Christine Allsopp
Make-up/FX Hair Wigs
"Casanova" BAFTA nom.
Executive Producers: Julie Gardner, Russel T Davies, Nicola Schindler, Julian Bodle, Michelle Buck & Damian Timmer
Producer: Gillian McNeill
Director: Sheree Folskon
Cast: Peter O'Toole, David Tennant, Nina Sosanya, Rose Byrne, Laura Fraser, Shaun Parkes, Claire Higgins, Matt Lucas, Ron Cook, Freddie Jones, Rupert Penry Jones, Dervla Kirwan, Selina Cadell, Mark Heap, Nickolas Grace, & Tom Burke.
Credit: Make-up and Hair Designer
Hairdresser: Bea Archer
I can't believe I nearly talked myself out of doing this amazing production for which I was nominated for a BAFTA. I was very flattered when Gillian McNeill sought me out for this gem of a job and didn't allow me to talk myself out of it - Thank you Gill.
My hesitation was that at the time period productions were conventionally rendered very truthfully but Gillian was very clear that she wanted to hire me because she knew I'd break with convention. It took a little while to work out how to honour the spirit and shapes of the period, in short, we kept to shapes but played with texture and colour. Alison Dominitz was Production Designer with whom I had worked on "Hotel Splendide", so I understood that this was also going to be quite 'out there' and it in fact predated the Kirsten Dunst "Marie Antoinette" film, which took a similar approach, by over a year.
The script 'asked for' 5 looks, the 'naturalistic' look worked for the A-Story. Most of the characters who ran through main narrative of the story in what I suppose you'd call 'real world' and then there were 4 different salons, Venice, Paris, London and Naples. Venice, the first salon, was deliberately a low-key introduction to the direction we were going to take. Paris, the second salon was intended to be more of a statement, more outrageous and I based it on a Vivienne Westwood collection. London, the third salon was meant to be dull, so I went with a 'dull as porridge' approach and finally the Naples salon which, as Alison had designed it black and red, gave the lead to follow in those colours with the added theme and feeling of a volcano erupting so many of the hairstyles did the same - in so many ways.
Even though I had 5 weeks to prepare - which may sound a long time, I remember often getting up at 4 am at home in wks 2, 3 and 4 of the prep period to get it done.
I sadly don't have a picture of Peter O'Toole as the older Casanova. The sets were quite tight and dark so I didn't get an opportunity to take a good photo of him. He wore hardly any make-up, just a little around his eyes as was Peter's preference, and I broke down his hair a little out of his layered modern hair with a little product.
David Tennant
David was filming with "Harry Potter" during our schedule and his hair was club cut short. So to create the unruly and period look of Casanova I had a back-piece with queue made and applied wefts to break up his modern cut.
David Tennant
A profile view of the back-piece and wefts.
Nina Sosanya
Nina had a really beautiful character arc to address which included 4 major and completely different looks.
She is shown here in the Paris Salon look with her daughter by Casanova who was played in the Naples sequence by Naomi Bentley.
Nina Sosanya
Nina is shown here in the Paris Salon look.
Nickolas Grace as French Chancellor.
Matt Lucas as Villars.
Simon Day as Argenti.
Tom Burke as 20 yr-old Jack
Daisy Haggard in the Paris "Vivien Westwood" inspired set.
Daisy Haggard in the Paris "Vivien Westwood" inspired set.
Simon Day as Argenti.
Nobleman in Venice.
Some of our supporting artists
Supporting Artist in Naples Red and Black set.
Supporting Artist in Naples Red and Black set.
Supporting Artist in Naples Red and Black set.
Supporting Artist in Naples Red and Black set.
Supporting Artist in the Venetian Pastel and Bows set.
Supporting Artist in the Venetian Pastel and Bows set.
Supporting Artist in the Paris "Vivien Westwood" inspired set.
Supporting Artist in the Paris "Vivien Westwood" inspired set.
Nina Sosanya as Bellino in disguise as a boy.
Nina Sosanya as Bellino in her first look out of disguise for the "Venice Salon" set.
Nina Sosanya as Bellino in her "Paris Salon" look. This idea was inspired by a Vivienne Westwood collection.
Nina Sosanya as Bellino in her "Naples Salon" look, and if she looks a bit glazed to you, that's because her character is a cocaine addict at this point.