Embodying the History of the Hawaiian Islands
by Christien Tinsley | Department Make-up/Designer
Photos courtesy of Apple TV+
Writing about a 12-month journey, where one is immersed in a richly layered culture from the late 1700s—a world where everything carries profound symbolism—is not easily summarized in a few paragraphs.
On the surface, the new Apple TV+ series starring Jason Momoa might appear similar to any other period action-driven drama. Certainly, it boasts a distinct aesthetic with a stunning tropical backdrop. However, it’s within the secondary design layers and the hidden intricacies of the work that this project truly distinguished itself, becoming simultaneously difficult, exhilarating, and deeply fulfilling.
With a 30-year career, few things surprise or even excite me anymore. I wouldn’t say I’m jaded, but there’s a limit to how many recycled ideas and creative restrictions one can navigate before feeling a touch numb. Therefore, it’s rare for a project to emerge where the entirety of the ask feels entirely new, exciting, and a little terrifying all at once.
The fundamental brief for Analyn Cruz (Department Head Hair) and myself was to design the hair styles, character make-up, tattoos, and make-up effects that authentically embodied the real people of the 1700s Hawaiian Islands. Our mission was to tell their story as it truly unfolded, depicting the events that transpired during a pivotal period of territorial dispute.
At face value, the task presented obvious challenges, particularly regarding the limited time allocated for prep leading into principal photography. Budget restrictions were also a factor, though, honestly, these were among the least of our concerns—a rare occurrence. The monumental nature of the undertaking truly revealed itself when we began to delve deeper into the demands of historical accuracy.
Consider the baseline requirements for each actor, male or female:
• Authentic Attire: For men, the malo (loincloth) was the primary garment, reflecting the period’s typical dress.
• Uniform Tanning: Every cast member needed to achieve an authentic, consistent tan.
• Diverse Hair Styles: Textured hair varied widely, from mohawks and shaved styles to bowl cuts and long curls.
• Extensive Tattooing: Approximately 50% of all men and women were tattooed, not by modern standards, but with intricate, historically accurate designs. This immediately highlighted a significant challenge: Most contemporary tattoos on modern actors were historically incorrect.
• Facial Hair: Accurate depiction of facial hair was also crucial.
• Symbolic Tattoos: Crucially, all tattoos carried deep meanings, both in their design and placement, often signifying family lineage and personal history, far beyond mere aesthetics.
• Constant Exposure: The body was exposed virtually 100% of the time, demanding meticulous attention to detail at all times.
• Demanding Schedule: We faced more than eight months of shooting across Hawaii and New Zealand.
• Island-Specific Designs: Design variations were necessary to distinguish between the inhabitants of different islands, such as Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai.
Sure, we had wigs, character make-ups, prosthetics, battle-sequence wounds, fake bodies, and the list continues. But the real challenge was the tattoo design. Running a business that provides and has designed tattoos for more than 25 years, this show was by far the largest volumetrically and most challenging in terms of design. Analyn Cruz, who is no stranger to textured hair and the difficulties that can result due to climate and other action moments, was faced with a monumental task of creating and designing hundreds of styles in the form of partial and full wigs for an entire cast, background, and stunt performers.
Production provided both Analyn and me with cultural advisors. My personal liaison: A world-famous native Hawaii historian and tattooist named Keone Nunes still practices kākau uhi (hand-tapped tattooing). Our first of several interactions with Keone were simply to understand the culture and heritage of the Hawaiian people. Next, we took a deep dive into the symbolism and meanings behind all the tattoo work: why it existed, the class system that participated in tattooing, and the meaning behind the shapes and placements on the body. This essentially laid out the rules we needed to play by when designing and creating the hundreds of combinations we were about to embark on. Understand, after studying tattoos on some level for over half my life, there were concepts I had never considered. A few of the things I found most fascinating in being enlightened to the story behind these tattoos were as follows:
• Gendered Placement: Men were traditionally tattooed only on their left side. Imagine splitting someone in half vertically; the tattoos would only be on the left half of the body. This placement empowered the more feminine side. Conversely, women were tattooed on their right side for the opposite reason. Occasionally, both wrists could be tattooed.
• Genealogical Lines: The long “line” tattoo commonly extending from the top of the ankle up through the waist onto the hip, sometimes curving toward the back spine, often represents genealogy or ancestry.
• Mana Embodiment: The tattoo itself, and the act of tattooing, is believed to bring forth the life force or mana.
• King Kahekili’s Mark: King Kahekili of Maui, played by the great Temuera Morrison (famously Boba Fett), was tattooed with a dense design on his right side of the body, contrary to the typical rules. This was because the gods marked the king.
• Symbolic Triangles: The “triangles” commonly seen represent shark teeth or spearheads. They can also represent land. These are commonly faced pointing outward or upward, and in some cases, downward. Direction, shape, distortion, and placement all have various meanings, from protection to aggression, and so forth.
• Existing Reference: One of the most fascinating was the current reference that exists that we find is inaccurate, according to Keone. Those images were often drawn by Europeans who looked upon the Polynesians as savages. Depicting them as such and somewhat incorrectly for that reason. Sure, some of it captures a general idea. However, this was not to be used as source guides in any way.
The bigger realization was that every shape, every non-shape (dead space), every direction, every connection, and every placement on the body meant something profound. None of this was controlled by simply looking cool or having your favorite fan art needled into your skin. We were the gatekeepers of designs representing hundreds of years of ancestry that still lives on to this day.
Dick Cherry, who has been with Tinsley Studios for more than 12 years, and I spent months studying and drawing patterns, shapes, and layouts. We presented these designs to Keone so he could further our education and steer the ship accordingly. Once we had Keone’s blessings on a design, we were able to move forward with execution.
Connected to this challenge was maintaining consistent skin quality and a uniform level of tan across all actors, both principal and background. Knowing that almost 100% of the actors would have some form of existing tattoos that we already expected to be incorrect, we had to devise a method to quickly cover these existing tattoos, add color, and then apply our historically accurate tattoo appliques to the surface. If you have ever covered a full-body tattoo, you know that this can be a somewhat long and slightly involved process, in addition to then applying half a body of new tattoos. When faced with doing this on 150 people every day, the anticipation can be overwhelming.
For this, I developed a make-up cream that could be quickly spread over the body while wearing gloves, providing a warm-toned foundation. The cream make-up was highly dense in color and could cover dark tattoos in one pass. Once dry, the tattoo appliques could be applied and would adhere securely to the surface. The inherent qualities of the make-up allowed it to stay on throughout the day, being rub-resistant and water-resistant. With a few extra passes of color, if necessary, to allow for some natural breakup and texture, we were able to process actors with very short turnaround times and with very little to no spraying.
The weight of this show was palpable from the very beginning. It felt heavy because there were no shortcuts. This was the first time a story of this magnitude was being told on such a grand scale, involving hundreds of background actors daily, alongside a principal cast of 10-15. This project demanded a make-up department that functioned on an entirely different level than typical productions.
My initial conversation with production immediately focused on structuring the department more like a costume department. While productions are accustomed to this functionality, make-up and hair departments often operate with smaller, more limited resources. By establishing dedicated coordinators, tiered departmental roles, and a central orchestrator, the entire operation began to function without friction. This approach allowed for multiple eyes on daily schedule shifts, with background coordinators and crew supporting the extensive work required. This seamless integration with all departments ensured that everyone’s needs were met, and allowed us to forecast the show’s requirements weeks or even months in advance. I embraced the role of designer, assembling a team to manage administration, daily on-set operations, and a dedicated crew for background build work.
That’s my word count folks, and we didn’t even begin to scratch the surface of design in hair and make-up for an extended cast and crew or the natural occurrences like an erupted volcano in Hawaii or roads being washed away due to flooding and typhoons in New Zealand. This was not your normal film set, and the experience was exhilarating!
I do need to say in these final words that we had an exceptional production team that was supportive unlike any other I have come across in my career. This was a passion project for them, and they allowed us to move without hesitation. So, from Analyn and myself, a big thank you to producers Jason Momoa, Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, Sarah Donohue, and showrunner Doug Jung.
A HUGE thanks from both of us to my man on the ground in make-up and in the fight who filled my shoes on the daily, Hugo Villasenor.
Special thanks to those below and the hundreds who helped! Hawaii hair: Ralph Malani, Arthur Wilson, Anthony Haugen, Julia Gadiana, Raquel Bianchini, and Kat Sanchez. Hawaii make-up: Karen Preiser, Jenai Chin, Laura Aguon, and Judith Cunningham. New Zealand Hair: Vanya Pell, Shontae Roache, and Aly Webby. New Zealand make-up: Deirdre Cowley, Kaysey Taylor, Lisa Shearer, and Sarah Gally.
Also, to the entire team at Tinsley Studio, with an exceptional thank you to Brian Van Dorn and Dick Cherry. •
