How the ‘Nightmare Alley’ Hair Team Fitted Rooney Mara With ‘A Wig On Top of a Wig’
thewrap.com10 titles shortlisted in the Oscar category of Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Wigs of various lengths and colors were worn by main cast members Bradley Cooper (in selected scenes), Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen and Toni Collette, in addition to dozens of background actors.Cate Blanchett, who nabbed a Screen Actors Guild nomination for her supporting performance, brought in her personal hair stylist. “Guillermo referenced Lauren Bacall for Cate’s hair and her stylist did a fantastic job,” said Furey. “The character’s femme fatale classic film star look worked perfectly opposite Molly, played by Rooney, who I kept more pure, vulnerable and real looking.”Furey mentioned that her collaboration with del Toro (this is her fifth project with the director/producer) is grounded in respect and an openness to new ideas. “I love that Guillermo isn’t rigid,” she said. “He always gives me specific concepts but then lets me take it from there.
There’s an artistic flow, so as we evolve creatively, so do the characters. I’m lucky to work with a director who lets me play with that and believes in the magic behind hair, wigs and makeup.”Makeup, for sure, is a crucial ingredient in all del Toro’s films.
And on “Nightmare Alley,” the department was focused on both eccentric carnival characters, seen in the first half of the film, and then hyper-specific period details in the second half.“The time periods are key to the story,” makeup designer Jo-Ann MacNeil said.
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