The Darkest Hour Panel And Screening

I recently had the pleasure of attending a private film screening of the film The Darkest Hour. Before the screening there was a panel which consisted of the amazing Gary Oldman, makeup artists Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick. During the panel they discussed the issues that arose in the prosthetic recreation of  Winston Churchill and although Kazuhiro had retired Oldman insisted only he could successfully recreate ​the makeup prosthetics. Although the makeup was made by Kazuhiro, he did not want the job of being on set and carrying out the application for 48 consecutive days, this is where David and Lucy stepped in, after three makeup tests they finally found the perfect Churchill makeup. 

Oldman then went on to talk about how actors taking on such large roles need to completely surrender to the process. " They [make-up artists] are the first people that you meet. If you arrive and you’re a bit grumpy, they can put you in a good mood. Or if you arrive in a good mood they could put you in a bad mood." he then went on to say "I know that at some point they’re going to say, ‘Quiet on the set. And rolling. Action.’ And I’m gonna get my time to do my job. I think it’s very very disrespectful to come in and just fuck around in the chair and not give them their time to do their work" Unfortunately in this industry there are so many actors that simply only care about themselves, hearing someone so highly acclaimed talk about this definitely inspired and encouraged every artist in the audience.

The film itself kept a good pace and was not only historically correct but also interesting, there was great character development and none of the acting felt forced. From an artists perspective the makeup was flawless and absolutely beautiful, it translated well on film and didn't look like a mask at all. I highly recommend checking out this film, which is in theaters now.