HOLLYWOOD COPYCATS
THE RESEMBLANCE IS UNCANNY AS THESE ACTORS STEP INTO SOME VERY FAMOUS SHOES
EMMA CORRIN PLAYING PRINCESS DIANA
Intent on playing Princess Diana “from the inside out”, British actress Emma Corrin, 25, dug deep into the beloved royal’s psychology for the fourth season of The Crown. In addition to some dedicated research to help her understand the princess’ driving motivations, she underwent coaching to get the posh accent just right. When it came to representing Diana’s bulimia, she opted for fidgety hands. “You use your hands to make yourself sick, and her fingers on her right hand have become a source of anxiety for her.”
LADY GAGA PLAYING PATRIZIA REGGIANI
She always cuts a glamorous figure, but Lady Gaga’s nailing a killer look lately on the set of Ridley Scott’s new movie House of Gucci. The Poker Face singer is playing Patrizia Reggiani, the Italian socialite who paid a hitman to kill her businessman husband Maurizio Gucci in 1995.
For the movie, slated for a November release, Gaga, 35, has donned a dark-brown wig and plenty of ‘90s bling. Patrizia, who was sentenced to 29 years in prison but served just 18 due to good behaviour, is less than impressed, complaining that Gaga didn’t try to meet her before filming began. “It’s a question of good sense and respect,” said the 72-year-old.
TARON EGERTON
PLAYING ELTON JOHN
Fake eyebrows, stick-on sideburns and prosthetic tooth enamel were all in a day’s work when British actor Taron Egerton, 31, stepped into Elton John’s platform shoes for the 2019 movie Rocketman.
He even shaved half his head to get Elton’s receding hairline just right and painted on a ‘gap’ in his teeth. It all paid off when Elton visited the set and proclaimed, “I didn’t think it was Taron – I thought it was me!”
EMMA STONE PLAYING BILLIE JEAN KING
Emma Stone needed to develop a deep tan to play tennis great Billie Jean King in the 2017 film Battle of the Sexes; however, the hard work really began when she embarked on a three-month gym routine to add 7kg of muscle to her frame. Even harder still, says the actress, was learning all the “little in-between stuff” like how to hit a convincing cross-court backhand. The Oscar winner, 32, and Billie Jean, 77, became firm friends during the making of the movie, which tells the story of Billie Jean’s historic 1973 match against male tennis champ Bobby Riggs in a bid for pay equality.
RENÉE ZELLWEGER PLAYING JUDY GARLAND She sang, she danced, she made the world swoon. We’re talking about Judy Garland, of course – and also Renée Zellweger, who played her in the 2019 movie Judy. Renée,
51, took music and choreography lessons to portray the Wizard of Oz star, and also spent two hours in the make-up chair every day. Her transformation involved a prosthetic nose, dental retainers, brown contact lenses and a short brunette wig. “There’s lots of shading around the jawline to suggest that her face has dropped somewhat,” says make-up artist Jeremy Woodhead, “and added eye bags. Judy’s abuse of alcohol, smoking and drugs had taken its toll.”
MARGOT ROBBIE PLAYING TONYA HARDING
After agreeing to play Olympic ice skater Tonya Harding on the big screen, Margot Robbie panicked. “I was honestly terrified that I wouldn’t be able to pull it off,” says the actress, 30, about her role in I, Tonya. For five months, she spent four hours a day, five days a week learning to ice skate. “We were just a few weeks from shooting and I was still struggling to find my outside edges,” she says. “I thought I was never going to get them, then one day it just clicked.” With only a tiny budget to work with, make-up artists used lash adhesive to change the shape of Margot’s eyes and mouth.
RAMI MALEK PLAYING FREDDIE MERCURY Portraying the flamboyant Freddie Mercury in 2018’s
Bohemian Rhapsody was a dream come true for actor
Rami Malek – but it didn’t come without its challenges. Rami,
39, needed prosthetic teeth, an artificial nose and a wig to pull off the look of Queen frontman Freddie, however, it was his fake moustache that had the make-up department worried. Concerned it would fall off during Rami’s sweaty concert scenes, make-up artist Jan Sewell says, “Every time they said, ‘Cut’, I’d run in to check it.” Rami also needed singing lessons, dance tuition and a dialect coach. “I said to myself, ‘Listen, if you’re going to play a man who will rock this thing out like nobody’s business, you better own this,’” recalls Rami.