Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1433300
62 • THE ARTISAN WINTER 2022 My favorite character look from the film hands down was the one I did for Trudy Smith, played by Regina King. I wanted to incor- porate LOCS (dreadlocks) into a historic moment because LOCS have a rich history. It's a style you don't get to see very oen in the Western world since they're typically associated with the Caribbean. It was fun to incorporate them with natural texture and braiding for Regina's look. I also adored what Jeymes and I created for the Blue Lady. She wasn't actually in the original script and was just an idea that Jeymes came up with during pre-production, but we were able to dance around the concept to create a compelling hair style for her. Jeymes kept referring to the Blue Lady as this beautiful, mystic creature from another time that moves like a spirit through the saloon—the way he speaks whenever he tells a story feels almost like a lullaby. From his speech, I envisioned the Blue Lady as a historic African figure, something you would see on hieroglyphics, a tomb, or in a dream. I wanted to play with the idea of cornrow braiding in patterns, which were actually used as maps during the time for escaping certain areas or finding a secret treasure. I also wanted to add gold to her hair because it was pretty prominent in Westerns at the time, as well as feathers to show the Native American influence on western America. e style was really just a hodgepodge of America and the mysticism of otherworldly spirits. Working with an all-star cast, I didn't want to hit below the belt for any type of art that could enhance their characters. I also wanted to be true to my heritage, being a native Californian, and to really pay homage to texture. Afro-texture is not just one texture of hair—you can have four different patterns on one scalp. You can wear your hair straight, tight, curly, coiled, wavy, and springy. For the men, I wanted to make sure we could showcase different types of hair textures that would reflect the personalities of the characters. For example, RJ Cyler played the young and hip Jim Beckwourth. I had Tayari Edwards give him more of a textured fro instead of the traditionally padded down and packed in style. He had a little movement, where if he were to wet his hair, his mane would dry naturally and coil together. We wanted to illustrate the fact that Bill Pickett played by Edi Gathegi and Jim Beckwourth played by RJ were people who didn't have time to go to a salon or barbershop to get styled up. We also used hair to establish character relationships. Idris Elba and LaKeith Stanfield, who played partners Rufus Buck and Cherokee Bill, shared this cult look of a bald head since they were part of the same gang. More than likely if you came across someone with a bald head, they were part of the Rufus gang. Zazie Beetz, styled by Tinisha Meeks, who's known for wearing her hair fun and free, played character Mary Fields who was a strong woman and a real person. Jeymes and I wanted to keep it as authentic and historically accurate as we could so we could pay homage to these people properly which meant using lots of natural Afro-texture. L-R: Zazie Beetz as Mary Fields with King.