‘House of Gucci’ Hair and Makeup Oscar Nomination for Frederic Aspiras Is a Milestone for Asian American Representation
Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorFrederic Aspiras, hairstylist to Lady Gaga in “House of Gucci” has become the second Asian American to be nominated for a Hair and Makeup Oscar.Japanese-born American special make-up effects artist and visual artist Kazuhiro Tsuji is the only other Asian American to be nominated and win for “The Darkest Hour” and “Bombshell.”The award was created by the Academy in 1981 after complaints that there was no way to recognize the makeup artists for the 1980 film “The Elephant Man.”Aspiras, who is of Vietnamese-Filipino descent, also earned a BAFTA nomination last week and is nominated for a Makeup and Hairstylist Guild nomination. He has worked with Gaga for over 13 years, including creating the look sported by Gaga for Variety’s Actors on Actors cover.