Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1256324
36 • THE ARTISAN SPRING 2020 WILL & GRACE I LOVE LUCY EPISODE B Y P A T T Y B U N C H D E P A R T M E N T H E A D M A K E U P After four decades, 11 seasons, and 246 episodes as one of the most infl uential sitcoms of all time, Will & Grace is coming to a historic and gratifying end. With 91 Emmy nominations, including 18 Emmy wins, the show will be remembered for years to come by grateful fans but none more so than the people who worked tirelessly to bring this iconic show to life. The hair and make- up department, always and ever Local 706 proud, was certainly no exception in its love of Will & Grace. From the pilot that aired back in 1998, to the iconic "We Love Lucy" episode this season, to the emotional series fi nale, the hair and make-up team was always at the ready to help make television history. The "We Love Lucy" episode was of course, a tribute and celebration of I Love Lucy. It was not only our biggest chal- lenge but also our greatest collaboration and accomplishment between the entire cast and crew across every department. From the very beginning, there was talk about a Lucy tribute show and when we were told that it was actually going to happen, my fi rst reaction was, "Oh, yes! Finally!" which quickly became, "Oh my, how will we do this?" "How will we apply bald caps, wigs, and create all these iconic characters while the audience waits?" When you shoot in front of a live audience, it's all about speed. For a four-camera production, every department needs to be one step ahead. You never want to be that department that keeps an audience waiting. Their energy and fresh reactions are imperative to our cast, writers and our director, James Burrows. In our fi rst production meeting, we didn't know if we were going to shoot in black & white or color, so we needed to be prepared for both. With pictures plastered all over the walls, we designed and formu- lated all looks as if it was in the original broadcast format. Skin tones were matte and without shine. Hair was quaffed and heavily sprayed, looking like they just stepped out of the salon. The challenge for our hair & make-up team was to create looks for each character as they saw themselves as the I Love Lucy characters. Debra Messing's Grace, we knew would be the perfect Lucy from head to toe and of course Eric McCormack's Will was to be Ricky. Sean Hayes' Jack needed to create his own 'over the top' thespian Lucy, Megan Mullaly's