In the battle for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Dune sneaks up into #1 position this month and leapfrogs The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Is there any particular reason for this? Not exactly. My only train of thought centres on the idea of the Academy not wanting to repeat themselves and keep giving this award to a film that turns its leading lady into someone unrecognisable. They didn’t fall for this conceit last year with Hillbilly Elegy, so perhaps their tastes are shifting.
That could certainly work in the favour of something like House of Gucci that merely makes its leading lady look as stunningly glamourous as she always does. And it also features heavy prosthetic work to turn Jared Leto into the 60-something Paolo Gucci. The critical reaction to the film hasn’t been great, but that’s never played a factor in this category in the past.
We should also keep an eye on Being the Ricardos. While much was initially made of Nicole Kidman’s prosthetic transformation into Lucille Ball, it’s nowhere near as garish as many feared. With its 1950s setting, there’s a cavalcade of period hair designs in the film, which is usually the sort of work the Academy loves to reward. That will also work in the favour of something like Nightmare Alley, which could also sneak in here.
But if there’s one dark horse contender waiting in the wings, it may be The Green Knight. The prosthetic work used to turn Ralph Ineson into the titular character is nothing short of stunning and feels very reminiscent of last year’s surprise nominee Pinocchio. A24 would be wise to give it a good campaign push here.
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING PREDICTIONS:
1. Dune (Warner Bros.)
2. The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Searchlight Pictures)
3. House of Gucci (MGM)
4. Cruella (Disney)
5. Spencer (Neon)
IN CONTENTION
Being the Ricardos (Amazon Studios)
Coming 2 America (Amazon Studios)
The French Dispatch (Searchlight Pictures)
The Green Knight (A24)
King Richard (Warner Bros.)
The Last Duel (20th Century Studios)
Licorice Pizza (MGM)
Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures)
The Suicide Squad (Warner Bros.)
Titane (Neon)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (A24/Apple TV+)