The transformation of the actor Jonathan Bailey, recently crowned Sexiest Man Alive, into the hessian‑faced Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz for the sequel to Wicked was a serious undertaking.
"It took an average of four hours," says the Academy Award-winning make-up artist Frances Hannon, who was responsible for transforming Cynthia Erivo into her striking green character and Ariana Grande into an ethereal witch for both of the Wicked films.
© Frances HannonSpeaking exclusively to HELLO!, Frances adds: “We threw away the blue contact lenses that we had for Fiyero [Jonathan's character in the first film] and went back to the earthy colour of Jonathan's eyes, which are a pool of dark brown. All those little touches brought it together.
"We looked at a burlap [jute material] that would be soft and skin-like in texture, and looked to see whether he would still be attractive if you put it on a 60ft screen," she says. "We looked at the old Wizard of Oz, and there was a nod to that, too."
As for Jonathan's official recognition as Hollywood’s most handsome heartthrob, Frances adds: "I can see why he’s got the title, and he deserves it, but it’s his soul; it's from the inside out that he's got that title. There's nobody kinder or more giving or more grateful than Jonathan Bailey in the world."
© Getty ImagesFrances, 59, won an Oscar for make-up for The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2014 and was last week nominated for her work on Wicked: For Good, having also received a nod for the first film. It’s now been almost three years since she teamed up with the Hollywood director Jon M. Chu and the producer Mark Platt to bring the beloved Broadway musical to the big screen.
Wicked: For Good comes a year after the release of the first film and, for Frances, the collaboration has been "the best of her whole career". One memory that she says she will always treasure was hearing "two phenomenal people" – Cynthia, 38, and Ariana, 32, who play the heroines, Elphaba and Glinda – sing every day on set.
I can see why he’s got the title, and he deserves it, but it’s his soul; it's from the inside out that he's got that title. There's nobody kinder or more giving or more grateful than Jonathan Bailey in the world.
The power of song
"They're both amazing," she says. "Those two women are really special in life and that comes across on screen. Many people pay hundreds of pounds per ticket to see it once, and I got it every day for 12 hours. You can’t believe how uplifting that is."
Both Ariana and Cynthia, who shaved her head to accommodate her multiple wig changes, "were very involved in their looks, for make-up, hair and costume, all the time", Frances says.
In the second film, Glinda becomes Glinda the Good, residing in Emerald City, while Elphaba is on the run, seeking refuge in a magical treehouse. "Ariana's wigs were much paler and around six to eight inches longer – not only to show the passage of time, but also to give her a much more princess-like quality," Frances says, adding that the actress "was open to anything".
© © Universal PicturesThe first film featured surprise cameos from the musical's original Broadway stars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, and Wicked: For Good includes a brief appearance from Colman Domingo, who plays the cowardly lion.
"I take no credit. [Visual effects supervisor] Pablo Helman did all that," Frances says of the Running Man actor's on‑screen transformation, which was achieved through CGI.
As for saying goodbye to the film, Frances, whose next project is the mystery film Jack of Spades, with Lesley Manville, is sanguine. "I'm not sad this chapter is coming to a close – I've moved on," she says. "I'm proud, but not sad."
WICKED: FOR GOOD is now available on digital platforms to buy or rent at home.
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