How did you come to work on Michael?
A producer friend at Lionsgate called to mention they’d just acquired a project involving some complex makeup work. The executive producer was looking for someone to talk through the challenges, and I was thrilled to learn it was Graham King—and that the project was the story of Michael Jackson. During our initial consultation, I shared my deep appreciation for Michael—his artistry, his love of film and visual storytelling, and his constant push to break boundaries. I also spoke about how “The Making of Thriller” was instrumental in my career choice. Graham then decided I would be the perfect person to handle the film’s makeup, largely because of my respect for Michael and his legacy.
What challenges did you face designing Michael Jackson’s character, given that he is one of the most well-known faces in the world?
My first concern was casting. Whoever was going to be cast as Michael Jackson would dictate how far we could take him practically, as opposed to getting into any digital augmentation, knowing that would have to be factored in because of Michael’s nose reductions. Once Jaafar was cast, I began designing the many stages of Michael’s looks on him to see what we could achieve practically. Fortunately, while Jaafar’s features aren’t an exact match, there are similarities that worked in our favor. He has a naturally youthful look, so he could portray Michael at 17, and with the aid of makeup, subtle prosthetics, wigs, and hairpieces, we were able to track his evolution across the years.
What did your research and design process look like?
I started with many Photoshop designs of Jaafar as Michael throughout the years. Then, it was a matter of doing multiple tests on Jaafar with subtle prosthetics to see what we needed to do and what we could get away with to achieve those looks. We did two massive rounds of makeup tests on him, with many subtle revisions in between, before our final camera tests.
When recreating the iconic Thriller video makeup, what was your process?
Luckily for us, the Thriller makeup process is very well-documented in the Making of Thriller video, which I obsessed over in my teenage years, even recreating it for a high school talent show. On top of that, we got as many photo references from the video as we could and I brought in an all-star makeup team to recreate the zombies as accurately as possible, including some actual Academy Award winners, some whose parents did the actual makeups on the video or even retired and were unable to work on the original, so this was their opportunity to be part of that history.
How did you transform Colman Domingo into Joe Jackson, and which key prosthetic or character elements defined his look?
Transforming Colman Domingo into Joe Jackson was tricky, as Colman‘s face bears no similarity or resemblance to Joe Jackson. They are actually opposites in many respects. I tried to see what elements made Joe Jackson’s look so distinctive. The thing I settled upon was his very strong brow bone and eyebrow arch. That, along with a nose tip to change the shape of Colman‘s nose, the thin mustache, and most importantly, contact lenses to re-create Joe’s light, greenish-hazel eyes. Wigs, a brightening of skin tone, and, of course, Colman’s brilliant acting ability did the rest.
What about Nia Long as Katherine Jackson?
The approach to Nia, as Katherine Jackson, was much more subtle. Wigs and hairstyles by Carla Farmer, our hair designer, really helped illustrate the different stages of Katherine’s life that the story required. Those hairstyles, along with changes in her makeup and eyebrows, helped us place Katherine into each decade. One special element we added was a thin dental veneer to give Nia the gap Katherine has between her two front teeth. Nia felt that it was very important to embody Katherine and wouldn’t feel like Katherine until those dentures were put in.
Were there any major challenges for you on this project?
Certainly, one of the biggest challenges was maintaining continuity with all the characters to the corresponding timelines in Michael’s life. Because Michael and his family’s life is so heavily documented, and we knew that the fans would do a photo-by-photo comparison, every day we would go out of our way to surround ourselves with very specific references to whatever sequence we were shooting, so we would always be truthful to that moment in history. Respect for Michael and his fan base was of the utmost importance to us in every look we created for every character.
Any makeup products you couldn’t live without on this set?
We used the entire gamut of makeup for this film. As we handled everything from period beauty to advanced prosthetics, no material went untested or unused. We used the newest and best skincare and makeup lines, along with the latest colors, foundations, adhesives, and paints. However, that didn’t stop us from using some of the oldest products as well – good, old-fashioned grease paints and foam rubber prosthetics. If it served our purposes, we used it.
What was the best part of working on Michael?
Having been a lifelong Michael fan and never having the opportunity to go to one of his concerts in person, this film was a dream come true. Every day was like a concert. The energy and the love displayed by everybody in the cast and crew were palpable. And for being such an important part of my youth, I can honestly say it felt like my entire career had come full circle, and that was the greatest high every day.
Words: Shannon Levy
Photos: Courtesy of Lionsgate
