Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1011062
44 • THE ARTISAN SUMMER 2018 We put that type of thought into the design of all the looks, and so even if the differences are subtle, they still influence the way the audience sees the character, and help build the director's vision. For example, for most of the film, Charles Wallace's hair is very neat and clean. He's a child genius, and his whole look is very proper, even nerdy. When he is taken over by the IT, we made his hair a little messier—it's greasier, more piece-y. The difference is subtle, but it helps the audience realize that there is something a little off about the character. The most fantastical looks were for the Mrs. characters, and they were so much fun to work on. The Mrs. are universal beings and Ava wanted to show this by having them morph into different looks every time they travel to a different place. Mrs. Whatsit (Witherspoon) is a whimsical, hippie-like char- acter, but she's also very fiery, so we gave her long red hair and kept it fairly loose or in messy braids. When they reach the planet Uriel, we added a touch of gold/green to her hair because she then transforms into a green creature. Mrs. Who (Kaling) speaks in quotations and is very culturally educated, so her look is a very eclectic mix of different cultures—Asian, African, South American. Her hair is Asian-inspired. We gave her a lot of sculpted looks, and added some color by weaving/ tying things into her hair. Mrs. Which (Oprah) is the star diva of the universe, so we gave her a striking platinum blonde to emphasize that larger-than-life persona. You'll notice that throughout the film, the Mrs. all have intricate, complicated styles until they reach Camazotz, the evil planet where the IT lives. They start to lose their power there, and so you can see that in the fact that their hair is no longer in intricate braids or sculpted styles. They do not have the power to maintain those looks and so their hair is loose and free-flowing—the simplest styles they wear in the film. Another section of the film that we really worked to create a unique look was for the sequence on Camazotz. We needed to make sure that it was clear that this was not Earth. Although the people on Camazotz may look human, they are alien beings on an alien world. The IT may be trying to recreate something similar to Earth in order to trick Meg and her friends, but there's something a little off. In the scene where they land in that suburb-like cul-de-sac, everyone is very uniform because they're all controlled by the IT. So we gave all the women a giant sphere of hair on the top of their head—almost like a From left: Reid, Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit, Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which and Kaling. This photo and above, right: The evil planet Camazotz Reid, Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace and Witherspoon