From taming Timoth茅e Chalamet鈥檚 unruly hair to transforming Stellan Skarsg氓rd into hulking, hedonistic sadist Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Canadian-British makeup artist Donald Mowat鈥檚 work gets the most screen time in director Denis Villeneuve鈥檚 sci-fi epic 鈥淒une,鈥 opening Oct. 22
Montreal-born Mowat鈥檚 world-building creative hand is visible everywhere as prosthetics designer and head of the makeup and hair department on Villeneuve鈥檚 adaptation of Frank Herbert鈥檚 1965 classic novel.
Mowat and Villeneuve have worked together several times, starting with 鈥淧risoners鈥 in 2013, followed by 鈥淪icario鈥 and 鈥淏lade Runner 2049.鈥
Mowat avoided rewatching David Lynch鈥檚 1984 version of 鈥淒une鈥 as he began to create the makeup and hair. He did the same for 鈥淏lade Runner 2049,鈥 not wanting to be influenced by what had been done before.
He and Villeneuve typically engage in a kind of mood-board visual brainstorming to create the look for characters. For 鈥淒une,鈥 they sent each other photos and drawings, talking about what worked and what didn鈥檛. In some cases, it was an ongoing process, as for the Mentats, the red-lipped human thinking machines in 鈥淒une.鈥
Mowat initially thought about Tang orange drink mix and how kids stain their lips with red candies, but it looked messy. He designed precise lip tattoos, but he wasn鈥檛 happy with the colour until he landed on a deep black currant shade, which Villeneuve loved.
Mowat鈥檚 not always successful out of the gate. For Javier Bardem鈥檚 warrior Stilgar, he started with a photo of the actor, building the character鈥檚 look in Photoshop. 鈥淏ut I didn鈥檛 do it right,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 put this eye makeup on him and it looked like Johnny Depp suddenly in 鈥楶irates of the Caribbean.鈥欌 Back to the makeup drawing board.
For the morbidly obese Baron Harkonnen, Mowat told Villeneuve he envisioned Marlon Brando in 鈥淎pocalypse Now鈥 and 鈥淭he Island of Dr. Moreau,鈥 crossed with a gorilla and Cardinal Richelieu. The Baron would be created using makeup, without computer effects.
Fat has always been depicted as funny in films and Mowat wanted to avoid that, he told Villeneuve. This fat man had to be terrifying and Skarsg氓rd needed to bring that to the screen unencumbered.
A complete body cast helped sculptors create the silicone fat suit in pieces. It took five people up to six hours to put it on and another 90 minutes to take it off.
鈥淪tellan needed freedom of movement as well,鈥 said Mowat, including being lifted in a safety harness. When the Baron sank into an oil bath, the buoyant fat suit started to rise up. Some careful snips in the suit fixed the problem.
As for Chalamet, who plays the central role of Paul Atreides in 鈥淒une,鈥 his hair does have a life of its own. It requires a lot of attention, said Mowat.
There was a discussion about a trim, but Mowat favoured the boyishly longer 鈥溾楻omeo and Juliet鈥 look鈥 for Paul. Once the shoot moved to Abu Dhabi and the dust and sand hit it, his hair looked 鈥渒ind of remarkable,鈥 Mowat added.
Chalamet impressed Mowat from their first meeting as the kind of actor who comes along once every 20 years. He鈥檚 鈥渓ight years ahead of almost everybody I鈥檝e met under 50,鈥 Mowat said, with smarts and a strong work ethic.
鈥淗e鈥檚 delightful. I wish he were my kid. He鈥檚 just everything. He brings an energy.鈥
Speaking of actors he admires, Mowat met Jake Gyllenhaal on the 鈥淧risoners鈥 set. Since sitting in Mowat鈥檚 makeup chair, the actor has consistently requested him to create his makeup for films including 鈥淣ightcrawler,鈥 鈥淣octurnal Animals,鈥 鈥淪outhpaw,鈥 鈥淰elvet Buzzsaw鈥 and his most recent movie, 鈥淭he Guilty.鈥
Mowat helped create the illusion that Gyllenhaal was a double-leg amputee as Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman in 鈥淪tronger鈥 by making pull-on latex shorts that mimicked leg stumps. The actor wore green socks on his lower legs, allowing them to be removed using computer technology.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a number of people I love to work with. I think that Jake is, you know that old expression, the genuine article. We have a great working relationship and a friendship,鈥 said Mowat, 57, via Zoom during a break in filming Marvel Comics series 鈥淢oon Knight鈥 in Budapest with Oscar Isaac
Isaac requested him after they worked together on 鈥淒une,鈥 in which he plays Duke Leto Atreides, father of Chalamet鈥檚 Paul.
Emily Blunt has asked Mowat to work on other films since he did her makeup for 鈥淪icario,鈥 although their schedules have not lined up. The actress told him nobody else is as good at making her look bad.
Mowat was Daniel Craig鈥檚 personal makeup artist on Bond films 鈥淪pectre鈥 and 鈥淪kyfall,鈥 and reluctantly turned down the chance to work on Craig鈥檚 final turn as 007 in 鈥淣o Time to Die.鈥 The production was pushed from 2018 to 2019 when Danny Boyle dropped out as director, just as 鈥淒une鈥 was about to start shooting.
Mowat and Craig are good friends. Mowat did his makeup for 鈥淐owboys & Aliens鈥 and 鈥淭he Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,鈥 and is looking after his TV appearance makeup as the actor promotes 鈥淣o Time to Die.鈥
鈥淒une鈥 was a film Mowat says he just had to work on.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really an amazing thing to work on a project that really matters and that people love,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 feel that with people when they hear 鈥楧une,鈥 the reaction is so unbelievable. This was creating a world that I love to do with Denis, because he lets me do it and we have such a good time with it. I just know it鈥檚 going to be good.鈥
You could almost play a game of Six Degrees of Donald Mowat. Once an actor sits in his chair, he seems to be the only person they want to work on their face. After 鈥淒une鈥 wrapped, Chalamet asked Mowat to do his makeup for his December 2020 appearance on 鈥淪aturday Night Live.鈥
In 1999, Mowat did Mark Wahlberg鈥檚 makeup on 鈥淭hree Kings.鈥 He鈥檚 been his makeup artist on 17 further productions, including 鈥淩ock Star,鈥 鈥淭he Fighter鈥 and 鈥淭he Departed.鈥
During the filming of 鈥8 Mile,鈥 鈥渢he magnificent Marshall Mathers, a.k.a. Eminem, wrote 鈥楲ose Yourself鈥 on my makeup table on paper towels,鈥 said Mowat.
Mowat is one of Hollywood鈥檚 busiest makeup artists, with 109 film credits on IMDb and numerous awards, including a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for 鈥淢ark Twain and Me.鈥
In between movie work, he lives in 海角社区官网with his partner of 20 years, Garry Malone, and their two cats, Poppy and Pebbles.
Getting involved with stage makeup was a godsend for Mowat, a kid who struggled to fit in and was, as he puts it, 鈥渃amp as Christmas.鈥
鈥淚 sucked at math, I didn鈥檛 play hockey, I couldn鈥檛 skate. I wanted to do ballet,鈥 he said.
When Mowat discovered children鈥檚 theatre, his parents supported their son鈥檚 passions. His high school drama teacher suggested he do the makeup for the school production of Neil Simon鈥檚 relationship comedy 鈥淧laza Suite.鈥 Mowat got a copy of 鈥淪tage Makeup鈥 by pioneering makeup artist Richard Corson from the school library. Somebody鈥檚 mom donated an Avon makeup kit.
鈥淚 figured I鈥檓 going to be good at this. I will be good at this,鈥 Mowat said.
He volunteered with community theatre groups. While in college, he also did the makeup for portfolios for photography students. 鈥淚t was my life.鈥
What he was particularly good at was natural makeup, which made him an outlier in the 1980s when glossy lips and heavy eye shadow 鈥 what Mowat calls 鈥渢he CBC look鈥 鈥 was the rule.
His first film job was on Mordecai Richler鈥檚 1985 screen adaptation of his novel 鈥淛oshua Then and Now,鈥 directed by Ted Kotcheff. The same year, Mowat鈥檚 skill for the understated caught the eye of makeup artist Shonagh Jabour. She asked him to be an assistant makeup artist on TV miniseries 鈥淎nne of Green Gables鈥 starring Megan Follows.
A year later Jabour requested 21-year-old Mowat for her makeup team on David Cronenberg鈥檚 鈥淭he Fly.鈥 A makeup crew from L.A. did the major body prosthetic work to transform Jeff Goldblum into the tormented mutant. Mowat looked after the hands and feet.
He made a few mistakes, like spraying Goldblum鈥檚 fly suit with vinegar instead of shine-making glycerin. 鈥淚 sprayed him top to bottom and I was really in big trouble,鈥 said Mowat, who was up until 5 a.m. washing the heavy prosthetic latex suit in the caretaker鈥檚 sink.
When Stephan Dupuis and Chris Walas won the Oscar for Best Makeup for 鈥淭he Fly鈥 in 1987, Walas included Mowat in his thanks. It gave Mowat instant credibility. It was also a thrilling moment for his parents, he said.
Mowat was made a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1999. And although he鈥檚 won numerous awards for his work, he鈥檚 never been nominated for an Oscar. Perhaps that will change when nominations are announced in February.
鈥淭he award, oh God, it鈥檚 hammy and sounds corny but, honestly, to be able to just work on these jobs, it means way more than anything else,鈥 said Mowat.
鈥淎t the end of the day, whatever the prize is and whatever job, I鈥檓 getting to work on the best thing. That鈥檚 the prize for me. It has to be the prize.鈥
Correction - Oct. 22, 2021: This article was updated to correct that Donald Mowat created the makeup and hair for 鈥淒une鈥 and 鈥淏lade Runner 2049.鈥 He did not create the costumes.
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