How did you come to work on Shotgun Wedding?
Debbie Zoller: Director Jason Moore was the same as Pitch Perfect. We have kept in touch over the past 10 years and he asked me to be a part of it.
Kate Best: I’ve had the privilege of working with Jennifer Lopez for six years now on her movie projects and when I was invited back to do Shotgun Wedding, I couldn’t say no.
What was your makeup design process like?
DZ: The design process involved a collaboration with Jason and Mitchell Travers, the costume designer. Jason wanted to see a vast difference between the looks of Tom’s (Josh Duhamel) family and that of Darcy’s (Jennifer Lopez). Then at the end of the film, he wanted them to assimilate as one big happy family. I had to figure out how to tell that story with makeup. Mitchell’s costume design allowed me to have some fun, especially with Jennifer Coolidge. Her makeup was bright and vibrant, like her. I had to figure out all the bloody cuts, bruises, and dirt on Josh before shooting because we shot the film out of sequence. The most fun was watching how everyone starts fresh and clean, and during the film, their makeup deconstructs, but still looks fabulous.
KB: It’s always a meeting of the minds. Jennifer has a very clear idea of where she sees the character, then I show her what I’m thinking and we work through the look. She’s very exacting; she knows it when she sees it. I developed her character’s arc from a neat and pretty wedding shower to dismantled, dragging through the jungle.
Were there any challenges created by shooting on a Caribbean Island?
DZ: We started filming in January 2021 in the Dominican Republic. We faced many challenges not only with working under the Covid protocols; but the heat, mosquitoes, and moving from location to location around the island. The language barrier was a bit tough in the beginning. Luckily, my amazing Key, Kathleen Brown, spoke Spanish and was able to bridge the gap when necessary. Getting the necessary equipment and supplies needed was a bit tough. At one point, the prosthetics weren’t setting up properly because of the heat, and we were running out of supplies. I had a PA in Los Angeles pick up everything we needed, load it in a suitcase, and bring it to us. It was the only way. We had to adapt to many issues daily, but we made the best of what we had and learned a lot!
KB: Yes, it’s called nine suitcases of makeup! It’s my job to pre-empt Jennifer’s likes and favorites…and have multiples of all of them for the trailer, green room, and on me. A lot of rep to think of.
A lot of time was spent with much of the cast in the pool. Did you use any special products for these scenes?
DZ: Three weeks were dedicated to the pool scenes so I was armed with Supergoop and Sun Bum sunscreens. It was important to keep the actors from burning in that sun. In addition, we needed the makeup to stay on all day because touch-ups were few and far between. I had dozens of Urban Decay All-Nighter spray and Skindinavia spray primers to keep everyone intact. Also Mackenzie Westmore’s Body Coverage Perfector which is waterproof and sweatproof.
KB: Full body makeup is required before the dirt, blood, and makeup. I don’t mess with that gorgeous face by adding too many layers of anything. Her well looked after skin is always achieved with the JLO Glow line and La Mer. Body-wise, it was challenging because you couldn’t always get to them. There is no one product going to survive those elements.
How did you manage special makeup needs on the film?
DZ: I’m lucky that I had a great team of makeup artists from LA, NY, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, and between all of us, we figured out how to get things done. I brought as much as I could with me, but we faced some issues that took us back to old-school techniques. We had Lenny Kravitz stunt double that needed to match Lenny’s real tattoos. Felipe Moreno, my prosthetic designer from Mexico, did the tattoo transfer the old-fashioned way with tracing paper and Mennen deodorant. For blood, dirt, bruising, and prosthetic cuts, I had to seal everything first with EBA sealer then sprayed Opsite Spray Bandage on a small sponge and gently applied it on top of everything. It helped especially in the pool scenes.
What did you love most about working on the film?
DZ: Since I had been shut in for months due to Covid, it was nice to be able to travel and see the gorgeous oceans and meet the beautiful Dominican people. I was thrilled to be able to reconnect with Jason, the director, Peter Deming, my longtime friend and DP, and work with Kate Best, JLO’s amazing makeup artist. I was fortunate to bring three of my mentees from The Mentors Project I created in 2020 to help me for a bit. It gave them huge insight and hands-on experience. I am grateful for what my crew was able to pull off in the jungles of the Dominican Republic. The movie is a fun ride and I hope everyone enjoys riding along with it.
KB: It was lovely to see Deb again! We live in a little bubble where we have our Jennifer glam family that we travel all around the world with. We stayed at a fabulous estate with our own villas on the clifftop. Lorenzo Martin, her hairstylist, and I would walk from Jennifer’s villa down the beach. Not one minute of this was lost on me. You take it in and think, my goodness, how lucky am I to be doing this?
Words Shannon Levy
Photos Courtesy of Lionsgate
