For her new movie “Bombshell”, Charlize Theron was Megyn Kelly. To make this transformation happen, a prosthetist and artist Kazu Hiro achieved a magic trick using 3D printing.
In an interview given to our colleagues from the HuffPost, he revealed that it was Theron’s plan:
“She didn’t want to see herself in the mirror,” he explained. “It was really important to her to have the likeness of Megyn, to help herself and help others really get into the story.” Indeed, the movie recounts the multiple sexual assault allegations against former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes.
“The whole pre-production time was about six weeks,” he said. “We did about four practice runs, and then I was finessing the look the entire time during filming.”
So how did he achieve this miracle?
Hiro studied 3D scanned data of Theron and compared images of both ladies to learn their differences and similarities. This first exercise was important to know where the focus should be made in the reconstruction of Theron’s face.
“The difficult part is that everyone knows what they both look like,” he said. “So, if the makeup was just halfway to Megyn, people would think, ‘OK, Charlize has something on her face, and that’s not good.’ We had to go all the way. I also wanted the makeup to be as [minimal] as possible, because the more I put on her, the harder it is to act through. So, I cut it down to the most essential and important parts.”
The challenging parts in this transformation came down to a few things that make a difference: the eyes, the nose, the chin and the jaw.
Kazu Hiro applying prosthetics to actor Charlize Theron.
“Megyn has much bigger nostrils, so I made nose plugs,” the artist explained. “Having something in your nose is of course uncomfortable, but I tried to make it as comfortable as possible. It was a challenge because I didn’t want to make it look like a comedy. It had to be subtle and realistic.”
Going even further…That’s where 3D printing comes into play.
With an impression of the inside of Theron’s nostrils, the maker used 3D scanned data to design the plugs before sending the 3D file to a 3D printer.
“Using a 3D printer made it easier to modify in a short pre-production time,” he said. “I was able to make a new one in a few hours. I went through five modifications, and once the design was finalized, I printed about 40 sets of plugs for the length of filming.”
“Once filming started, I was still finessing the eyelids because it was one of the hardest parts,” he said. “The eyes are so delicate and have to move with her. I changed it three more times ― it’s a tiny difference but it made it more comfortable and also made the eyelid look better.”
Medical-grade silicone was used by the team to ensure adherence with Theron’s face using medical glue. After they placed the different prosthetics, they had to paint them so that Theron’s skin matches with Kelly’s.
“It’s very soft and stretchy, and we have to stretch it in a certain direction and concentrate on the movements,” he said. “If we don’t do that, it starts to wrinkle on the edges.”
Vivian Baker and Anne Morgan respectively took in charge the makeup and hair and Theron was given contact lenses to make her eyes darker.
From start to finish, the entire process required three hours each time.
Charlize Theron in “Bombshell.”
“Bombshell” is in theaters now. To see more of Hiro’s work, check out his website and Instagram.
Source: HuffPost. Remember, you can post free of charge job opportunities in the AM Industry on 3D ADEPT Media or look for a job via our job board. Make sure to follow us on our social networks and subscribe to our weekly newsletter : Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram ! If you want to be featured in the next issue of our digital magazine or if you hear a story that needs to be heard, make sure to send it to contact@3dadept.com.