Ahead of her role in Ahead So Long, Coel decided to shave her head because there wasn't a lot of representation in media of dark-skinned women with short hair being represented as a love interest. "When I was growing up I never saw no girls that looked like me doing romantic leads," the actress told BET. "I was pretty determined to do it. And I knew when I get this job and I'm gonna shave my head and I'm going to turn up with no hair and they're gonna have to make it work."