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THEARTISAN SUMMER 2020 • 39 Photos courtesy of HBO HAIR STYLING STEPPING INTO writer and director Sam Levinson's wonderland of Euphoria was a tall order for me as a young department head. It was also one of my most challenging and artistically pleasing jobs to date. I had just wrapped The OA in San Francisco when I got the phone call from Department Head Make-up Doniella (Donni) Davy about this pilot shooting a few weeks later. She wanted to bring me in. I knew it would be a great opportunity. I had worked with Donni and admire the way she approaches her make-up esthetic and work ethics. Her well-crafted and beautifully put-together mood boards became my inspirations for the characters I designed for the show. The final looks for the series' regular cast really came together during the two days of camera tests and after addressing some notes from Sam. It wasn't until he revealed hints of what he planned for future episodes that I could begin designing each cast member's hair story arc. Lucky for us, he is a huge fan of make-up and hair and really allowed us to play and have fun creating the looks. Each episode was centered on one character and narrated by the heroine of the series, Rue, played by Zendaya. Pop flashes of their youth, past and present demanded a range of hair styles to denote timeline. I wanted the hair styles to differentiate from other coming- of-age young adult series I had seen. I kept it contemporary, but with a bit more edge, funk, and glam with a slight '90s vibe. Zendaya, or Z, as I liked to call her, plays the relapsing addict, Rue. I kept her hair naturally wavy/curly and without a haircut, which gave a Continued on page 41 BY BRYSON D. CONLEY | DEPARTMENTHEADHAIRSTYLIST