What Went Into Disney’s Maleficent’s Makeup and Wardrobe
Regardless of your feelings about Disney’s live-action Maleficent, you can probably appreciate the design of the villain. Angelina Jolie didn’t need the green skin that the character had in Sleeping Beauty in order to embody the role, and a lot of planning and trial and error went into creating the final look for the fairy. Special effects makeup artist Rick Baker worked on the film and says Jolie wanted to wear appliances. He told Moviefone:
“Angelina wanted to wear appliances for Maleficent’s look, so I did a number of designs with appliances that were subtle. She also wanted a nose, which I actually thought could give her more of a Maleficent look. We ended up with numerous sets of cheeks and ears and horns in the beginning stages. First we made sketches and then later we actually sculpted on a cast of her head and made pieces for her to review.”
For the film, Baker made cheeks, nose, and ear appliances from gel-filled silicone. Jolie’s cheeks looked sharp and chiseled in the film, but the appliances were less than a quarter of an inch high at their thickest points.
Besides getting the iconic cheekbones just right, Baker had to develop lightweight horns for Maleficent. Jolie had to wear them for about 16 hours a day so it was important for her to be comfortable. His team cast them from urethane casting resin. The base of the horns were attached to a skull cap, and the rest of them were attached with a strong magnet so they could be easily removed.
Costume designer Anna B. Sheppard worked on developing Maleficent’s wardrobe and used design elements from the animated film. She and other specialty designers created the character’s style and incorporated heavier fabrics with artificial furs, leather and feathered accessories. Those fabrics were also used by milliner Justin Smith when he created the headwear and horn coverings.
Read more about the details of creating Maleficent at Moviefone.
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