What was the process for transforming Karla Sofia Gascon into drug lord Manitas?
The main purpose was, of course, to be as far apart as possible from each other, surprising the viewer when they discover it’s the same actress. It also aimed to express violence versus love, roughness versus softness, and sadness versus light. Director Jacques Audiard envisioned a frightening Manitas, a chimera that belongs to shadow and darkness. We only see Manitas at night, hidden from the world. For Emilia, Jacques wanted the timeless Madonna, the lady of elegance. He was inspired by Catherine Deneuve.
Can you tell us about the two very distinct looks you created for the characters of Manitas and Emilia?
It’s a lot of teamwork. Our artistic director, Virginie Montel, who collaborated with Jacques on many of his films, knows exactly how to translate his poetic instructions into realness. We first go for classical Narcos, a bit of ‘70s curly hair and mustache, manly but not scary enough. She was really inspired by Post Malone, a modern urban figure. Jean Christoph Spadaccini created these amazing nose and cheek prosthetics with a grainy skin texture. The only difficulty from his amazing work was to make Karla’s beautiful full mouth fit into this male character. So, I was inspired by Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, a fighter but with a lot of accessories and coquetry (tattoos, fake tan, Grillz) to blend this feminine mouth in Manitas. Simon Livet, makeup co-head, added the beard, and I blurred Karla’s features as much as possible with a lot of shadows and emphasis on the texture of Spadaccini’s prosthetics.
As Emilia appeared in the London restaurant four years later, we wanted an apparition; a movie star, a confident woman. She is elegant, sassy, and beautiful. We could play with the amazing feline features of Karla with contouring and shininess. With this ash blonde wig, we could go for a soft and classic look compared to Karla’s sexy brunette aesthetic. The best look for me is when she is at home with her kids, no makeup, just natural and beautiful.
Were there any specific references or inspirations you drew from for Emilia’s makeup?
Catherine Deneuve, for sure, but also, I watched the beautiful Sofia Vergara who I think looks like Karla. I wanted a beige, khaki, taupe bistre palette to go with her blond hair. Blond can make redness pop so beige is a friend.
What was involved with Emilia’s makeup during the post-surgery scene while she was bandaged and in recovery?
The idea was to express how hard the process was. It’s a complete rebirth, so I wanted a lot of fluids—blood and sweat texture, much like when a baby is born. Bandages help in maintaining the suspense surrounding Emilia’s features.
What techniques did you use to un-glamorize Zoe Saldaña as Rita in the opening sequence of the film making her look tired and stressed?
Rita, at the beginning of the film, doesn’t have recognition and money. Zoe is incredibly beautiful in real life so we had to find a way to make her beauty and grace disappear. Before Zoe’s amazing makeup artist, Vera Steimberg, could come along, we designed bushy eyebrows and this tired look. Then Vera took from there, and could manage both looks easily. Romain Marietti and Jane Brizard created this first “tired” look with a curly natural wig. Then they used her magnificent hair for the second part. Her true shine shows when the money and freedom she deserves finally come, thanks to Manitas.
There are subtle shifts in Selena Gomez’s looks as Jessi as the story progresses. Can you speak to that?
Like Emilia and Rita, Jessi also has a big transition. Once the young, submissive wife of a drug lord and mother of two, she becomes an independent widow and party girl. For the first part, Simon Livet used a lot of contouring, highlights, and fake lashes to define her look, while Emmanuel Janvier styled her long brown hair for a Mexican girly look. Four years later, with a platinum blonde wig with dark roots, imagined by hair designer Romain Marietti, and shiny, lighter makeup, Jessi is now a fierce and edgy woman.
Can you tell us about Emilia’s makeup for the kidnapping scene?
The kidnapping is the death; it’s another change of state. We can sense that to become a symbol of love, Emilia has to be a martyr, like in a lot of religious stories. So, I had a lot of texture – blood, sweat, and tears, like the rebirth of the hospital scene.
What was involved in creating an authentic look for the inmates and gang members?
A lot of tattoos. With Virginie Montel and Simon Livet, a big part of our preparation was the crowd. Unfortunately, we couldn’t shoot in Mexico, so the crowd had to bring the identity of Mexico which is so important in the film. We watched many documentaries and exchanged
a lot of information. Thanks to our crowd head makeup artist and hair designer Roxanne Bruneton, Celine von Heddegem, and Delphine Giraud, we could create a sense of Mexico.
What’s the most rewarding part of working on a film like Emilia Perez?
Wherever we came from, whichever path we were on, we all grew from this experience.
We met through Jacques’ art and vision. As you can tell, we are really proud to be part of this beautiful and inclusive film, and so honored with Netflix’s efforts to make our work exist.
Words: Shannon Levy
Photos: Courtesy of Netflix
