Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1331269
56 • THE ARTISAN WINTER 2021 Jodie and Nancy are very different structurally, so we agreed to design the wig with a smoother texture of hair best suited for Jodie, which had the additional benefit of being able to stand up to the harsh weather elements during filming. After discussing this idea with Kevin and Jodie, we then cleared the plan with Nancy herself as we wanted her to be part of the filmmaking process since it would be her life playing out on screen. We built the wig in London with the gifted wig maker, Kelly Cox out of Ray Marston's. We fitted Jodie in both London and California with final fittings and tests done on location in Cape Town, South Africa, where we filmed the exteriors and beach- es imitating Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. As hair and make-up artists, we all know the final camera test and fittings are always the first week of filming. In this case, the moisture, wind, heat and humid- ity were all supporting players and we had to learn to work as a fine-tuned ensemble. The wig itself was a labor of love, but also required a whole lot of good, old-fashioned hard work. The silver hair color had to be graded and mixed, adding and subtracting shades of white silver ash and blonde to emulate a salt-and-peppered base favor- ing Nancy's natural, beautiful silver hair color. As we all know, silver/grey hair can be quite difficult to light and match up to skin tones, especially when the film has a documentary-style feel to it, with some purposeful harsh lighting, and some locations with little to no natural light. Shooting inside the cell in the Guantánamo Bay scenes was our biggest challenge in that respect. We also fiercely battled the elements in our shooting locations. All of that said, as a hair stylist, I love a good wig. Despite their challenges, they can truly help capture a character and their story. And that's exactly what we do, isn't it? All the hard work is in service to the characters and telling even just part of their story is so incredibly gratifying as an artist. None of this happens alone, of course, and I was blessed on this project to be surrounded by a team of artists who shared the same desire to honor the real people portrayed in this film who have lived extraordinary lives. A huge amount of credit goes to the make-up designer on the film, Kerry Skelton, from South Africa who was responsible for Jodie's flawless make-up, as well as the designer who created wigs for Benedict Cumberbatch playing Colonel Stuart Couch whose wig work was spectacular. Kerry's make-up, including the bruises, blood work and wounds on Tahar Rahim who plays Mohamedou Ould Slahi, were all incredible. The SPFX was all designed and applied by Kerry and her team with skill and authen- ticity, completing our goal of honoring these real-life characters and their journeys to bring truth to light. I hope you all enjoy this incredible depiction of the triumph of the human spirit. The brilliant Kevin Macdonald, along with the entire cast and crew, really came together and brought their "A" game to bring this film to life. It was an honor to be part of it.• Benedict Cumberbatch