A special hair requirement kept one Rogue One: A Star Wars Story actor from joining the critically acclaimed prequel series Andor.
Star Wars actor Jordan Stephens was called to once again step into the shoes of Corporal Tonc in Andor. However, he turned down the opportunity when the series’ production team asked him to cut his dreadlocks, finding the request ridiculous, as he shared in an interview with Zeteo UK.
Stephens, who played the Rebel soldier in Rogue One, shared, “In Rogue One, I’m wearing a helmet the whole time. So I was like, yeah, I’ve got locks, but who cares? Just put me in a helmet [again].”
He went on to tell the host about the production’s reasoning, which did not sit well with him. “Well, we’re going to shoot scenes of the army training. We’re going to be training, so we’re going to need you in traditional army attire, including your hair. And if you have locks, I don’t think it’d be realistic,” Stephens said.
Stephens said cutting his dreadlocks wasn’t worth the role
For Stephens, the request to cut off his iconic dreadlocks just for the sake of a role that would have him wearing a helmet the whole time just didn’t make sense, especially since it came from a franchise that was about “intergalactic space war with giant slugs and swords made of light.”
As the Star Wars actor continued to explain, “I was like, you’re talking about an intergalactic space war with giant slugs and swords made of light, and you’re worried about a soldier having dreadlocks? On principle… the cognitive dissonance was too difficult to handle. The idea that someone would watch and say, ‘Oh, well, he’s got dreadlocks, so it’s obviously not real’… What is going on? It’s absolutely insane.”
Stephens stood firm on principle and walked away from the project. Despite his absence, Andor went on to earn widespread critical acclaim as one of the highest-rated Star Wars properties on Disney+.
Both Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Andor are currently available to stream on Disney+.
