Variety: The first time makeup, hair and prosthetics designer Jan Sewell met Rami Malek while prepping for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” she spent a lot of time studying his face. But she was also gauging how far the actor was willing to go to look like Freddie Mercury, the iconic rock star he plays in the Queen biopic from Fox, which opens in theaters Nov. 2.
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I find it absolutely incredible what they can do with makeup to completely transform an actor and get them into the role of their character. Even though it was far from simple, by simply increasing the proportions in one place (mainly Malek's nose), it decreased the distance of his eyes and their size in general. A makeup artist, in this sense, truly has to be a mathematician, in order to calculate exactly how to manipulate proportions to visually make one face appear to be a completely different one. Referencing an article from two weeks ago, I also find it interesting how wigs are so widely-used in the entertainment industry now, as they not only make it much easier to maintain continuity from shoot to shoot, but also allow the actor to work on several pieces at once and satisfy the looks for each character. As Jan Sewell mentioned, it takes so much research in order to get the perfect look, but once you have it, it can truly be the perfect piece that helps the actor get exactly where they need to be to make the character come alive.
Every time I see how makeup can change the way someone looks I am shocked. What they are able to do with just a little makeup. I also love that an article was written solely about his physical transformation into Freddie Mercury, because I so often think that makeup artists are taken for granted in film so this article shedding a light on what they actually do and how the process works was really necessary. Something that Sewell mentions that I believe to also be true is that it really is a group effort between the makeup and costume designers and the actor in truly creating the character. Sewell puts it by saying that “you need to find the right actor, and it’s the actor who takes it further.” I think the partnership between beautiful acting and beautiful makeup transformation is what really helps characters come to life on screen as well as on stage and I do believe that more people should share the process and art behind makeup artists.
As an audience member, one can enjoy the immense technical work put into hair and makeup, but we seldom think about the notion of actually wearing it. For the upcoming film Bohemian Rhapsody, the lead actor who plays Freddy Mercury had to undergo hours of makeup and prosthetic application. This is a detailed process, but the results are truly incredible and make a difference, especially with the close-up action of film. When I once worked on a production of Shrek, a significant amount of the cast had noses and other facial features applied to give them a more fantastical look. Yet these were large and purposefully exaggerated, while for this film it must appear seamless and natural. Sewell, the makeup artist, has an incredible quality of credits that show her skills at realism (The Danish Girl, The Theory of Everything), through a multitude of films I have admired. I also love her quote at the end of the article about how her work could not be effective without such amazing actors.
There’s so much work that’s put into costumes and makeup to make the best show possible. It speaks volumes when an actor is prepared and open to anything that will make the show the best it can be. This is true dedication that makes art compelling and sucks audiences into the work. This is a perfect example of how much work and people it takes to make a show happen. As Kevin says, people are a resource that you have to have to be able to utilize the talent and time to create anything worth our while. On a side note, I find it funny that Rami Malek is playing Mercury. He is so different in Mr. Robot and I would never have thought of casting him as the “Bohemian Rhapsody” singer. Of course, this just amplifies how magical and transformative makeup and costumes are. Cheers to the designers and assistants who work so hard to build such amazing characters.
I always love a good transformation because it is one of the many pieces of magic that the entertainment industry has been able to replicate. The detail and little tricks that go into transforming someone are so interesting. It is cool to hear the artist took the time to look at the actors face to see what needed to be adjusted to make the most realistic portrayal of the character. They didn't just throw the features of the character onto the actor and call it good, they took the time to find the most realistic adjustments and truly trick the eye into thinking that everything it was seeing was realy. For example, when the artist decided to add a prosthetic nose, not only to help the nose shape, but also to trick the eye into thinking that the eyes were closer together. I think the artist was right when she said that what really sells it is the actor. Overall, the process of these realistic transformations is so interesting.
I love stuff like this. It is amazing what they can do to really transform actors into the characters which they are playing as so convincingly too. I think that they did a phenomenal job here in really making Rami Malek just like Freddy Mercury. I watched an interview with him this last week in which he talked about the process it took to become Freddy especially with the teeth that he had to wear as Mercury was born with extra teeth that gave him his signature smile. Rami talked about all the time that he had to spend practicing with the teeth so that he could just perform as needed in the role and that by the end of shooting he felt so bare without them as they had just become a part of who he was. The wild part about all of the things they have to do to transform him is the time that it took daily to be able to get to the point where he can even get in front of the camera.
The process that makeup and prosthetics artists/designers go through and the work that is produced is truly mesmerizing. The shocking transformation that occurs really feels like they have worked magic on the actor. With both performers, Malek and Mercury, having such strong individual facial features, the outcome of the transformation done on Malek is jaw-dropping. The different processes described like the different teeth sizes and the eye distance is very cool in the sense of being able to study features that closely and make changes and adjustments that make them almost indistinguishable from one another. I am very excited to see the film, despite the pretty negative reviews. It is described as a very conventional rock film, and doesn’t really go in depth into the nitty gritty of the band and the lives of its members. I am very interested to see how Malek has mastered the nuances of Mercury’s character and stage presence like Sewell explains in the article. Makeup is one thing, but the actor truly has to sell it to make the work even more amazing and believable.
One of the departments I feel like I do not know a lot of information on is the hair and make up. Personally I have never been that interested in learning about hair and makeup but I do understand the importance of their job. They are able to transform someone into becoming a whole different person. So much time is spent on such small details so that you really get into the world of the characters. One example of this is having different size teeth to math Mercury’s actual teeth. They try enough versions so that not only it looks good on the actor but also looks like the person they are trying to replicate. Another important fact they brought up is how much time they spend on the make up. It was stated that it takes about two hours each morning to put it on. They are really doing amazing work to recreate such iconic people.
I really like all the articles about costumes and makeup because I think it is really interesting to see other people's processes and what they do to create a character. I also really love Mr. Robot and Rami Malek has a very iconic look in that show so it was interesting to see how they changed his face to transform him into Freddie Mercury. I'm actually really excited to see this movie because I love Queen's music and I don't know a lot about the origin of the band and how they rose to fame which is what I am assuming this movie touches on at least in some parts. I know that some of the movie is about the recording of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and how their producers thought it was weird. Anyway, I think that Jan Sewell did an amazing job transforming him into Freddie Mercury and although he may not be a 100% doppelganger, he is pretty close.
I remember first seeing the trailer for “Bohemian Rhapsody” and looking at Rami Malek and truly thinking that Freddie Mercury was on stage somehow. These kind of transformations are the ones that I find truly incredible. Rami Malek goes through what seems like some subtle transformations to become Freddie Mercury but I think that is mostly by design. While I have not seen the movie, I am familiar with Rami Malek and how he performs on screen in “Mr. Robot.” Therefore, I have very little reason to believe that he will not do Freddie Mercury justice in this new movie. I really appreciated that in an article about his makeup, the artist herself said that “I can cover anyone in prosthetics but Rami really was able to capture the essence of Freddie Mercury.” This article is really only making me so much more excited to see this movie in its entirety.
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