The Barden Bellas are back! Sure, we’re anxious to see where Pitch Perfect‘s Beca (Anna Kendrick) and Jesse (Skylar Astin) left off, hear the sequel’s answer to the multi-platinum hit “Cups,” and meet the new Bellas, but we’re also anticipating follow-ups to the first film’s hairstyles that spawned countless YouTube and blogger tutorials.
If the cornrows and crimped hair seen in the trailers are any indication, there’s sure to be plenty. We caught up with Cheryl Marks, head of the film’s hair department, to let us in on the cast’s hair evolution, the inspiration behind the looks, and how they beat the sweltering Louisiana heat. Keep reading to get all the details!RELATED: 7 Reasons Why Pitch Perfect 2 Is Going to be Aca-Awesome, According to Star Chrissie Fit
This movie kicks off three years after Pitch Perfect ended. How has the girls’ hair evolved?
The girls are all seniors now, and are much more put together! We pushed the hair in all aspects, drastically changing up the style based on what they were doing—”school” hair versus “performance” hair.
What tricks do you have for making hair stay put throughout all those musical numbers and the humidity in Baton Rouge?
We shot Pitch Perfect 2 in Louisiana during the hot, humid summer months. I literally tried every anti-humidity spray! We discovered that we couldn’t use any product that had water as the first ingredient because water would swell the hair. A great solution was using hair extensions—this would keep the hair from expanding.
What kind of input did the girls have in their own hairstyles?
Since this was the sequel, all of the girls really knew who their characters were. This helped them participate in building their looks.
Elizabeth Banks has some pretty out there updos in the film! What was the inspiration behind the looks?
Elizabeth Banks’ character, Gail, is really out there but also super put together. The challenge was that Elizabeth was a director, producer and actress! She was so busy; you never knew when she was going to sit in your chair. There were days when we got her ready at 2:00 AM!
RELATED: The Barden Bellas Run the World In the Hilarious New Pitch Perfect 2 Trailer
What was the environment like in the three backstage hair trailers?
I ran three trailers with up to thirteen hairstylists. I was only allowed to bring two stylists of my own, so the rest I had to hire locally. I put up inspiration boards in the trailers and also did demos whenever possible.
In the trailer, Rebel wears a very pompadour-esque high pony. Can you share how you achieved the look?
Rebel is super fun to work with! In Pitch Perfect 2, Fat Amy has really grown up and has a crush on a boy! For the scene featured in the trailer, I added hair extensions to her pony to create a fuller look and used T3’s SinglePass Flat Iron ($160; sephora.com) to smooth and straighten every strand of hair before pulling it up into the ponytail. For this look, I also really wanted to change Amy’s bangs. I teased the filler, wrapped her own bangs around the filler, and rolled!
What’s your favorite look from the upcoming film?
Pitch Perfect 2 is one BIG hair movie full of so many different amazing looks that I really, really love!
RELATED: Video: Anna Camp Says Her Pitch Perfect 2 Co-Stars Are “Aca-Awesome”