By Vanessa Price | Department Head Hair
& Jorjee Douglass | Department Head Make-up
Photos courtesy of Apple TV+
This was the dream project if there ever was one. The look of the show was so stylized that it felt period. Hollywood feels romantic, with a lot of Old Hollywood clashing with the younger generation. Jorjee and I have been working together since Three’s Company. We kid—there will be jokes in this article.
None of the looks or creative elements were written into the script. Our showrunners, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, trusted our creative visions and let us take the reins.
Vanessa: For the hair department, inspiration started with production supervisor Julie Berghoff’s designs for the Continental Studios office, and Kameron Lennox, our costume designer. Our cast was so collaborative and trusting; they really let me do my thing. My team executed my visions beautifully, adding and subtracting where needed. Alexandra Ford and Lauren McKeever brought themselves into the show stylistically and contributed a great deal.
Jorjee: For the make-up department, once Mrs. Lennox sent us her costume deck, we knew this comedy would be highly stylized. I discussed looks and make-up with each actor beforehand and shared their costume looks with our key artists, Gillian Whitlock and Robin Glaser. I gave my suggested direction for each character but also allowed creative freedom for both the actors and artists.
Vanessa: Catherine O’Hara as Patty and I created her looks with the intention of telling her character’s arc. We had two wigs made by Rob Pickens and the wig associates. The wigs—one curly and one straight—were then cut, colored, and styled by my team and me.
Jorjee: For Patty, we meet her in her lowest state, with smeared mascara from crying. Later, in her home, she looks like she hasn’t showered since we last saw her. As she comes into herself, her make-up becomes more refined but still a little overdone.
Vanessa: Kathryn Hahn as Maya was completely open to us experimenting with her trendy looks. She was the “girl in the video” 20 years too late. We had fun with different hair styles for each episode, using many hairpieces. The piece we used on her in the finale weighed four to five pounds. That woman is a beast.
Jorjee: Maya was a paranoid, aging career woman constantly checking the latest fashion trends. Tracking her ever-changing, extra-long nail extensions, which were custom-made press-ons, was a challenge! Her brows were drawn in thick and locked in with brow gel. Her eyes and lips often changed as well.
Vanessa: For Chase Sui Wonders’ character, Quinn, we chose a crisp bob with an asymmetrical fringe. We added a little undercut around the ears to give some cool movement. For the finale, we wanted a kickass moment where she officially became “one of the boys.” Chase and I had discussed a pixie cut since before filming. The time was right, and we got the green light. So striking.
Jorjee: Quinn had a cat eye with black liner and lots of natural lashes. We used a dark brown lip liner with a sheer dark berry-tinted lip stain. I noticed her unique lip line technique and asked if we could incorporate it into her character, to which she agreed. In the final episode, to match her chic pixie, we went with a darker liquid cat eye.
Vanessa: Bryan Cranston as Griffin Mill was so much fun. He really wanted to go all in; we cut, colored, and styled him into a total character. Who doesn’t love black-tinted hair with a silver streak? Robert Evans would approve. The best compliment came from Bryan when he looked up from his phone and said, “Thanks a lot, this thing doesn’t even recognize me.”
Jorjee: Griffin Mill was a great collaborator. We wanted to show him fighting his golden years with tanner and facial color that eventually peaked at the season finale.
Vanessa: Seth Rogen, who played Matt, and I have worked together since Lawrence of Arabia or The Disaster Artist—whichever one came first. He continually trusts me, and we have fun creating characters together. His hair texture is great for conveying emotion. In every project we’ve done together, we find something fun to do with his hair. At times, there was a “Kramer-esque” quality to Matt Remick’s hair. His hair holds anxiety really well.
Jorjee: Matt leans into several physical comedy gags, like a bloody nose and a broken finger. I gave him a slight “LA glow”—a hint of tan—while still making him look like a bag of nerves. Sometimes I would stick a mini-can of facial water in his pocket so he could spritz his face before arriving on the scene. For his broken finger, Ralis Kahn created a cool prosthetic. We taped down his real finger and let the prosthetic dangle for dramatic effect.
Vanessa: We gave Ike Barinholtz as Sal, a coiffed hair style, contrasting his usually floppy hairdo. Each performer in this ensemble cast really allowed us to create and collaborate. Each character is distinct and special, with meaningful arcs reflected in their looks.
and Seth Rogan
Jorjee: For Sal, we’d send him out to get a spray tan and add a bronzer on top. We wanted him to read as “this douche gets spray tans!”
One of the best parts about The Studio is the shows and movies within the show. On every episode, we worked with actors in cameo roles. Some were period, while others were contemporary. For Greta Lee, we used a topper and fall, giving her a cool ’60s Los Angeles vibe. Her make-up featured classic ’60s liquid liner, false lashes, and a coral lip. For Anthony Mackie, we styled him with a short ’70s look for his taxi driver character. Make-up artist Cassie Lyons laid a flawless beard and sideburns on him. For Paul Dano’s character, we designed a detachable ponytail that could be removed mid-scene to show his transition from playing himself to playing a role. This also inspired our new band name, “Detachable Ponytails.”
The show visited many Hollywood tropes, and several times during the season, you see wide shots of Continental Studios. We had everything: showgirls, soldiers, Santa, zombies, and Westerns. One episode featured Johnny Knoxville and Josh Hutcherson in a zombie movie. For the zombie, we used a topper from our box of tricks, making it greasy with pomade for a stringy, disconnected look. It was gross—in the best way. Make-up artists Mara Rouse and Ralis Kahn used in-house prosthetics but manipulated them to look custom. One of the producers was so frightened by the zombie that she started to shake and cry! He looked disgusting in an accomplished way.
One of our biggest episodes was the Golden Globes episode. We had a week of intense days filled with big hair and make-up looks. Some of our actors commented on feeling as though they were at the Globes. It felt grand and authentic. We are so grateful to have our family from Local 706 show up and have fun doing our craft. Thank you to the many beautifully talented 706 artists for coming out and making us look amazing. It really shows and is greatly appreciated. We love each and every one of you.
Don’t roll the music—we aren’t done! Thanks to our wonderful Las Vegas hair and make-up team, and lastly, thanks to the Academy for having us. •
