For Peacock Limited Series angelinaAppearances were everything. Getting the images right for the Los Angeles legend was, of course, vital, but it was also a sense of humanity for Amy Rossum’s enigmatic billboard model, allowing the real character to move and exist beneath the heavy makeup and prosthetics.
“Obviously it’s a Herculean, Everest-like undertaking,” explains Rossum, who in addition to starring is also an executive producer. “You have to have people of a certain caliber for that.” Otherwise, you see a mask and you don’t see a person.” She claims that while the show is inspired by a real person, it’s an interpretation of reality. “We’re not making a biopic, we’re telling a story about a character. But it is also the fantasy of everything it represents. Despite the character’s desire to remain two-dimensional and unknown, you still want to feel like you can connect emotionally. The work has to be of such a surprisingly high standard and wonderfully perfect that it doesn’t look like a joke. You are looking at a person. It was the only team I wanted, otherwise we wouldn’t have made it.”
The team, which won Emmy nominations for Prosthetics and Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetics), consisted of prosthetics designer Vincent Van Dyke, senior makeup artist David Williams and head of makeup special effects Kate Biscoe. Designers were tasked with creating looks that made Rossum look between 17 and 70 years old. “We started sculpting everything at once because we were looking for this character,” explains Van Dyck. “The younger stage can help us understand what the older stage is like. instead of just doing [each time period] One by one and separately, I discovered that it was a very beautiful dance between six different Emmy actors in the sculpture room.”
Perhaps the jewel in the makeup crown was today’s Angelina, in her 70s, played by Rossum as she sits on a comfy couch, gives a chatty interview and looks unrecognizable. Van Dyck designed 12 separate prosthetics that covered Rossum pretty much everywhere: her face, her arms, her sagging breasts.
However, the makeup details behind these prosthetics were extraordinary. Several layers of hand-painted colored contact lenses were used to modify Rossum’s eye. Also, “Kate’s choice was to bleach my eyebrows completely white so she could dye the individual hairs in different colors and shapes,” recalls Rossum. “The nail shapes were made entirely by hand. They enveloped the veins throughout the body. They even asked for PVC tubes in my nostrils to reshape my nose from the inside.”
Courtesy Izabela Vosmikova/Pavão
Adds Biscoe: “We also made teeth and we also had rubber bands to pull things in different directions, pull the face in different directions at different times.” It reflects the specific challenge of creating a character that likely has a lot of work to do. “Someone with botox, their face doesn’t move. But the audience won’t know, you can’t say, “Oh well, at least his face isn’t moving,” because then it looks fake. The same goes for breast implants. Yes, they are fake and don’t move, but that makes it unreal. You have to have a natural movement there.”
Williams also spent considerable time creating transformations for supporting characters that sometimes lasted decades. “The other older characters, I would take care of them and manage that aspect of the department,” he explains. “We never put anything on your face that draws attention; we makeup artists don’t want you to watch the show and be like, ‘Wow, that was really cool makeup. We want you to see the work. We can look at the character, but the actor, like Amy, is the one who brings it to life. And Angelina has so much life. It means so many different things to so many different people.”
Courtesy of Eddie Chen/Peacock
An exhibition-based project THRGary Baum, who revealed Angeline’s true identity, was four years into the middle of production due to delays caused by COVID-19. There were even concerns that they wouldn’t be able to restart the process. “It was overwhelming because emotionally I felt like I was making a huge investment in myself. [the show]. This was something we were really looking for. It would have been truly heartbreaking if it hadn’t been beautifully wrapped,” admits Van Dijk. The fact that I came back, that it’s the same team, and that we were able to achieve everything we set out to do in my job is very close to mine. heart. That’s something I can’t say about many projects I’ve been on. It really feels different.”
Rossum of her makeup team notes, “I love them like family. I spent more hours with them than with my closest friend. Your artistry, commitment, strength and your positivity and kindness are truly unparalleled. They deserve a round of applause for that, because it’s really amazing what they’ve done. And I’m proud to be a part of it with them. “
This story first appeared in the separate July issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
