What research and prep did you do for Lady in the Lake?
The research and prep were intense because capturing the look and feel of that time was important versus just the period. I referenced articles and yearbooks from 1966 Baltimore, old Sears catalogs, books about Jazz performers, biographies from all the famous artists, police reports with photos, and pretty much anything I could get my hands on. I visited a few jazz clubs to soak up the atmosphere. Capturing that and translating it at the Pharaoh Club was crucial. I also researched the products they had available at that time. And of course many meetings with Hair HOD Jose Zamora, costume designer Shiona Turini, production designer JC Molina, and director Alma Har’el. It was a great collaboration between all the departments. You can do a lot of research but in the end, you have to test every idea/design and make it fit, so I am a huge supporter of actual makeup tests in the trailer.
What was the most important detail in getting the look of Baltimore in the 1960s right for the characters?
It was important that the makeup for each character supported the role in an authentic way. We had to consider it was rural Baltimore, not Paris! I did not want to create a fashion show. While the show is based in the ‘60s, everyone doesn’t always wear traditional ‘60s makeup. Back then, people were not up on the trends, so the looks had a huge variety and were based on the individual. For example, Myrtle Summer’s (Angela Robinson) makeup was more late ’50s which is typical of the older generation who don’t change their makeup much.
How is the makeup used to tell the story?
The makeup should always be seen as a supportive role. Every look on each actor in the story is well thought out, researched, tested, and so on. Every single character has its own story and therefore own makeup design. Alma is a very detailed visionary and cares about the very last details. For example, Ms. Zawadzkie (Masha Mashkova) is in character makeup as we had to make her look less beautiful and more harsh. During the fight scene between Maddie and her, I applied blood and pieces of fake glass on her to intensify the fight. For Dora (Jennifer Mogbock), Alma and I decided to create beautiful makeup that shows even more of her struggle as an addict. When she goes on stage, she is in her safe world — happy, glowing. For the scene in her room, I took down the makeup a bit and gave her sweat and tears but still kept her beautiful.
We had fun characters like the Burlesque dancer, where we went full stage makeup. It was important to apply it without looking too perfect. In the jazz club there is a lot of black liner with white eyeshadow but yet again not perfectly applied so that it looks real. When filming such scenes, I do minimum touchups to let it all happen, the sweat from dancing works with the tousled hair, and so on.
What did the makeup entail for some of the male cast?
There was a lot of facial hair application and grooming, especially within the African American community. I loved that Alma was okay with Ferdie (Y’Lan Noel) having modern sideburns to his full beard in the ‘70s. Reggie (Josiah Cross) had a black eye in the first three episodes, which we took from swollen to just a bruise. Allan (David Corenswet) goes through a huge transformation as we see him age from a vibrant, clean-shaven 17 to a 22-year-old sailor to a 34-yearold man. We applied a beard and subtle old-age makeup to show the transition from 17 to 34.
What was the inspiration behind Maddie’s (Natalie Portman) look?
It was important for Alma to show Maddie’s struggle as a Jewish woman in that time with dreams that never got realized and stuck in a marriage with a controlling husband who never understood her potential, dreams, and talent as a reporter and as an individual. Heba Thorisdottir was Natalie’s personal makeup artist and created her look. I truly admire Heba and she did a fantastic job of capturing that through her makeup.
What about Moses Ingram’s look as Cleo?
Cleo is mostly in her made-up look from between the jobs at the Hecht department store and the club. Alma took inspiration from the traditional ‘60s black and white makeup look which Cool Benson, Moses’ personal makeup artist, adopted and applied. Even though she is struggling, she still looks beautiful.
Key products you couldn’t have worked on this project without?
Bésame Cosmetics has a great line of historical makeup. It saves time to be able to grab a lipstick knowing it’s in the right color range without having to mix everything. I also used Bésame’s cake mascara which creates a truly different look of mascara than our modern versions. We had to cover hundreds of tattoos daily, so we could not have done it without European Body Art and Skin Illustrator. And of course lashes!
But at the end of each day, it’s not the product that makes the looks, it’s the artist. As a professional, you can make a lot of product work for you, but it’s always the artist’s hand to determine how good and appropriate a look will translate. With that said, special thanks to my crew who made it all come together: John Damiani, Heba Thorisdottir, Cool Benson, Gina W. Bateman, Shelly Illmense, Dania Ridgway, Ben Bornstein and many more.
Words Shannon Levy
Photos Courtesy of Apple TV
