Local 706 - The Artisan

38 • THE ARTISAN SPRING 2021 plan. I asked Tom to grow out his hair beforehand and then maintain a choppy scissored haircut so that it didn't look fresh and also to enhance his naturally curly hair. I would get him ready in the morning, then oversee and help out with other characters before leaving with him to go to set. For Captain Kidd, and all the male characters, we searched high and low for vintage hair creams and pomades to use such as Brylcreem, Groom & Clean and 3 Flowers pomade. We were able to use these older products to style like the oils and waxes of the period that also helped to make their hair greasy and dirty-looking. Also, these products lasted throughout the day in whatever weather conditions we experienced. Playing 'Johanna' at only 10 years old, Helena Zengel had strict restraints on her work hours, so she typically came to set later. I gave Helena a very chopped razor cut because as an orphan in Kiowa culture, her long hair had been chopped off. Nichole got Helena ready every morning and not only maintained her haircut throughout the film but also used a variety of products, such as Rahua's salt spray and Reuzel's green pomade to achieve her dirty, piecey, unkempt, "wild" look. Since I was typically already on set with Tom, Nichole would send Helena to set and stay back in the trailer to get any additional principal day players ready. For most of the women, additional hair was added either with pieces or extensions to achieve the long hair that was put up and center parted, as was the style of the period. Nichole expertly achieved this with the female principals. We used dry shampoos with color to help blend the additional hair with their own and encouraged all the principals and background players to try to not wash their hair every day to help with the downtrodden looks. As you can imagine, some were better at keeping "dirty hair" than others. I'd like to recognize the main hair stylists working on our background players who were so important to the overall look of the film. The authenticity of the crowds at Captain Kidd's readings and around the various towns our duo travel through were vital. Emerald Ortega was in charge of the background tent. Grace Esquibel, K-Bobby Edgar, Janessa Bouldin and Aleka Kastelic were our primary daily stylists and I'll be forever grateful for their hard work and commitment to the film. More than some might expect, accomplishing the realism Paul Greengrass is known for in this type of film required a lot of research into the distinct locale and period styles. Beyond those creative challenges, planning for the logistical demands of Tom Hanks working every day combined with our remote locations was crucial as we had to rely on our teams back at base camp. Toward the very end of our prep, the studio asked Jean Black and I to prepare a "look book" for the film and though the timing of that request gave us some concern, it actually helped us make decisions that solidified the look and proved very helpful once on location. There was never any question about the look after that. With our remote locations, once we left base camp, we were always on the move and rarely returned until the end of the shooting day, so we had to be prepared for anything with our kits and the conditions. Think pack mules. From the extremes of weather, hills, rocks and dust, my body will never be the same, but what a glorious journey.•

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