kind of play around with the figure in my head of how much they would have to pay me. I didn’t have hair as a child. My mother couldn’t cope with figuring out what to do with my kind of hair and so actually used to just shave my head and erm, I was mistaken for a boy, up until, well up until puberty And things started to grow in certain places and I had my ears pierced and I thought Okay well now I’m gonna definitely look like a girl And I still remember some man pushing past me in a shop and saying “ ‘scuse me sonny” [laughs] And I thought I would die, I was ten And so it would be a big thing for me if I was to have to shave my hair. I remember talking about it once in a session I was doing, and I started to talk about my hair and I just burst out crying I was like unconsolable telling the stories of my childhood And I was like oh my God, this is about hair.

But it cuts very deep into identity as a woman, and all that that means, all that that means having some sense of identity, autonomy about your own image, erm, that continued kind of oppression that somehow we find joy in to look attractive and hair is such a big part of that And also within that we can define lots of things politically as well as aesthetically so yeah, where I come from attractive is straight hair and the look and whatever And I’ve never fitted in with that for one reason or another Either I didn’t have any Or I didn’t go for that look. HOLLY: awwwwrgh. If I were asked to shave all my hair off for a film, oh my goodness I don’t know what I would do. It would definitely depend on the film, definitely depend on the film because it is very much a part of who I am. It’s very long and like I said it has always been, it’s been this way for a long time. Also I think that my face shape doesn’t suit short hair because I’ve got a big long neck and I think it would look a bit weird. However, on the flip side actually it would be very different, and I’m sure it would be very very liberating. So I think if I was asked to shave off all my hair for a film, and it was a film I was really passionate about, and thought was amazing, I would easily do it Because I think it would be a phenomenal experience. I would very much NOT like to shave all my hair off for a film that was not good. That would feel a bit like a double whammy of awfulness so I would have to make sure it was good material. But yeah, I’ve actually come round to the idea of shaving all my hair off for a film now that I’m talking about it, for a good film. ANNABELLE: Oh, I’d love it. I would like to shave my hair off for a film. As I was saying before, I absolutely love it when something, when a job requires something to be done to my hair. That’s brilliant. My only fear is that I think I’ve got a really lumpy scalp so quite possibly they’ll shave it all off and go -

“Oh God what have we done? Someone stick a wig on her”. That’s the thing, I’m a complete coward, I would never do it for myself, Annabelle would never shave her head but the actress would bloody love it. Someone, give me a job ask me to shave my head, please! I think that would be wonderfully exciting. Erm, I’ve long been intrigued, and gone, yes - I want the V for Vendetta, is that what I mean? Is that the film I mean? Yes. Yes, that would be exciting. One of the many many lovely things about our job, when we get to do our job, is having those things that are completely other from you done, and doing that in a wonderful extreme change.