Local 706 - The Artisan

THE ARTISAN SUMMER 2021 • 35 A challenging facial hair-related mission was the lengthening of Joel Edgerton's beard for his portrayal of Ridgeway. Until his beard grew to the length we envisioned, I had to hand-lay hair into his short beard, and then use an iron to marry that texture with his real beard hair. This was the fi rst time I ever did this, and Kirsten Coleman's diligent assistance and second pair of eyes and hands were integral to the success of this task. It was a really happy day when his beard fi nally reached its goal length. For Joel's character, you'll notice a slow and steady deterioration of his appearance as he obsesses over his pursuit of Cora, played by Thuso Mbedu. I expressed this with redness around his eyes, thin layers of dirt built up in his pores, and wilding out his beard. To portray Cora's ever-fl uctuating levels of fear and hope, I adjusted the warmth and amount of foundation I used on her, adding more warmth or more ashiness to serve as a visual representation of her state of mind. Her scar above her left eyebrow was made from Pros- Aide cream out of a syringe, which was a fantastic idea from Douglas. Barry Jenkins has a way of balancing horrifi c imagery with a tender emotional depth that imprints something In episode 2, Cora emerges from the underground railroad in North Carolina and she sees a world that she has never seen before. She sees tall skyscrapers, she encounters Black people who have straight hair, Black people who are dressed well and Black people who are free and educated. After merging into this world, I had the task of maintaining Cora's straightened, naturally curly hair in 99-degree weather, as well as all of the Black women in this episode. This is where I was able to bring out syn- thetic wigs and use them among the background actors to save time and labor. One of the most helpful things about working with a well-organized production is that you get to meet your cast in advance. Meeting and collaborating is what puts everyone on the same page and therefore, everyone is comfortable with the fi nished product. Having an amazing team who's knowledgeable of the period is very important for the success of the show. Key hair stylist Antonio Tee White had the perfect approach and was able to produce great styles for most of the male cast, both leading and supporting. Merging facial hair that was done by our amazing make-up department was what brought it all together. Hair stylist Philonese West, Dayvid Wilson and Christy Miller were also major contributors to this project. • MAKE-UP Continued from Page 33 HAIR Continued from Page 33 Opposite page, top three rows: Before and after shots of the cast; Thuso Mbedu (center) at the beginning of the journey. This page, from top: Mbedu in her new world; Department Head Hair Lawrence Davis and Mbedu; Department Head Make-up Doniella Davy (left) and the make-up team.

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