Who Did Makeup For They Live

Before Cruella de Vil became the ruthless villain and dog-hunting fashion designer we all know, she was Estella. In Disney'due southCruella — an origin story of the title character — makeup and hair are crucial storytellers, every bit Estella embarks on her journeying to finding herself.

Played by Emma Rock, Estella often uses makeup and pilus equally a disguise to cover upwardly the unique parts of herself, similar her infamous black-and-white hair, in order to fit in more than with society.

"With uncomplicated hair and makeup, information technology meant that when nosotros started to discover who Cruella was, we just had this blank canvas to exist able to play," hair and makeup designer Nadia Stacey tells The Hollywood Reporter about her process in developing the looks. "She hadn't really figured out who she is in fashion notwithstanding. It gave me the opportunity to continually change her silhouette, continually change the colors."

Lazy loaded image — Emma Stone in *Cruella*. Laurie Sparham/ Disney+ /Courtesy Everett Collection

With several punk influences from 1977 London, Stone'south iteration of Cruella is dissimilar whatsoever we've ever seen before. When it comes to her makeup, she'southward more daring than ever — using her looks every bit a means to make a statement. Ane scene sees the character with black eyeshadow that reads "Future" across the optics.

Having worked with Stone prior to Cruella on the critically acclaimed The Favourite, Stacey was thrilled to join the Cruella team. "Information technology's a actually nice, artistic, prophylactic space to play in," Stacey says of working with Stone. "And she loves makeup. She was like a child in a candy shop, so she would just allow me play."

Stacey is nominated at the 94th Academy Awards for best makeup and hairstyling, forth with the rest of her team Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon. The category also recognizes The Optics of Tammy Faye, Coming ii America, Dune and House of Gucci . Previously, Stacey won a BAFTA Honor for her work on The Favourite.

Below, Stacey chats with THR about the influences for Cruella's look, collaborating with Stone once more, and creating looks for the modernized take on the villain.

When I think of Cruella, her iconic look immediately comes to listen. For the makeup and hair, where did you start with your research and what influences did you pull from?

It's an origin story, so in the other versions, y'all've never met Estella before. So I started with Estella, to remember about who she was. I thought of this young girl living in London, 1977. What's going on socially, what music she listening to? What books is she reading? You know, that kind of thing. I always put myself in the mind of the character, and I felt that she would have quite a basic, minimal one lipstick, one eyeliner kind of girl with a chip of mascara. With simple hair and makeup, it meant that when we started to discover who Cruella was, nosotros simply had this blank canvas to be able to play.

And all these moments when we first see Cruella, a lot of them are big fashion moments where she'southward gatecrashing and she wants to make an impact. And then it meant that there was no property back on how big we could become. Nil felt off the table really. I looked at every reference and tried to kind of borrow things from everywhere to pull it together, which also felt very punk.

Cruella's makeup in the film tells a story, as she continues to grow and change as a character. With that in mind, how did you become about creating Emma'south makeup looks as they modify over the grade of the movie?

I felt like the hair and makeup are kind of its ain character really because it'due south used so much as function of the storytelling process. Correct from the beginning, you meet immature Cruella with this black and white hair. And then, she needs to hide it, she needs to dye her hair. And then there's a makeup change there, in that location'south a hair modify at that place. She needs to disguise herself because the Baroness knows who Estella is, so and then she's got to apply makeup and hair to disguise herself once again. Information technology was kind of thinking, "How could you hide yourself?" Lots of the big looks are kind of a mask, based effectually deception.

I liked the idea that she hadn't really figured out who she is in style yet. And then then that gave me the opportunity to play, too. It gave me the opportunity to continually change her silhouette [and] continually modify the colors. Nothing felt like we had to stick to, "oh, she would only wear dark lipstick." Like when she comes out of the garbage truck, when she dumps all the clothes, she'south dumping the jump collection from the Baroness. So then I thought, "well, if it'south the leap collection, and then the makeup should be pinks and dejection and yellows and lighter colors." Just when she'southward on the motorbike and she's got the "Hereafter" makeup on her face up, that'southward a harder look. Then, it can exist black and red and harder colors. So information technology's all in there in the script for you lot to find, and it'due south how you kind of interpret information technology. Her makeup was like its own character.

Information technology's a modernized take on Cruella's story — how did y'all brand sure that shined through?

I think punk played a massive part in this. In 1977, that was such a huge movement in London. I actually think that played massively into the looks because punk is a mismatch of lots of different looks. The general essence and the aesthetic of punk definitely played into the looks because I would take something like an 18th century wig, simply and so mess it up and put it on slightly tilted, so it wasn't the aforementioned. I think coming from The Favourite that had made me brave to practice that because that was a menses piece, but every bit nosotros did stuff in The Favourite that wasn't period correct. We kind of blurred the lines. Then I think I'd had the backbone from doing it before to endeavor it again. And I always wanted information technology to be sort of relatable. I wanted people to look at Estella's looks and be inspired past them.

What was information technology like collaborating with Emma again after The Favourite ?

She's just and then dandy. She's so fun and so easy. Nosotros have a lot of fun together. It's a really nice, artistic, safe space to play in. And she loves makeup. She loves makeup and products, and she'south kind of excited past them. And so she was like a kid in a candy store, so she would only allow me play. It was really good, and and then groovy to see her transform into that character, because that is some big shoes to fill and I thought she just did an amazing chore.

Cruella expresses herself through her appearance, whether it exist through her hair, her makeup and her outfits. What do y'all promise audiences have taken abroad from that message of using mode and beauty to make a statement?

Well, I've been admittedly blown away by the response of what the hair and the makeup accept washed. What's been really beautiful is that I e'er felt in the picture that as she went along, she grew in conviction. Her looks got bigger and she got braver. [Her makeup] was giving her the confidence to be herself. And by the stop of it, instead of hiding behind these masks, when we terminal see her, she'south in this beauty makeup. It's yet her Cruella look, but information technology's beautiful. She's accepted herself and she says, "I'm hither. I'm Cruella." And even if her friends don't like information technology, she's similar, "this is who I am."

Obviously, at the fourth dimension, you don't even imagine something similar that's gonna happen. I'd never worked on annihilation that would have this kind of exposure before. Then I didn't know it was gonna do that, just I've had so many beautiful messages from people that have said that they struggle to be who they are. And then lots of people that do cosplay and things like that to wearing apparel up in a character and become someone else and create a persona, it really helps them. Because we've been in lockdown, I think everybody had not bothered with makeup, right? So it's simply been a really heady to meet, and really lovely that people have done their own interpretations of the looks, as well.