The Oscar-nominated artists break down the beauty looks, gore, and Elvira’s transformation in ‘The Ugly Stepsister’
Anne Catherine Sauerberg and Thomas Foldberg, the Oscar-nominated hair and makeup team behind Emilie Blichfeldt’s directorial debut The Ugly Stepsister, understand that the pursuit of beauty can be a brutal, even grotesque, journey. Everyone can see part of themselves in Elvira, the sweet but awkward teenage girl who will do anything–including swallowing a tapeworm egg–to become beautiful in order to marry the prince and live happily ever after. But is there anything truly ugly about a teenage girl?
That question became the foundation of our conversation about the film’s use of hair and makeup in order to tell this version of the classic Cinderella story.
“What is ugly?” Foldberg said when asked about designing Elvira’s transformation. “I mean, it’s such a strange word to use.”
The team initially focused on creating looks that would communicate Elvira’s innocence and naivete–thick, girlish ringlets, gold eye shadow, and fleshy prosthetics to enhance her cheeks and neck. As Elvira undergoes one procedure after another in order to “become” beautiful, we get treated to some truly horrific body horror, including, but not limited to, an almost medieval nose job, a torturous scene involving a sewing needle and cartoonishly large false lashes, and a desperate attempt to fit into a slipper.
“This movie appeals to both women who are interested in the beauty industry and all the gore fans,” Sauerberg said with a laugh. Consider me the target audience, then.
The Ugly Stepsister is now streaming on Hulu.
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