How did you come to work on Caught Stealing?
I met Darren Aronofsky on Requiem for a Dream and we’ve collaborated on all of his films since. My crew consisted of key makeup artist Mandy Bisesti and makeup artist Kathleen Brown, along with an incredible team of talented and hardworking makeup artists who helped with our background actors, stunt actors and stunt doubles. Their contributions were invaluable in recreating this fast-paced story with great looks from the 1990s.
What was your process for creating the makeup of the principal cast?
Upon first reading the script, I did not realize how complex our characters’ looks would be. There was not one character who had a simple and straightforward look. Russ (Matt Smith) had many tattoos reflecting his East Village punk life, while Lipa (Liev Schreiber) and Shmully (Vincent D’Onofrio) wore beards made by Ashley Ryan. It was very important to Darren that their beards looked authentic for the particular Hasidic sect they belonged to.
How did you use hair, makeup, and tattoos to help define characters like Pavel, Colorado and Paul?
We wanted something special and unexpected for Pavel (Nikita Kukushkin), so I designed a large port-wine stain that covered the side of his head and the right side of his face. What I didn’t think about until later was this also meant matching the look on his stunt double as well.
For Colorado (Bad Bunny), Jon Carter had the idea to make his hair and goatee ginger — it looked so good that I added freckles to enhance the effect. Paul (Griffin Dunne) had tattoos reflecting his Korean War backstory, and Jon created a ponytail piece that blended seamlessly, adding to the seedy, ‘90s bar owner look.
How did you approach Detective Roman’s look?
Detective Roman’s (Regina King) makeup was clean and professional with an edge. Her character is tough and spirited, so I focused on highlighting the intensity in her eyes with subtle cool blue-black tones and chose jewel-toned colors for her lips to convey strength and sophistication.
What inspired Zoë Kravitz’s aesthetic as Yvonne?
Zoë’s look was a classic smokey black liner occasionally mixed with a navy, taupe or amethyst shadow. The look is a worn in eye makeup that’s been on all day — perfectly smudgy, glossy and sexy.
Were there other challenges requiring special solutions?
Tattoo coverage for Zoë. Her tattoos are so cool, but they weren’t period-correct for 1998, so we had to conceal them. I recently started working with TEMPTU x Maqpro’s Creamy Air, and I was really impressed with its texture and the curated range of skin tones and adjuster shades. I also relied on longtime favorites like Skin Illustrator, Endura, and Allied FX. Each product served a purpose in the process. I’m sure it can be simplified but as always, it’s a learning curve.
Can you share details of any special makeup effects and the storytelling behind them?
I collaborated with Brett Schmidt and Greg Pikulski at SPFX Makeup Studio on prosthetics. They expertly sculpted, molded, and fabricated the pieces. On set, Rich Krusell and Lindsay Gelfand were key in applying and painting them. For Hank (Austin Butler), we created a stapled nephrectomy incision in two versions: one clean and one rigged to bleed when the staples from his surgery were pulled out. We also designed a mangled knee prosthetic from his career-ending car crash.
Russ goes through three stages of a hematoma after Hank hits him with a bat. Darren wanted the final stage quite large, so it was a challenge to balance size and realism while keeping facial movement intact. Russ also had two stages of a subconjunctival hemorrhage, achieved with two different lenses crafted by Jessica Nelson of Veiled Optics. We created additional injuries throughout the film: Shmully’s gaping neck wound, Dale’s head and back injuries, bullet wounds, a broken nose for Hank, and a scalding burn on Pavel.
Was there a particular challenge that stands out to you?
Months after principal photography wrapped, we had to recreate Austin’s final look, when Jon shaved his hair into a mohawk. By then, Austin had regrown his hair for another role and couldn’t shave it again. With the help from many artists, The makeup designers, SPFX Makeup Studio and Sasha Camacho, we pulled it off. SPFX Makeup Studio sculpted a silicone bald cap, which was then shipped to Sasha Camacho. Sasha did an incredible job punching in all the short bits of hair (he wasn’t bald it was just very short, uneven and choppy with nicks everywhere) and also punching the perimeters of the mohawk as Jon made and applied the body of the mohawk.
Any products or tools you couldn’t have done this without.
Aside from those I’ve mentioned, Hookup Tattoos, Melanie Mills Setting Spray and Maekup by David Stoneman were staples, along with skincare from Vintner’s Daughter, 111Skin, and Biologique Recherche. For tools, I relied on brushes by Sian Richards, OMNIA, bdellium tools, and Titanic FX.
Words Shannon Levy
Photos Courtesy of Sony Pictures
