Acting is tough. Acting behind a wall of latex and makeup can be even more challenging. Artists and actors can spend hours applying and maintaining facial and full-body prosthetics to achieve a character’s desired look. As part of his transformation into Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin, for The Batman (2022), Colin Farrell spent nearly four hours applying prosthetics to his entire face before shooting. The weightier proportions added to Farrell’s face, courtesy of the film’s makeup designer Michael Marino, lent the actor his iconic look without hindering his performance, helping him portray the supervillain in a way that felt wholly original yet still faithful to the comic book character.
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Filmmakers can love them or hate them, but regardless of whether it’s an actor’s efforts or the makeup itself, it’s clear prosthetics have helped bring some of the most iconic on-screen characters to life.
Marlon Brando in 'The Godfather' (1972)
Marlon Brando had a lot of work to do before he could believably portray Don Vito Corleone, the stern-yet-affectionate head of cinema’s most recognizable crime family. Heavy prosthetic jowls not only modified Brando’s face but also helped him to achieve his distinctive manner of speech.
This year, The Godfather is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its release. It’s one of those films that everyone just knows, with so many of its scenes and characters recognizable at a glance. It’s thanks in no small part to Brando’s performance as Don Corleone. His distinct mannerisms and appearance are now a staple of the films.
Danny DeVito in 'Batman Returns' (1992)
Colin Farrell isn’t the first actor to sit in the makeup chair to become the Penguin. In Batman Returns, Danny DeVito portrayed a more cartoonish, grotesque version of the comic book villain.
As far as prosthetics were concerned, DeVito’s makeup consisted of a nose-lip-and-brow appliance, but his look was further emphasized with fake teeth and eyeshadow.
Warwick Davis in the 'Harry Potter' series (2001-2011)
The Harry Potter films are no stranger to stunning crowds with fantastic computer-generated and practical effects. After all, it’s a series that prides itself on its mind-bending spells and magical creatures. Warwick Davis, however, plays a special role in the series, being the actor responsible for rendering some of the most important characters in the Harry Potter films.
Davis is best known for playing Griphook, the goblin banker, and Professor Flitwick, the cheery professor responsible for teaching Harry and his peers essential charms. Each character’s look took roughly four hours to get right, involving full-facial appliances and dentures.
John Matuszak in 'The Goonies' (1985)
It’s impossible to watch The Goonies and not adore Sloth, the deformed (but gentle) giant played by athlete-turned-actor John Matuszak.
To become Sloth, Matuszak underwent his transformation by applying a full-facial latex mask, fake teeth, and a prosthetic eye that the crew could control remotely. The process, while worth it, took approximately five hours.
Boris Karloff in 'Frankenstein' (1931)
Frankenstein is based on Mary Shelley's novel of the same name and tells the story of a scientist who inadvertently creates a monster. Boris Karloff portrayed the monster, but his iconic flat-topped head was a look conceived entirely by the film’s director James Whale and makeup designer Jack Pierce, differing significantly from Shelly's vision of a tallow-skinned Übermensch with flowing black hair and pearly white teeth.
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While the makeup took an agonizing four hours to apply, it is credited as one of the most famous aspects of the film and Karloff’s performance.
Jim Carrey in 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' (2000)
Though Jim Carrey and the makeup he needed to don to become the Grinch infamously never got along, the end result undoubtedly sealed the film as a family classic.
Details on how long Carrey spent in the makeup chair are hazy, ranging from two and a half to four and a half hours. However long it took, the extensive makeup used in How the Grinch Stole Christmas managed to help bring one of Dr. Seuss’ most beloved characters to life.
Ian McDiarmid in the Star Wars series (1977-2019)
Playing the primary antagonist of the most popular, longest-running series is no easy feat. Yet, Ian McDiarmid pulled it off beautifully, debuting as Emperor Palpatine in 1983’s Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi and reprising the role multiple times in subsequent films.
Though the particulars of McDiarmid’s prosthetics have evolved with the films, with the production spanning across decades, the black hood and the warped, pale, and weathered wrinkles seal the look of one of the greatest movie villains of all time.
Doug Jones in 'The Shape of Water' (2017)
Doug Jones is probably the most famous actor you’ve never seen. His unique build and physicality make him perfectly suited to bring prosthetics-heavy characters to life. He’s been acting behind makeup in some of the best and biggest franchises and films, from Star Trek to Pan’s Labyrinth to Hellboy and beyond.
Recently, Jones’ acting, and the creature design that shaped it, made The Shape of Water stand out from the movies released in 2017. Certain technicalities ensured that Jones’ performance makeup couldn’t be awarded for its ingenuity, but the Amphibian Man is still a character that moviegoers won’t forget.
John Hurt in 'The Elephant Man' (1980)
The Elephant Man is a semi-biographical film telling the story of Joseph Merrick. Merrick was famous for his extreme deformities, meaning that John Hurt, the actor who portrayed him in David Lynch's 1980 film, would have to wear heavy prosthetics to become “the Elephant Man.”
The film, and Hurt’s, efforts did not go unnoticed, and The Elephant Man was nominated for many Academy Awards, including Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture. The brilliance of its prosthetics prompted the creation of the Academy Award for Best Makeup so that future projects featuring heavy makeup could receive the recognition they deserved.
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