'Life Unexpected': Hair apparently not an issue
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In advance of "Life Unexpected" premiering on The CW, viewers aren't sure what to expect, but they're already puzzled by one issue: Hair.The family-friendly show centers on 15-year-old Lux (Britt Robertson), a kid who's been through the foster care system all her life and needs to find her birth parents -- radio talk jock Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby) and bar owner Nate aka "Baze" (Kris Polaha) -- who haven't seen each other since high school.
As can be seen from the photos, both parents have dark hair, but their supposed daughter is a bright-haired blonde. It's not that unusual for this to happen in real life, but apparently, it was a surprise for some who've seen the show and wondered at the casting.
"Baze's mom has blonde hair," points out "Life Unexpected" creator Liz Tigelaar during the TCA Press Tour on Saturday (Jan. 9). "And we did a little research into that, and it is possible."
Both Polaha and Robertson can vouch for this from personal experience.
"My wife is brunette, I'm brunette, and we have a little blond boy," says Polaha, and Robertson adds, "My mom looks just like Shiri."
The show doesn't completely ignore the hair issue. There's a reason the daughter's name is Lux, which means "light" in Latin.
Another curiosity is why, Appleby, who sported long hair in the pilot, suddenly has "mom hair" for the rest of the series."When I shot the pilot I had just cut my hair off really short, so they had put extensions in," Appleby tells Zap2it. "And then they saw me at [the last] TCA, and it looked much better, so they let me keep the short hair."
The shorter 'do makes an appearance in the second episode with only one line shot to acknowledge the change.
"It was a last-minute decision: Should we put the extensions in or should we not?" explains Appleby. "And it didn't even look good [with extensions], so we were just like, 'No, this looks better.'
"I think for the character it actually makes more sense. Long curly hair feels a little 20-something, and I do feel much more sophisticated and womanly with a shorter, sleek look."
It does actually make sense. Appleby is only 12 years older than her on-screen daughter, so making Cate look more mature and less like Lux's older sister is probably wise.
"Life Unexpected" premieres on The CW on Monday, Jan. 18.
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Related:
'Life Unexpected's' Kerr Smith: 'People are going to fall in love with it'
'Life Unexpected': Waiting room just around the corner
Zap2it's Press Tour coverage
Photo credit: The CW
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It is very possible. My nephew is blond, but both of his parents are darked hair. He got it from my dad (his grandfather). As a matter of fact, you look at my dad's baby picture and a picture of my nephew at the same age and you almost can't tell the difference.
My parents both have dark hair. My brother and I were both blond at 15 (not so much now in our old age, unfortunately). I think eye color is much more tricky than hair color, genetically.
Yes, it IS possible. My husband's parents were both dark-haired, but he is blond. Explain genetics...
Warning Science ahead:
Blond is a recessive gene therefore a child needs two of them to be blond.
If a child has one dark haired gene and one blond gene it will be dark haired.
If both the dark haired parents have one blond parent, they will each have one blond haired gene. If their child gets a blond haired gene from each, it will be blond.
There is a one in four chance that two dark haired people who each have a blond parent can have a blond child.
It is impossible for two blond people to have a dark haired child. All of their children will be blond.
Hope that helps!
wow, thanks Annie! :)
Hair and the CW/WB always seem to be an issue. When I saw the new promo shots of short haired Shiri Appleby after seeing photos from the pilot, I always wondered if the CW made her cut it to look older. Ever since Keri Russell aka Felicity cut her hair short that one time they are very serious about everyone's hair.