How Does Elizabeth Moss Feel About No Makeup In Handmaid's Tale

Makeup artist Burton LeBlanc has been working in film and television since 1998 and has cultivated an impressive resume, having worked on such films as My Big Fat Greek Nuptials, Lars and the Real Girl, The Love Guru, The Incredible Hulk and concluding year's striking The Invisible Man , which starred Elisabeth Moss. LeBlanc's relationship with Moss goes dorsum to 2017, when she, every bit one of the producers and stars of the Hulu serial The Handmaid'due south Tale , hired LeBlanc as the makeup department caput. LeBlanc has served every bit the lead makeup artist on every episode of the hit evidence, earning 2 Emmy nominations for his piece of work so far.

As The Handmaid's Tale enters its 4th flavour, I got to talk to LeBlanc about his work on the show, including the challenges of creating a dystopian look, those extreme close-ups that have go a prove staple, and just how important it is to accept a shut working relationship with actors.

Catherine Springer: Y'all've done the makeup since the beginning of the show. At that place aren't any meaning prosthetics or annihilation, but there is a world that these people live in, that's very dystopian and distressed. They are mostly not very happy, their globe is in turmoil. How to you reflect that in the makeup?

Burton LeBlanc: Well, you lot mentioned the discussion distressed, so the makeup and the look on most of their faces is distressed and worn down. As soon as you see a grapheme, the viewer has to feel that and see on their confront what they've been going through. They haven't been sleeping or they're red-eyed, in that location are bags or nighttime circles under their eyes. They want to run into all of those emotions, really quickly, as soon every bit they encounter the face up. So I've got to translate that with makeup, you know, ruby-red pare tones, dark circles under the eyes– a lot of them accept red circles with cherry-red liner inside their eyelids, like they've been crying, or not sleeping.

You mentioned that you lot interviewed with Elisabeth Moss when you practical for the bear witness at the beginning, and that you lot gave her some ideas that yous said she liked, do you lot remember what those initial ideas were that sold her on yous and your vision?

Yes, we did have a conversation on the phone, nosotros besides had a camera test likewise later on the phone call. When I look back, it was just more of an innocent fourth dimension, with her being the leading handmaid, information technology was a more than innocent look, compared to what's going on now. Information technology's more of a basic wait with foundation, a moisturizing tint to her face up, but still luminescent—still looked like she had a scrap of life, but a shade paler than her normal skin tone, because you also have to leave room for where the character is going to go. You don't desire to play information technology out really bad correct abroad. And so, just plenty was leaving room for that.

Did y'all know at that early bespeak, how much of the evidence would exist in such farthermost close upward?

Uh, no. [laughs]

Considering that would affect you, wouldn't it?

It really would touch on it. Luckily, the conversations that I've had with some of the executives, and Lizzy, obviously, they checked up on my work and nosotros talked and they knew that I was a particular artist that had a certain manner, so they already had an idea of that. And and then we had photographic camera tests with all the main players, to really go their looks down pat, merely with a very main ones, like possibly 6 of them.

How would you draw your way?

Less is more. It's very deliberate when somebody is done up with makeup, maybe for a big event or somebody that'due south got, you lot know, a rich, wealthy family unit from old money, that heavy makeup, a really beautiful heavier makeup, whereas, with Handmaid'southward Tale, it'southward plain super subtle. So I think I have more of a lighter touch, non going too far. And also knowing what the lighting is too, is huge. And working closely with the managing director of photography.

When yous work in theater, you lot can cake on the makeup considering the audience is far, far away and it needs to be more exaggerated, but when you have these extreme shut ups as y'all say the calorie-free bear on has got to be the most of import thing.

It's huge! Getting back to the close up, that knowledge was a huge thing. In the first few days and the first couple of weeks, it was all the same about watching, and if you accept to step in and run in to make an adjustment, you do, until you get everything fine-tuned to the lighting, and y'all know the characters and exactly where they need to exist. Information technology was a hard adjustment, getting used to those super tight close-ups. [laughs]

And you can't really hibernate much!

No!!

Talk a picayune about the continuity challenges with such extreme close ups. If the grapheme is bruised or bloodied and they shoot over a few days, it's got to be difficult.

Well, first off is taking a lot of pictures, and really good notes. All of that is given, right, yous're going to keep track of all of that. Every scene, every grapheme. Similar you said, continuity—that scene could play out two weeks from now, and you've got to match it exactly. In the trailer, when we're doing the makeup in the morning on Lizzie, I'd rather get less, equally opposed to putting too much on, specially if I'1000 not sure, depending on the lighting, or maybe it's a new set up that we accept to get used to. But by this point, I would have already worked with the DP so I kind of accept an thought of what the lighting would be. Just I would make sure that I could always add when I got to set. I like to tweak it a little bit. Simply it'due south tough. Those close-ups are tough. Really, it's a lot of notes, a lot of pictures. And, really, exterior of work, it's about getting a great slumber if you lot can, working those crazy fix hours. Information technology'southward really virtually taking care of yourself, physically and mentally.

So that's patently a close relationship you take with the actors.

Absolutely.

I saw that Elisabeth Moss said something well-nigh how sometimes she sits down in the chair and you can instantly come across if she didn't take a skillful night'southward sleep. In that location'due south manifestly a close collaboration and relationship at that place. How collaborative is information technology with the actors?

Well I call up information technology's a two-way street, it works both ways. She really does help me, we accept those conversations, she's very upfront, straight and honest, as am I. So we've built a great relationship that way. We don't hide annihilation, nosotros're very clear. Sometimes, fifty-fifty if you call up y'all tin can hibernate that y'all're tired when you first see somebody, it's going to come up through perhaps a couple hours later. So simply to exist able to know that, and to be on top of that, information technology'south going to assist for the day, for what you lot had planned. Peradventure you lot take to help her out a lilliputian bit past making her look a little bit better—peradventure she's not supposed to expect too bad in the first scene. It's just tweaking constantly like that. Having conversations is actually the respond.

Y'all probably accept the most intimate human relationship with the actors, because they accept to exist the most honest and they come to yous literally stripped down.

I completely agree and actually one of the directors and one of the executive producers, a couple of years in, season three I think, described me as one of the most discreet makeup people. I don't want to brand it seem like others aren't discreet, but he said, you've got a great relationship and it doesn't go anywhere just you're very honest. So you build that trust with them. Maybe somebody has gone out, they've had a crazy night, they haven't slept, only they're willing to tell me that.

Did you train for makeup, or is that something yous just learn in this industry?

I did go to Joe Blasco Makeup School in Orlando, Florida, for film and TV. So I had actually groovy preparation there, had a bang-up time. That was 1998, peradventure. And so I started in Toronto, in this business concern. Just getting feel. Merely yeah, I had some actually cracking preparation at that school.

That relationship with the actors, that's something you kind of larn every bit you lot become, right?

Yes, I mean I think that was ingrained in me anyway, I recollect that'southward just who I am. And I recall that's probably what, when my name came forward to exist on the testify, as far as with Lizzy and the other executives, I think that was very helpful.

Getting back to the extreme close-ups, is that something that gets you scared or excited? Considering your work is going to be correct upwardly in in that location.

I'm amend at present. [laughs] I get really excited now, simply the first flavour and fifty-fifty starting the second season, knowing most all these tight shut ups, it was scary. And there were times where, you know I'grand watching it, it was really scary for me. Just information technology's good because I like being in that fashion, because it pushes me as well. It keeps me motivated and on my toes. [laughs]

Obviously, they were pleased with your work, they kept bringing you dorsum.

Yeah! And you never quite knew in the start. Now, every bit the episodes are merely being aired now, and I accept a relationship with everybody, I get things sent to me, or nosotros talk on the phone or over email, simply back in the beginning, information technology was very scary because yous don't know how your piece of work is going to go received. You're actually just having complete faith. And it'southward something you're doing information technology's kind of quite different than a lot of other things. But it worked out.

How far in accelerate practise you get scripts and how much prep do you do?

Normally, at the beginning of the season, nosotros'll become three or four correct off the bat, and fifty-fifty also that there's constant revisions, correct up to when we shoot. But we'll go like at least a couple months in advance. So it's really simply getting prepared that way. Certain seasons may be a footling fleck slower getting the script, and so we go fair warning and nosotros kind of just have a skilful look, and I just quickly get through information technology and pause information technology all down.

I desire to talk about that scene in the get-go episode of season two…

Yes!

When June rips her ear tag out and the blood goes everywhere. Tell usa a little chip about how you fabricated that scene happen.

Well that was a tough one. That was a tough 1. It's really in combination with a few people, there's a team that has a blood rig attached close to her, considering she'due south on camera. In that location's a piece like a tube that'southward going upwardly, you know ten, fifteen feet or so. And it'south got to exist timed out properly, so it's actually all about timing and sometimes it doesn't necessarily piece of work for some reason, it gets clogged or caught on something. And so information technology'southward really just a bunch of takes and getting the timing correct, and making certain it flows properly. And that scene with all that claret, information technology probably took, vi, eight hours. And then, when she'due south off going to the restroom, y'all know, y'all have to retouch that up exactly the same. A lot of pictures. It'south constant referencing.

So it took eight hours simply for that i scene?

Near, yeah.

Do you know how many takes information technology took, because to get all that blood everywhere, if you don't take the timing, you have to outset over with clean clothes!

I know…I know! Merely that scene wasn't likewise bad! I would say minimum two, it might accept been three takes with the claret, like the showtime have it might take spurted it out a little chip and kind of came down on 1 side of a shoulder, but it wasn't enough.

What scene, so far, from the first three seasons, was the most challenging for you?

I think simply keeping Lizzie at that right level to make it believable for the audience. Simply the continuation for the whole of those little nuances and little adjustments to go on it real and go on the viewer interested, and realizing they're not looking at makeup. It'south really been a challenge to go along that catamenia.

What about Janine's heart? Was that your section?

Somebody else does that. But that was a whole affair in itself, as well, because it wasn't plumbing equipment, and information technology took a while to get that tweaked, and to get that right. And Janine, you have to retrieve when you're wearing that all twenty-four hours for hours and hours and hours, Janine [played past Madeline Brewer] had slight panic attacks from wearing it. So information technology had to be timed out with the scene and when she would come up in in the morning for makeup. So it's really just getting all of those trying to go the timing right, which is actually hard.

Tell us a little about the flashbacks. We run into so much of June and how different she is, how full of life, merely also learning the roots of her rebellious nature. How do you reverberate the change in characters between then and at present?

The key is for me was giving people a chip of a glow and a bit of life into their skin. So, finding a foundation with a little bit of sheen in it, a reflective quality that kind of gives it a little glow that that kind of tricks your center to recollect that they are salubrious and kind of happy. Information technology was this sheeny kind of wait, whereas when they get into Gilead, it was dreary and dull. So take away that shine and accept away that nice, iridescent quality.

Permit's talk a piffling most the men. I empathize Commander Waterford's beard is sort of a character on its ain.

Information technology is. It'south pretty dandy. And tracking that for four years. And the funny thing is, he [Joseph Fiennes] and I got quite close besides and we had some great conversations and, he and I talked about how nosotros wished the Commander's beard had been really big in the kickoff like well yous know it was a—what's the discussion I'm looking for, when yous build into something…

Progressive?

Aye! Yeah, it was more than of a progressive thing. He and I talked almost that in the commencement and so it was a little scrap more structured. A lighter bristles, obviously more than so than it is now, and so we could build up into this stronger grapheme. He was pretty potent so, but and so into the craggly, kind of like falling apart Commander Waterford when he was incarcerated. And then only really using that, more structured in the beginning to more than crazy and wild and long and full greyness added painted on. And just crappy looking.

And what about Commander Lawrence, Bradley Whitford's beard? His is so beautiful and perfect.

He'south more than consistently structured, there's a consistency about him. And that'southward his grapheme. Then he'south pretty much the same, but he needs a trim every fourth dimension he comes in. He's not in as much as Commander Waterford, but, you know, nice and trim, but not too trimmed. More of keeping with a normal structured beard, without getting too wild and crazy but not too fashionista, only nice and make clean.

And part of his character is making it seem like he'south totally in control, right?

Correct. Because y'all're not quite sure what he's up to, peculiarly in the beginning. He's got a guise he's hiding behind. And so that's going to stay the aforementioned, I kept that the aforementioned throughout.

Serena Joy is such a fascinating character. How did y'all help to create her?

Yes, her character is very tough, more in control and wound up tightly and so that obviously had to reflect in her makeup equally well as pilus and wardrobe. But, for makeup, it was just very uncomplicated, clean. Slightly rosy cheeks. Bare lipstick, a little bit of mascara, really unproblematic and clean. I utilise her eyebrows actually to make her look more astringent. That was the one element I used to attempt to help her look nice, but to add a little severity to her.

Talk a piddling bit about Emily, who really gone on the biggest journey. Anything about Emily that was unusual in the makeup and your approach?

Emily [played by Alexis Bledel] definitely is a large character, every bit far as makeup. Emily is even so in this trauma mode, still traumatized, evidently, from what she's gone through, so she hasn't really gotten out of that yet. And the mode she looks is still cogitating of that. So really elementary, she even so looks very much afflicted. She's still traumatized, then you don't desire her looking all dorsum to normal and nice, pretty, then actually just super simple with some darkness under the eyes. Maybe she's tried to do a lilliputian bit of lip color, lip care, like she's made a fiddling of an effort, only not a whole lot. And she's non there yet. That's the other big question to fuel united states, "why isn't so-and-so wearing better makeup now?" Well, you know what, think of what they've been through. I have to ever notice the correct timing as to when the makeup will showtime to improve on them, to show that in their graphic symbol. To show when they are maybe coming out of that a footling fleck–it's all virtually timing.

We tin can't not talk about Aunt Lydia. I love Ann Dowd so much. Talk a trivial nearly the progression of this character. I don't call back the stress shows on any character every bit boldly as it does on her. Non merely the physical bruises, but what it's taken out of her, as a human.

She was 1 of the characters in the very beginning that completely stripped down. Zippo on her face. We want to make her comfortable, she'due south such a dandy lady, great character. We dear her, she's similar the mother hen. She comes in and takes care of everybody. But it was really just a stripped downwardly, no makeup like nothing on her confront, bare bones. Maybe she needs a picayune bit of foam or lotion to kind of make her feel comfortable, but she's probably one that had to least because she's the most hardened, of all the characters. Yeah, so information technology'due south actually keeping everything off her face. And, you know, the lighting really helps to accentuate that.

Speaking of the lighting and the costumes, how much exercise you work with the other designers and the directors? Are y'all pretty much left on your own, or is it a collaboration?

Well you lot know what, later I had my initial discussion, and nosotros got the photographic camera test, I've really had and have free rein to practise what I want, which has been so unbelievable. It really helps to have Lizzie—a lot of shows you go on, the lead role player or actress, they're not one of the producers. Yeah, then it helps when you lot talk to her, that's the stop of the conversation, considering it doesn't have to become and become approved past all these people backside the scenes right, and then that's a huge, huge bargain. I pretty much have costless rein but I plain want to proceed all those relationships well-oiled and healthy, in case something comes upwardly or just to give you pieces of information that they might have about characters that you lot might not get otherwise. Only I do pretty much have free rein.

Well, it certainly is working. I hateful, I don't retrieve I've ever watched a testify with and then many close-ups, and information technology feels equally if I know every pore on Elizabeth Moss'southward face!

And I've had people come upwardly to me and say, everybody is wearing makeup of some kind. They're all wearing something. Information technology was especially hard in the outset, but now people are seeing and understanding and getting it. But yeah, yous're exactly right, with those shut ups, it is so tricky.

Interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.