A look back at the résumés of The Whale’s Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar winners – WWD

Talent comes in many forms, one of which is hair and makeup artistry in movies. The category was among those recognized at Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, along with, of course, performance plus cinematography, writing and sound. This year, prosthetics proved victorious as Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Annemarie Bradley took to the podium taking home the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. The honor acknowledged their extensive abortion on Brendan Fraser, turning the actor into Charlie, the lead character of ‘The Whale.’ Fraser plays an obese man living behind a computer screen who tries to bond with his estranged daughter, following the reality he faces with his condition.

For “The Whale” to win this award, the use of all-digital prosthetic makeup was a big hit. The Academy noted that this was the first time it had been done, allowing Fraser’s emotional range of expression to radiate.

Dubbed the “Prosthetic Wizard” by Motion Pictures, Morot was tasked with creating the prosthetic makeup for Fraser’s character Charlie. Every day on set came with hours of meticulous preparation as Fraser underwent a mold for every part of his body, from his chin to his arms and legs.

Morot’s skills have been recognized for more than a decade, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Achievement in Makeup for the film ‘Barney’s Vision’ in 2011.

Other nominees in the category included Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti with their nostalgic transformations of Austin Butler and Tom Hanks for “Elvis”; Camille Friend and Joel Harlow create an otherworldly appeal for the entire cast of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”; Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine, who portrayed Gotham characters in a modern look for “The Batman,” and Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová for “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which also won the Oscar for best international framework.

While Morot, Chin and Bradley appreciate their success, WWD looks below at their work over the years, including the amazing special effects makeup that Morot brought to life in 2014’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and the avant-garde “Black Swan” as imagined by Chin on the face of Natalie Portman in 2010.

Judy Chin for “Black Swan”

In the 2010 film, “Black Swan,” Chin flushed Natalie Portman’s face with a white base and a pale red lip, capitalizing on the dancer’s first glance with darkness in her gaze. Bold black eyeliner represented a transcendent visual, harnessing the film’s texture with eyeliner covering the entire lid and temple, drawn sharply at the inner corner of the eye.

Judy Chin for “Little Women”

Chin’s work as the head of the makeup department on Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” showcased the female cast in a natural light, albeit eclipsed by a time-considered approach to storyline with subtle blush and lip color nuances .

Chin also received two Emmy Award nominations for her work as key makeup artist and head of makeup department for “Sex and the City” in both 2001 and 2003.

Adrien Morot for “X-Men: Days of Future Past”

Montreal-born special effects makeup artist Morot worked on “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” Jennifer Lawrence was reimagined as Mystique with scales superimposed on her blue figure and fully dilated black ink pupils with a yellow eye.

Portrayed by Nicholas Hoult in ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’, Beast had an intense gaze starting with his brushed brows and razor sharp teeth. Morot brought the character into a gruesome state with body hair peeking out through his tears in his clothes.

Annemarie Bradley for “In the Heights”

Hairstylist Annemarie Bradley received a Make Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling in a Feature Film for “In the Heights.” The musical highlighted the charisma of a hairstylist, and Bradley nailed it with voluminous hairdos and playful hair accessories.

Annemarie Bradley for “A Bad Moms Christmas”

Bradley was behind the hair color and style in ‘A Bad Moms Christmas’. Kathryn Hahn’s character plays the daughter of Isis Dunkler, played by Susan Sarandon, in which both are characterized by auburn shades and free-spirited characters. Whether it’s clubbing curls or side-swept trims, Bradley has channeled the actress’s features with their similar hairstyles.

The annual Oscars celebrate cinema, cinematography, and the artists who bring characters to life. This year, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the show. Performers included Rihanna and Lady Gaga, and presenters included Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Janelle Monáe, and more. For the 95th annual ceremony, the red carpet was swapped for a champagne color due to an aesthetic choice to enhance photography during arrivals. The champagne carpet was the first to change from red since the 33rd Academy Awards in 1961.