Quotes

In the film and TV industry, the makeup needs are always changing. New HD cameras are coming out very quickly and they are constantly demanding changing MU techniques. I think it's so important to always be researching and trying out new products because what worked perfectly on your last film might look terrible on a new camera.

If the audience notices the makeup on screen, then I've not done my job properly. If they notice the makeup, it's just taken them out of the story and brought them into current reality. It's not meant to be about the makeup; it's about the story, the actor on the screen. The makeup is just a film-making tool to help tell the story.

The first two films that really made me pay attention and admire MUFX [makeup effects] were The Exorcist (1973) and Tom Berenger's scars in Platoon (1986). To bring things more current. I remember watching La Vie En Rose (2007) and being blown away by the makeup and hair. That became my goal, if I ever got the chance, to do such a hugely drastic transformation that looked so effortless and invisible on screen. Even though it was a totally different type of film, I modeled my makeup design for Dallas Buyers Club (2013) after my makeup inspiration from La Vie En Rose (2007).

I've been acting since I was very little and after a year at Louisianan State University. I attended a wonderful acting conservatory in Los Angeles, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. We were taught theatrical makeup class there and the makeup teacher, Scott Ramp of "The Scream Team", offered to teach his best students how to do full facial prosthetics and work for his company at Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest every Halloween (a huge roller coaster park in Los Angeles). It was a great, busy training ground to learn prosthetics and MUFX [makeup effects] on about 30 actors a day. I loved learning specialised skills that the general public marvelled at. Of course I'd been doing makeup since high school for our theatre department, but the Magic Mountain experience was really when I thought about this being a career.

Sean Penn taught me a very important lesson in the beginning of my career: When working on a film set, "Never question, never debate, just get it done now". Also, every good crew member on a set is a problem solver. That's the majority of what we have to do every day is solve new problems that arise. You've got to be a great problem solver.