Have you ever walked out of a movie gushing about the makeup and hair design? Unless some amazing SFX were involved to catch your attention, my guess is probably not. It seems counter-intuitive, but that’s how it should be! The best makeup and hairstyling designs are the ones a viewer never notices. They complement the costuming and the actor without being overbearing or obvious. But still, without hair and makeup the characters are not complete - trust me, you would have something to say if they weren’t there.
The Academy finally recognized this with an award category for the first time in 1981, a whopping fifty-two years after the inaugural Academy Award Ceremony. As a matter of fact, Best Makeup (renamed Best Makeup and Hairstyling in 2012) was the last award category to be created, decades after the first Oscars reception (until Best Animated Feature Film in 2001).
Recently, in particular, HD technology has made hair and makeup design all the more important (and difficult!), especially in an increasingly saturated entertainment market. But there are always standouts to be recognized, and for good reason! Here’s why I think the following films were nominated for the 2020 Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
**WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS**
1917
Naomi Donne - Makeup & Hair Designer, Tristan Versluis - Prosthetics, Rebecca Cole - Key Makeup & Hair Artist
With a war movie comes injury, moulage, and prostheses. In the case of “1917,” injury and moulage work were needed not just on main characters, but on up to 500 extras in some shots! Each extra had their own injury and dirt. Each extra had their own unique haircut (no wigs). And although this particular film was shot in continuous order (very unusual for the film industry), continuity is one of the hardest things to maintain on a film with the sheer number of actors and effects “1917” has. The smudge on the left side of the nose of Actor 24 better be there exactly the same way for the next scene when it’s shot hours, or days, later.
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| Source: Hollywood Reporter |
It was the dirty fingernail beds, deep under eye circles of sleep deprived military men, and period appropriate facial hair that stood out to me - those are the types of things you might only notice if they weren’t there. While you may not be able to put a finger on it right away, you would almost definitely have a sense of something being off if all the entrenched soldiers appeared to be happy, healthy and clean.
Even with these impeccable details, it’s likely the multiple human corpses and dead horses (all in different stages of decomposition) that garnered the nomination. Nothing looks fake. Skin, hair, blood and intestine colors all read as realistic. Fun fact: the details were so important to makeup head Naomi Donne that she created makeup dirt by color matching the actual dirt from the ground they were filming in. Now THAT is detail-oriented dedication that goes above and beyond.
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Judy
Jeremy Woodhead - Makeup & Hair Designer
Oh, the perils of having to turn an actor into a real person! Moreover, a real person that audiences not only recognize, but love and admire. The key is never losing the actor. The magic is never noticing how it’s achieved. Before I found out it was Renée Zellweger playing the titular role of Judy Garland, it was unclear to me who the actress was. But Zellweger isn’t Judy, is she? So how did Jeremy Woodhead and team do it?
Can you even tell Zellweger has a nose tip on? Or a set of dentures in? Those were the essential pieces to her transformation. As someone who has several sets of Halloween teeth, I can tell you those are NOT easy to keep in or talk with. Sure, Zellweger’s mouth pieces were custom made, but regardless of fit they still change how you speak and how your voice resonates. Given Garland’s iconic voice, perhaps some assistance in changing Zellweger’s vocality was for the better.
But for me, it was the hair that was most striking. Set both throughout the 1930s and in 1968, the period hairstyling is what helped me lose any sense of it being a contemporary creation - the hair really took me there. The 1930s cupid bow lip and the 1960s thick eyeliner and lashes were also notable throughout.
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Joker
Nicki Ledermann - Makeup Department Head, Kay Georgiou - Hair Department Head
To say this movie was disturbing is an understatement. To say that the hair and makeup didn’t enhance the mood is a lie.
Despite the fact the clown face was seen on Joaquin Phoenix for less than half the movie, the clown makeup is iconic to the Joker character. Unique in texture, its grittiness was very obvious even in its clean state. The unraveling of Arthur into Joker through the clown makeup was what truly gave the feeling of the psychopathic character through the close of the film.
But truthfully, it’s the character of Arthur that was more visually interesting and intricate due to the enhancement of Phoenix’s natural laugh lines and crow's feet, the paling and dulling of his skin, the balding but long, greasy 1970s hairpiece, and the protruding spine and rib bones (his natural features due to significant weight loss for the role). These key features of Arthur’s look enhanced Phoenix’s acting to emulate a very sad, neglected man; full of anxiety, both physically and mentally abused by those around him.
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Bombshell
Kazu Hiro (f/k/a Kazuhiro Tsuji) - Prosthetics, Anne Morgan - Hair Department Head, Vivian Baker - Makeup Department Head
Side note: Did you know that in nearly forty years of this category, this is the first time that there have been more than three nominees? So full disclosure: because the category is so large, I haven’t yet watched this one in full. But based on the trailer I cannot wait to see it!
This was another film in which the hair and makeup team needed to turn high profile actresses into real life high profile people - this time, contemporary national television reporters. Frankly, the transformation of Charlize Theron into Megyn Kelly was just incredible to see. Though the two women had similar features to start, prosthetic designer Kazu Hiro and team added jaw prosthetics, a nose tip and eyelids to transform Theron into Kelly, and with this it became difficult to tell the difference between the actress and the anchor. For Gretchen Carlson, a dimpled chin, large nose and cheek prosthetics were added to Nicole Kidman. The beauty team then took over to finish the transformation into the typical Fox Barbie Doll, which also included Margot Robbie’s character. An excess of lashes upon lashes, heavy lip gloss and contour were all essential to complete the transitions.
However, those transformations seem like child’s play in comparison to the creation of Roger Ailes, played by John Lithgow - holy moly, what a metamorphosis! Recognizable only by his voice, Lithgow wore six (SIX!) prosthetic pieces to conform his own lanky body to that of the notoriously corpulent Roger Ailes. And still, Lithgow is quoted as saying, “The close-ups in the film are incredible. That’s not my flesh, but I felt very comfortable in it.” It sure seems that way - there is no telling where flesh ends and prosthesis begins, leading many to wonder if Lithgow actually gained the weight for the role.
His fourth Oscar nomination overall, this could be Kazu Hiro’s second win, after winning in 2017 for “Darkest Hour.”
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Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
Paul Gooch - Hair & Makeup Designer, Arjen Tuiten - SFX Makeup Design (Ms. Jolie), David White - SFX Makeup Design
Who doesn’t love a good fantasy movie? In particular, the fantasy world is makeup artist nirvana! I have a personal love for the character of Maleficent, especially since the first movie debuted in 2014. She is strong and committed on the outside, but has such a soft spot for Aurora and the Moors. I find her appearance - costumes, hair and makeup - depict a regal being who is truly just misunderstood. I was so taken by the character, I chose to become her for Halloween a few years ago!
MUA: Jenn Dugan, The Makeup Curio - The Unusual, PC: Jenn Dugan
The Dark Fey abound in this sequel and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the contrast between them and Maleficent. Though they are all essentially fairies, Maleficent stands out as clean and sophisticated, feminine, and quite human-looking. Meanwhile, the Dark Fey clan is gritty, earthy, tribal and very animal-like. The contrast between the two is most definitely on purpose, as Maleficent struggles to find where her identity lies. This intention behind the design can be subtle - there are many larger similarities in their designs as well - but the minute differences add meaningful depth to the story and its characters. Also notable is the variation among the Fey themselves, representing desert, forest, tundra and jungle. Makeup design blends so seamlessly into costume, we truly get a sense they are whimsical and wholly mythical beings.
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I cannot imagine having to narrow this category down to one winner. Choosing between these five nominees is like choosing between apples and oranges…and bananas and grapes and dragonfruit. Each film has something unique to offer, and a wide array of fabulously skilled designers and artists at the helm. With a precedent-breaking number of nominees, clearly the Academy agrees. But only one can take home that coveted award, right?
Tune in tonight at 8PM EST, live on ABC to see who it is!
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