Katie Irish (‘Manhunt’ costume designer) on ‘finding the character and the humanity’ in the show’s look and feel [Exclusive Video Interview]

“The thing that I thrive on as a costume designer is finding the character and the humanity in them,” explains “Manhunt” costume designer Katie Irish about tackling the daunting task of designing for this relatively well-known period in history: the aftermath of the earth-shattering assassination of the 16th U.S. President. “To me, Lincoln is an icon. He is the silhouette on your bulletin board, with the top hat,” she adds. “I began researching more and more, and trying to find as many portraits, pictures, sketches, as I could of him,” which she says led to “conversations with Monica and Hamish about who this man is and what can I do to help make him real, for them.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

SEE Exclusive Video Interview: Monica Beletsky (‘Manhunt’ creator)

“Manhunt” was created by Monica Beletsky, adapted from James L. Swanson‘s book “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer.” The part historical fiction, part conspiracy thriller follows Secretary of War Edwin Stanton’s search for John Wilkes Booth in the aftermath of President Abraham Lincoln‘s assassination while attending a play in the nation’s capital. Emmy winner Tobias Menzies (“The Crown”) stars as Stanton, whose tenacious search takes place against the backdrop of a nation in mourning, in the aftermath of the first American presidential assassination, and what would be uncovered as a larger conspiracy intended by Booth to revive the Confederate cause. The Apple TV+ limited series co-stars Anthony Boyle as Booth, Lovie Simone as Mary Simms, Glenn Morshower as Andrew Johnson, Will Harrison as David Herold, Brandon Flynn as Edwin Stanton Jr., Damian O’Hare as Thomas Eckert, Emmy and Grammy winner Patton Oswalt as Lafayette C. Baker, and Emmy nominees Matt Walsh as Samuel Mudd, Hamish Linklater as President Lincoln and Lili Taylor as First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

“I will never forget a moment in Savannah,” Irish recalls about her experience on the series. “I was standing in our production office, which was a defunct elementary school, and to give you some idea of the scale, the men’s storage and fitting area was in the gymnasium, and the female fitting area and storage was in the cafeteria. They were on opposite sides of the school, so we would roll back and forth with racks, and also I had a costumer who had roller skates, who would skate back and forth,” she smiles. “I remember when it was all loaded in, stopping for a minute and looking around and thinking, ‘oh my God, this is for a project that I’m designing.’ That was really a crazy moment for me,” she reveals, adding, “It was so exciting and an enlivening process.”

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