54 • THE ARTISAN WINTER 2021
B Y F R A N C E S M A T H I A S
P E R S O N A L H A I R S T Y L I S T
T O J O D I E F O S T E R
All photos by Graham Bartholomew © TM Films, SunnyMarch
Sometimes in our professional lives, we have the oppor-
tunity to meet someone that truly impresses. Such is
the case with Nancy Hollander, the brilliant lawyer
who Jodie Foster portrays in The Mauritanian. I fi rst
met Nancy in London when we had our initial meeting
with Jodie, and the fi lm's director, Kevin Macdonald.
Nancy is a gifted attorney who defended and fought
for Mohamedou Ould Slahi when he was detained and
imprisoned without charge by the U.S. government
for over 12 years. Needless to say, she's a deeply pas-
sionate, committed, formidable woman and we felt a
great responsibility to capture her look and spirit with
authenticity.
Jodie and I have known each other for over 20 years
so we are lucky to have a shorthand when we collaborate.
We were on the same page as to the look we were going
for. It was decided we would not use Nancy's exact hair
style to describe the character of "Nancy" for the fi lm.
A TRUE STORY
THE MAURITANIAN
Jodie Foster as Nancy
