Jenny Rhodes-McLean (‘The Great’ makeup and hair): Not getting ‘too bogged down being period correct’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
“I was a huge fan of this show before I worked on it,” admits “The Great” makeup and hair artist Jenny Rhodes-McLean. For our recent webchat she says, “The scripts are great and rich and funny. There are so many elements to it. It is making sure you get the tone right and everything works together.” Watch our full exclusive interview above.
“The Great” is billed as “an occasional true story” about the rise of Catherine the Great in Russia during the 18th century. The comedy is created by the Oscar-nominated writer of “The Favourite,” Tony McNamara, and stars Elle Fanning in the titular role. The third season of the series premiered in May on Hulu and saw Catherine finally ruling Russia.
Rhodes-McLean explains, “When you get too bogged down being period correct, it takes the fun out of the show, and you can go further away from the characters. This season, what was really important is it felt more in Catherine’s world. We added in more natural hair on different characters and we saw slightly less powder in some of the wigs. It’s trying to find the balance about how the show and characters progress, but still ground it in history so everything feels authentic to the period.”
The climax of the season comes in episode six ‘Ice,’ with a scene between Catherine and Peter (Nicholas Hoult) in the snow. Rhodes-McLean reveals it was shot in “the middle of summer, so we were trying to make them look cold. You know, how you get those cold cheeks and noses. We really worked on the makeup there to make it feel believable, and then there was underwater work.”
The season also has Catherine play a very lengthy game of badminton. Rhodes-McLean says, “There was so much sweat on those scenes. We were dousing them in water spray and glycerine. Part of the storytelling of hair and makeup is you’re putting in some of that work for the audience. To catch them two hours into something, they are already drenched with sweat. So, you are telling the story of what happened before the audience joined them.”
Last year, Rhodes-McLean won the Emmy in the Period Hairstyling category for her work on “Bridgerton.” She reflects that great hairstyling “needs to fit with the scene. You can have this most amazing hairstyle, but if it’s distracting from what’s happening on the screen, it just doesn’t work.”
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