20(^19) AWARDS (^) PLAYBOOK
SEASON
“Quentin loves to immerse every-
one into the time frame of the
picture,” says production designer
Barbara Ling, who helped create
Tarantino’s 1969-set Hollywood
story with as much authentic-
ity as possible. For the scenes in
Westwood Village, “a key area
in 1969 for anyone living from
Hollywood to the beach,” the team
replaced the Fox Theatre marquee
and used period poster boxes.
They also paid close attention
to surrounding establishments
such as Stan’s Donuts, which is
still run by Stan Berman’s family.
Researcher Lance Malbon, who
pulled images and footage used
for reference, “found a small
original shot in a newspaper
article and we re-created the
original Corner Shop,” says Ling.
How to Re-create
the Sistine Chapel
PRODUCTION DESIGN
ONCE UPON A TIME
IN HOLLYWOOD SONY
When the official residence of the pope isn’t available for
filming, or a story requires reconstructing an iconic
midcentury spot, production designers use technology and
research archives to get creative By Carolyn Giardina
T
here is perhaps no higher-
profile job for a movie hair
and makeup team than
creating a new Joker. So
makeup artist Nicki Ledermann
and hairstylist Kay Georgiou were
understandably nervous last
September, when director Todd
Phillips released the first look at
Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker on
Instagram. At first glance, some
fans were concerned this new
Joker didn’t seem like the one in
the comics, but that was by design.
“The whole point for this Joker
was to be handmade and realistic,”
says Ledermann.
The makeup artist studied the
previous onscreen Jokers and
received drawings from Phillips,
who had his own ideas. Ultimately,
the biggest challenge came dur-
ing production, when she had to
ensure the makeup was perfectly
and consistently smeared. In one
of the film’s most famous shots,
Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck retreats
into a bathroom after killing three
men on a subway and performs
a little dance for himself. In the
original version, after the dance, he
also washes off his Joker makeup,
which meant Ledermann had to
reapply it before every take, about
16 times in all.
Phoenix famously put himself
through the wringer for the role,
losing 52 pounds. He suffered hun-
ger pangs and had trouble sitting
still, so Ledermann and Georgiou
made a pact with the actor early
in the process: Both women would
perform their work at the same
time to minimize the actor’s time in
the chair. It took about 40 minutes
on the long end. They also tried
to work quietly “to let him have
his space so he could be in his
head and prepare for the scene,”
notes Ledermann.
Georgiou envisioned Arthur
as a man who cut his own hair
and didn’t wash it often. She
dyed Phoenix’s hair a dark brown
several months before shooting,
knowing that it would get lighter
by the time cameras rolled. “I
would put a lot of grease and prod-
uct in it,” says Georgiou.
Costume designer Mark Bridges
suggested broccoli green for
the Joker’s hair, a look achieved
through a series of wigs because
the shooting schedule demanded
Phoenix go back and forth
between Arthur and Joker.
Though Joker is much less spe-
cial-effects driven than the typical
comic book film, its crowning shot
was achieved with a little CGI
help. A key moment sees Joker
stand atop a car and paint a smile
on his face using his own blood,
which was added in post. Says
Ledermann, “That was one of the
few moments where we did have
help from CGI to create exactly the
way we needed it to be.”
Makeup artist Nicki Ledermann and hairstylist
Kay Georgiou reveal what went into creating Joaquin Phoenix’s
new take on the classic DC supervillain By Aaron Couch
CRAFTING A ‘HANDMADE’ JOKER
MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
Top costume designers fashioned the perfect looks
for performers, from Western TV stars to music icons
and beloved comedians By Cathy Whitlock
PUTTING ON A SHOW
COSTUME DESIGN ONCE UPON A TIME
IN HOLLYWOOD
For the costumes of
Rick Dalton (Leonardo
DiCaprio), Arianne Phillips
looked to director Quentin
Tarantino. “He is an
encyclopedia of Western
culture,” she says, adding
that he wanted them to
“feel like TV Western cos-
tumes and yet a little bit
elevated.” When Dalton is
shooting Lancer, he’s fash-
ioned in a leather jacket
with fringe, evoking the
styles of Dennis Hopper
and Peter Fonda, reflecting
“where the culture was at
during the time of 1969.”
“The day we filmed, Stan’s kids
brought him to the set. Stan is 90
now, and he just cried out, ‘This
looks like the day I opened it.’ ”
ROCKETMAN
British designer Julian Day
created 85-plus outfits
for the Elton John biopic.
One million Swarovski
crystals were used on
everything from jumpsuits
to jackets. “As he became
more famous, his clothes
became more extravagant
and more expensive,”
says the designer. From
his authentically accurate
Dodgers uniform and
red-winged devil outfit
to his ode to the Wizard
of Oz costumes, fan-
tasy and flash were key
to creating Elton onstage
and off.
Nicki Ledermann (right)
and Kay Georgiou on
the set of Warner Bros.’ Joker
with Joaquin Phoenix.