Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/910903
34 • THE ARTISAN FALL 2017 T he first time I met Gary Oldman was when we started The Planet of the Apes 2000 at Rick Baker's Cinovation Studios. After we took his life cast, he turned it down. He sent me an email in 2015: "I have a challenge for you. I have been offered a role, but before I can fully commit, I need to be the man looking back at me from the mirror." Then there was silence for a while. Finally, in April 2016, Darkest Hour start- ed. At that time, I was not working in the film industry anymore. The only time I had been involved in film make-up was teaching special make-up effects in short-term classes in Japan and France, five days at the longest. That was the only time I was applying the make-up last few years. When he approached me, he said, "You are the only one who I want to work with, if you don't want to, I won't work on this film." In my whole career in the film industry, I wanted to work on this kind of film for the longest time, one with an amazing actor in the make-up and about great character with a great story. But it only happened a few times. My first big- gest inspiration was the Abraham Lincoln likeness make-up Dick Smith did on Hal Holbrook, so you can imagine what kind of film I wanted to work on. This was a film I was dreaming of. I told Gary that I want to think about it a bit. I was debating a lot if I should take this job or not. I almost felt like I was cheating B Y K A Z U H I R O T S U J I M A K E - U P A R T I S T DARKEST HOUR ENTERING THE All photos courtesy of Focus Features, except as noted.