Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1189512
46 • THE ARTISAN WINTER 2020 I met the director Jay Roach and producers Beth Kono, Bob Graf and Karen Getchell. It was clear to me that this movie was being made with true compassion and love and by a great group of people. It was a very challenging job since I needed to do likeness make-up of people who are currently living or had recently passed away as opposed to historical figures. On top of that, the actors were very recognizable A-list talent. Most audiences watching the film would know both—what they looked like in person, and what the real-life characters looked like. Of course, the make-up also needed to be believable and invisible. I was brought on board before we had a make-up and hair department head but we decided to go ahead to schedule life cast and 3D scans for Charlize, as well as the other two leads, John Lithgow and Nicole Kidman. I asked Vincent Van Dyke and his team to work as our lab team. I have been working with them since Darkest Hour. I designed and sculpted at my studio, then Vincent's crew molded and casted appliances. Charlize has such a beautiful face with each part of her face a different delicate perfection. My challenge was to modify each of those parts of her face to resemble Megyn without exaggeration. I studied both faces and decided what was most important to change without losing balance. For instance, Megyn's nostrils are much bigger than Charlize's. Charlize SPECIAL MAKE-UP EFFECTS Continued from Page 45 Department Head Make-up Vivian Baker and prosthetic make-up designer Kazu Hiro work on Charlize Theron. had actually noticed that and requested to make nose plugs even before we did her life cast. During the life cast, we took normal full headrest and also her nose and the inside of her nose separately. We also took a 3D scan which I started at the same time as the life cast, since there are so many uses for the 3D scan. It is very important to have both in order to get accurate information. In particular, this is important for an open-eyed head cast when making her eyelid appliances. I decided to make subtle small pieces which only changed the key points of her face so she had plenty of freedom for her acting. The final design included eyelids, nose tip, nose plug, chin and jaw. Irises are much darker, so I asked Jessica Nelson to make tinting cornea lenses. This would mean we could still see Charlize's irises and pupils through the lenses. The eyelids were the hardest to change. They needed to move with her eyelid without discomfort. I sculpted three different versions before the test make-up. Then after filming started, I made three different versions until I got the best version. Each piece was cast in silicone in a different softness. The nose was mixed with 100 percent deadener. The eyelid was 220 percent. Other pieces were 170 percent. If the bald cap material was slightly thick, they showed up right away, so they needed to run very carefully. If we are applying on 20 years old skin, it was much easier, and also, beauty