Trevor Jackson explains his affinity for the rat-tail, says it was inspired by Anakin Skywalker
Trevor Jackson will not rock a rat-tail in SuperFly, his upcoming remake of the 1972 blaxploitation classic, much to the chagrin of the 21-year-old actor-singer.
“I wanted him to have a rat-tail, a long one” Jackson told Yahoo Entertainment at CinemaCon in Las Vegas (watch above). “I wanted it to come down [over my shoulder] and have gold on it. [Director] X was like, ‘No.’ I’m like, ‘Dude, it would be fire!'”
Anyone familiar with Jackson’s work on the popular sitcom Grown-ish,or with his social media presence knows he takes some pride in his rare choice of hairstyle. In fact, it’s not a leap to say he has become the country’s foremost proponent of the look.
“I love it, I love the position I’ve been handed as rat-tail senator. It means a lot to me,” Jackson said. “And to the community. I’ve had many a kid come up to me and say, ‘Hey, I got a rat-tail because of you.’ And it just makes my heart warm. It grows it two times.”
Jackson credits his adoption of the ‘tail to one specific movie character: Anakin Skywalker, as played by Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars prequels, Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005).
“Before I put out my album Rough Drafts, Pt. 1 that just came out, and I was very frustrated musically,” he said. “I watched Star Wars [Episodes I-III] with Anakin, and I was like, ‘I feel like him.’ I felt like I was good, and I could write all my songs and sing better than most guys. … But nobody was giving me a shot, and I couldn’t go, and nobody was believing in my vision.
“I felt like Anakin! Am I good? Am I bad? And he had a tail, and it kept getting longer the whole time — till he cut it off before he became Darth Vader.”
Jackson stayed true to his inspiration by titling one of those songs on Rough Drafts, Pt. 1 — you guessed it — “Anakin.”
SuperFly opens June 15. Watch the trailer:
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