Local 706 - The Artisan

50 • THE ARTISAN SUMMER 2021 How did Genius fi nd its way to you, or did you fi nd your way to Genius? Marietta Carter-Narcisse: It's so interesting because it came to me from two different directions. First, my girlfriend in Atlanta said they were looking for somebody to be the department head of this show. I'm like, "Yeah, you know what, I'm going to pass on that." She called again after a couple of months and said that there was nobody here who's going to be available to do this. Then she said she was just going to put my name in the hat. A little while later, I got another call, this time from my friend and mentee, Angie Wells (who did Carrie Mulligan's make-up for Promising Young Woman) inquiring if I was available to travel. I told her I couldn't travel at that moment with my son. Angie told me the director (Anthony Hemingway) really wanted someone who could do period pieces. The next thing I know, Hemingway was on the phone. We had a conversation as though we had known each other for years. He just seemed like the kind of director I could reach through the phone and just hug right away. We had this great conversation, and he said, "I just got to run it by the line producer and showrunner, but the job, it's yours." Never in my wildest dream did I ever think that I would be having a career in fi lm and television that would even reference the life of Aretha Franklin! Although, at one point, I went to live in Europe and was traveling with The Commodores. They were performing at Midem in the south of France, and I ended up on a fl ight from Paris to Nice with Aretha and her sisters [Carolyn and Erma]. As a little girl from a little island in the Caribbean, these are the things dreams are made of. Louisa V. Anthony: I saw the job on the internet and a few of my colleagues called and told me they referred me to Genius: Aretha because of my experience in period hair styling. I sent my résumé in and I was interviewed. To God be the glory, I was hired! I was raised on Aretha Franklin music, so when the project came to me, I was jazzed; I couldn't turn it down. I just felt her music was so much a part of my life and my family's life, I knew I really wanted to do it. I wanted to represent her in a way that I thought would really do justice, but keep it as close to history as we could. What was the source material and historical context used to recre- ate looks ranging from her youth in the '40s to television appear- ance in the '50s (The Steve Allen Show) to the Civil Rights move- ment, headlining in Vegas and all the way up to the performing "Nessun Dorma" on the Grammys? How much collaboration was there with the director in that regard? Is it normal to collaborate with the director, or are you often left up to your own vision? Marietta: A lot of times, when it comes to hair and make-up, This page: C.L. Franklin (Courtney B. Vance) speaks to reporters in front of his home. Opposite page from top: Hair stylist Coree Moreno (L) with Erivo; Franklin makes a statement in support of the Civil Rights movement. Her agent, Ruth Bowen (R; Kimberly Hébert Gregory), stands by. directors are specifi cally vague. So, at the end of the day, you don't know what the hell they're talking about. It's such a nondescript topic for a director unless they have worked their way up through the ranks where their careers have been integrated already with make-up, hair and wardrobe. Anthony worked his way up from being a production assistant to a director, and I think that gives you a whole different perspective as to the importance of the departments that help bring your vision to life. He was very, very specifi c about the looks, and I loved that about him. Anthony created a look book of the characters that he specifi cally wanted referenced. The fi rst thing he did was give me a color palette. Each decade was broken down into its own specifi c color palette. Then, from there, we researched and pulled additional photos because a lot of stuff was in black and white. So, we pulled additional photos coupled with my knowledge of the decade. This was unique to Anthony's method of working. He came with the direction for the project that he wanted, and it wasn't a guessing game. Do you know what I'm saying? The hard part about this kind of story is you're not just creating the musician of that era. You are matching up and creating the essence of a real-life person. The only other director that I ever worked with that I felt was like that was Joel Schumacher. Joel Schumacher would come in the make-up trailer in the morning and knew my name, my baby's name and my baby's nanny's name. Anthony was personable like that. I could text him, and I'd get a response right back. He was a director that was very, very involved but gave me enough respect for the work I'd already done in this industry, knowing I could deliver.

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