Fae Hammond speaks exclusively to us
What sort of process do you carry out before you start in a film?
Depending on the budget of the film, Rush for example was quite a low budget, so I had about three weeks to prepare. The first thing to do is immerse yourself in research and of course something like 1970s is brilliant because it’s all there, there’s so much to research, so much live footage. And because this film was about people who really lived you want to spend so much time watching the real thing.
Can you describe the beauty look that you created for Olivia Wilde in the film?
Olivia is really, really pale so what we focused on was getting that favoured 70’s tan, which of course everyone in the 70s wanted to look tanned. We just did a couple of spray tans to get that look. I used a Laura Mercier base, which is quite heavy so I thinned it down which we first thought was really brown, but once her costumes were on it was great. When we first met Olivia her hair was really dark, so she had to go through a process of lightening that. But once all of that was done together it turned out great.
Do you find it easier working on projects from a different era when it comes to creating the hair and beauty?
Oh yes, I love it. It’s my passion and I’ve been doing it for many years. Film is my thing and the whole research is trying to get people to look as realistic as possible in a period. It’s a fantastic job to do.
Which has been the most elaborate set that you’ve worked on?
There’s been so many. But things like Stardust was quite elaborate with all of the make-up and hair. I’ve also done Elizabeth I with Helen Mirren which is of course a big period drama.
How much does the look that you’re creating come into play with the actor that you’re making up?
It’s incredibly important that we work alongside together. Obviously once I meet the actor I will put forward my ideas to be discussed with the director, producers and the actor – it’s a collaborative job. I usually come along with the research and then go through it and choose and we do tests. We obviously work alongside the costume designer very closely and the set designer too, to make sure that the person we’re creating sits comfortably in the environment that we’re putting them in.
Are there any eras of time that you would like to create the beauty for in a film?
I just love 1919, it’s my favourite. It’s just on the pre-war it’s very romantic. I just love the very rough look that came with the early 1900s. Every period is so exciting and it’s impossible to cover them all. It’s amazing how much hair and make-up can differ through the ages; when you think back to Cleopatra and early Egypt, it’s phenomenal there’s just so much.
Which are your favourite beauty looks in films and TV, that you necessarily haven’t worked on?
I loved Alice in Wonderland which was done in film a few years ago, that was amazing. I thought American Hustle was fun, it was very American, but it was a great solid look. I admire all I see, because I understand the difficulty sometimes of keeping that look; the difficulties and challenges of film making like the early calls and stuff. I’m just appreciative of everything I see. I love the work of Jenny Shircore who created the looks in Elizabeth, she’s a tremendous British make-up artist.
I was reading that you were chief of the tattoos on Snatch, as well as the whole beauty look, but how was it creating the tattoos?
That was some time ago now that we did Brad [Pitt] and a lot of those tattoos we sketched out the design in Henna and nowadays, like I done the tattoos in Kick Ass 2, there are some amazing templates, like a transfer, which everyone is using and they are amazing. They take no time at all. I think there’s something to be said that they don’t look so perfect and sometimes on film that can look better, because a film often makes things look cleaner.
How long do they generally stay on for, or is it something you’re re-applying regularly?
These days you can do a whole body with a lot of detail in a couple of hours, but when we did Brad a long time ago it was a big procedure. Once we had put the henna tattoos on we had to go over them every day, it took time.
Have you got any upcoming products that you’re working on at the moment?
I’ve just finished a very big film with Ron Howard again; it’s called In the Heart of the Sea, with Chris Hemsworth playing the lead. That’s set in the 1820s and it’s a survival story and it’s all about the Moby Dick story. I had to do a massive amount of make-up for these men who are at sea for a year before they’re shipwrecked. We done three months at sea with these guys, all being shipwrecked burnt and surviving, losing weight and looking terrible; that was a massive project.
How do you find it working with actors rather than actresses sitting in the make-up chair?
It was all actors in the last film, and they need as much work as the women and they can be as difficult too. We have to become great friends as we spend a lot of time together. The actors in the last film we had them in the chair, each of them, for an hour and a half every day. And that’s just putting the make-up on. It takes at least 45 minutes to get it all off at the end of the day.
Are there any actors/actresses that you would still like to work with?
Oh yes, I love the idea that you’re constantly refreshing the challenges. I’m about to work with Ewan McGregor, which I’m very excited about. There are so many up and coming new actors and actresses that I would love to work with. It’s lovely to keep going and keep working.
You mentioned taking the make-up off, so what sort of tips do you give for this?
It’s so important to look after the actor at the end of the day to make sure that they feel cleansed of that part. So they can walk away from the make-up trailer and they’re clean and they’re ready. I’m a big fan of Dr Hauschka and that’s the process we use with lots of hot towels and lots of natural astringent like rose water and witch hazel. For me it’s the most important thing. It’s all very well putting the make-up on, but it’s so important to get it off at the end of the day.
**Rush is available on digital platforms now and is out on BLU-RAY and DVD from January 27th courtesy of StudioCanal**
Tagged in Olivia Wilde Chris Hemsworth Movies makeup Hair Tips