There's something that happens when you take an actor, whether they are famous or not, and bury them in makeup to the point they are almost unrecognizable. The makeup allows them to truly inhabit their characters in a way they might not otherwise be able to. I'll give you some examples.

Dustin Hoffman as Hook. The kid from The Graduate is a pirate? And yet being covered in that costume helps to bring his performance to life. A more subtle costume would not have made for a more interesting performance.

Hugh Grant in Cloud Atlas. I still can't believe this cannibal guy slurping blood off of a machete is Hugh Grant. I don't think he even says anything in that role and it is chilling.

Andrew Robinson as Garak in Deep Space Nine. Taking someone known for a villainous role and putting them in makeup allowed the actor to inhabit one of the most multi layered characters in all of Star Trek. It wouldn't have been quite the same without the makeup and the costume.

So why don't we see this more often than we do when it works so well. Makeup can completely transform someone to the point where the actor disappears and the character emerges.

Comments

Existence-ispain t1_itofx8x wrote on October 25, 2022 at 3:18 AM

#213,160

Because for a lot of actors their attractiveness or looks is a big factor in if they can sell a movie or draw a crowd.

TeamStark31 t1_itofzgn wrote on October 25, 2022 at 3:18 AM

#213,166

Because generally a character completely unrecognizable won’t be taken as seriously as someone delivering a performance as themselves.

Not to mention most movies don’t call for this either.

Also, Hook was panned on release, although it’s seen in a better light now.

AloofCat73 t1_itog3lb wrote on October 25, 2022 at 3:19 AM

#213,181

When a studio is paying big bucks for an actor, hiding their face is kinda counterproductive.

Greaser_Dude t1_itogk9t wrote on October 25, 2022 at 3:23 AM

#213,219

Because one of the main rules of Hollywood is "you don't cover up the face of the star." They are whom people come to watch. Studio execs HATED Harrison Ford in a thick beard for The Fugitive for the 1st 20 minutes but - it was Ford's idea and he's someone NO ONE pushes around once he's signed on - especially at the peak of his career in the early 90s.

Also - many actors just want nothing to do with lots of prosthetics. Jim Carrey said never again after the hell he went through playing the Grinch, especially the green contact lenses where the studio brought in a therapists that specialized in torture victims to help him get through the filming with the contacts. But - Jack Nicholson would just fall asleep in the makeup chair when he was getting his prosthetics to play the Joker in Batman. So for him it was nbd

IMTrick t1_itoh8ob wrote on October 25, 2022 at 3:29 AM

#213,291

This goes wrong almost as often as it goes right. Tom Hanks in Elvis is a prime recent example of why this isn't always a good idea (though his performance in that was about as good as his makeup). It can be very distracting, and in a lot of cases hinders the performance more than it helps.

[deleted] t1_itoivtj wrote on October 25, 2022 at 3:43 AM

#213,435

[removed]

LabyrinthConvention t1_itojkdp wrote on October 25, 2022 at 3:49 AM

#213,482

They do. Thanos. Alan tudyk in rogue one. Friggin Colin ferral as penguin in the batman. Just off the top of my head.

[deleted] t1_itojxbt wrote on October 25, 2022 at 3:52 AM

#213,518

Replying to Greaser_Dude (#213,219)

[deleted]

Greaser_Dude t1_itokqq6 wrote on October 25, 2022 at 4:00 AM

#213,599

Replying to [deleted] (#213,518)

Al Pacino was in heavy prosthetics for Dick Tracy play the gangster Big Boy as did Dustin Hoffman in his relatively small part as "Mumbles" - it wasn't something they ever felt was a big deal.

InflamedLiver t1_itokqu0 wrote on October 25, 2022 at 4:00 AM

#213,600

Replying to AloofCat73 (#213,181)

There’s a reason we pan to RDJs face like a million times in the Iron Man films

tittydude t1_itolb5o wrote on October 25, 2022 at 4:05 AM

#213,670

Original Jumanji, maybe? Has a lot of really spine tingling parts for a kids movie, everytime they roll the dice the tension ramps up so hard.

Splice1138 t1_itolk6o wrote on October 25, 2022 at 4:08 AM

#213,693

Replying to LabyrinthConvention (#213,482)

Penguin yeah, but those other two were mostly mocap, which is pretty much the polar opposite of inhabiting the character thru makeup

keineAhnung33 t1_itooxg1 wrote on October 25, 2022 at 4:41 AM

#214,016

The teahouse of the august moon. Apparently, moviegoers asked for refund when they failed to recognize Marlon Brando's character.

DrRexMorman t1_itovg5o wrote on October 25, 2022 at 5:55 AM

#214,596

All actors onscreen are wearing makeup all the time.

cedric_spider t1_itpgi2s wrote on October 25, 2022 at 10:48 AM

#216,413

Replying to InflamedLiver (#213,600)

And that we see his face as though the camera is kinda inside the mask - rather than just see a masked man

CptNonsense t1_itpo45i wrote on October 25, 2022 at 12:08 PM

#217,171

>Dustin Hoffman as Hook. The kid from The Graduate is a pirate?

Hook came out literally over 20 years after the Graduate

Rambler43 t1_itq489l wrote on October 25, 2022 at 2:16 PM

#219,174

Christian Bale in Vice? Colin Farrell in The Batman? Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder? Charlize Theron in Monster? Nicole Kidman in Destroyer? Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman in Bombshell? Doug Bradley in Hellraiser? Brendan Frasier in The Whale? John Travolta in Hairspray? Robin Williams in Mrs Doubtfire? Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie?

That's just off the top of my head. There's lots of examples.

Fantastic_Deer_3772 t1_itqrm07 wrote on October 25, 2022 at 4:51 PM

#222,005

Just because recognising the actor breaks your immersion doesn't mean it's a universal issue