Sofia Carson on Her Viral 'Purple Hearts' Hair and Exiting 'Descendants' Franchise (Exclusive)

Carson attended the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park over the weekend.

Actress Sofia Carson -- known for her roles in the Descendants franchise and the Netflix rom-com Purple Hearts -- spoke with ET at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park over the weekend. 

Debuting on the streaming platform this past July, Carson plays the role of Cassie in Purple Hearts, a woman who enters a "marriage of convenience" with a Marine named Luke as a way to get health insurance benefits to treat her type I diabetes. While the emotional film was met with success, it wasn't just the storyline that got fans talking -- it was also Carson's hairstyle. 

In the film, Cassie often has her long dark hair tucked into the back of her jacket. Following the release, online commentators took to social media to discuss the unique way Cassie styled her hair. 

"None of us anticipated that would become as viral of a thing as it did," Carson explained to ET. "I wasn't even aware until someone showed me a TikTok." 

Sharing that the inspiration for the now-viral hair tuck came from Carson herself, she said, "I do that in my day-to-day life and I think I brought it into Cassie because Cassie, in a lot of her scenes, was really emotional and complex, and I never wanted her hair to get in the way, so I kind of just tucked it in my jacket to make it easier, but I didn't realize that it would become, like, a thing. But I'll take it!" 

When asked about her future with the Disney Descendants franchiseCarson shared that her character, Evie, would not be returning for the series' fourth installment. 

"Descendants for us ended with Descendants 3," Carson revealed. "But it's always so beautiful to see all of the love for the franchise and I wish them the best of luck." 

The 10th annual Global Citizen Festival NYC took place on Saturday in Central Park and featured performances by Metallica, Mariah Carey, Usher and more. The benefit generated more than $2.4 billion in commitments to fight extreme poverty and disease.

Discussing the importance of the event, Carson said, "As a UNICEF ambassador, as an activist myself, I believe wholeheartedly that the most important thing that I can do with my voice is use it, to give it, to amplify the voices of those who have been silenced, especially young women." 

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