Despite all the drama that ensued prior to this year’s 91st Academy Awards, the show did go on — and how. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga almost made out (that’s what happened, right?), Rami Malek professed his love for Queen and Lucy Boynton (then promptly fell off the stage), and Spike Lee won his first Oscar (not counting the honorary statue he received in 2016). Overall, the night end up being something special… or, at the very least, something worth tweeting about.
But that only accounts for everything the cameras managed to catch. Turns out, what’s going on behind-the-scenes — as crews of makeup artists and hairstylists run around ensuring everyone looks perfect for the entirety of the show’s three-hour runtime — is just as exciting as what’s happening on stage and broadcasted to 30 million people.
Unfortunately, we’re not privy to all that — at least, not normally. Then, we met Bruce Grayson, the makeup department lead for all backstage beauty work that happens during every major awards show, including the Oscars. Grayson and his team of artists aren’t just responsible for the presenters who prep their jokes backstage, or the host (when there is one), but all the winners after they exit stage right and head to a tent filled with reporters waiting to interview the newly-minted Oscar winner.
For all intents and purpose, Grayson’s makeup green room — and massive kit — is what prevents historic beauty catastrophes from happening (just think of all the mascara-stained streaks of tears we might’ve seen without him). So, we decided to tap him for all the juicy info that went on during this year’s Oscars, from what it was really like to have a hostless show to Olivia Colman’s insane (and amazing) Best Actress upset. His answers, ahead.
Maya, Tina, & Amy Set The Tone
Grayson says that one of his favorite moments of the night was one of the first: Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler presenting Regina King with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. "We see them so much during the season, but to see them backstage at the Oscars at the beginning of the show was great," says Grayson. "Their camaraderie sets the tone. I loved hanging out with those ladies as they ran their bits in real time backstage in the green room."
That said, they weren’t last night’s hosts, which actually made Grayson and his team’s job easier: Although it was the smallest team he’d ever had at the Oscars, Grayson says they were more prepared because of the lack of host and surplus of presenters. "The host usually takes a little more than a third of the time [backstage], and this year all that time went to the presenters," he says, adding that no host meant no over-the-top musical number, which meant no extra dancers to get ready ahead of time (although he says that’s usually a lot of fun).
Photo: Craig Sjodin/Getty Images.
Queen & Adam Lambert Were Glam Rockstars
Without an opening number from the host, an extra musical number was added: Queen, featuring Adam Lambert, who joined the band as lead vocalist in 2011. Since they were the first people to hit the stage, the band was backstage early, although Grayson didn’t need to do much when it came to touching up Lambert’s look.
"Adam loves to do his own makeup," Grayson says. "He’s one of those performers who loves to get into the moment and that’s part of his process." As for the other Queen members, Brian May and Roger Taylor, Grayson touched them up accordingly, but couldn’t help but focus on the natural energy between the original active members of the band and Lambert: "It just seems so natural," he tells us. "It was the perfect addition."
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images.
Guillermo del Toro Lost A Friendly Bet
Who would’ve guessed that del Toro had a fever just 24 hours before he was sent to present the Best Director award to Alfonso Cuarón for Roma? Luckily, del Toro had a quick turnaround, and Grayson found the Oscar winner (who won that very award last year) in his makeup chair the next day getting ready to take the stage.
Grayson points out that not only is del Toro a self-taught special-effects makeup artist, but a bit of a gambler. "We were actually betting on who was going to win last night," Grayson tells us. "He asked me who I thought would win for Best Actor and I said, ‘Bradley Cooper,’ and he said, ‘It’s not going to be Cooper, it’s going to be Rami.’" Del Toro was right, but by the end of the night, Grayson broke even with the director and got one bet right after he predicted Cuarón would get the Oscar.
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images.
The True Story Behind Melissa McCarthy As Queen Elizabeth I
One of the best moments of the night came thanks to Melissa McCarthy and Brian Tyree Henry, who presented the award for Best Costume Design in style. When McCarthy and Henry walked on stage in their own respective representations of the nominated films in the category (a jumble of Mary Queen of Scots, The Favourite, Mary Poppins Returns, and Black Panther) we had to wonder, How the hell did they pull this off? Turns out, it happened quickly — very quickly.
The costume idea was all Melissa, but it was up to Grayson’s team to execute it in about 24 hours. "After she got together with Brian to talk about the idea, we had less than 24 hours to find a Queen Elizabeth wig and get the costumes ready," Grayson says. Once all the materials were backstage, the team had to essentially wing fitting McCarthy for the half-bald cap she would wear as the Queen. "She was busy, so there was no time for a proper fitting beforehand," he says. "To accommodate my team, Melissa’s hairstylist, Richard Marin, gave her a ponytail so she could walk right off the red carpet and head backstage to put on the cap."
And if you thought fitting a wig for the show’s second act was stressful, imagine the undertaking of carrying her 10-foot train, covered in stuffed toy rabbits, from downstairs to the upstairs green room. "It all had to be done very quickly," Grayson says, adding that getting her into the actual costume took another 20 minutes before sending her on stage next to Henry. Then, they had to get them back to the green room, out of the costumes, and back in their regular looks and makeup to rejoin the audience.
Photo: Craig Sjodin/Getty Images.
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper Were That Good
While Grayson says all the performances for Best Original Song were impressive, it was Gaga and Cooper’s "Shallow" duet that changed everything. Before rejoining the audience to walk on stage together, Cooper and Gaga went backstage to prepare. Gaga had her own dressing room with long-time makeup artist Sarah Tanno waiting for touch-ups, but Cooper went without any last-minute corrections. "He barely wears anything at all," Grayson says, noting that the actor took the time before the performance to find a Zen moment instead (this is probably around the time he reminded Gaga to find some "joy"). Although we’ve all seen the performance that earned Gaga and Cooper a standing ovation from the audience, Grayson summed it up perfectly as a "strong, emotional moment."
Photo: Ed Herrera/Getty Images.
You Can’t Stop Everyone’s Tears — Especially Not Olivia Colman’s
Grayson admits that emotions are high when the next Oscar is announced and they immediately go backstage. Typically, the winner’s entire team is back there to congratulate them, as well as upcoming presenters doing the same exact thing. Sometimes there just isn’t time for both a celebration and a trip to the makeup green room. "We always offer a touch-up for winners, but sometimes we run out of time before they have to go straight to the winner’s tent," Grayson says.
Even if a teary-eyed winner gets a quick swipe of concealer, no one — not even Grayson — can stop someone’s emotions from interfering with a pristine makeup look again. This was the case with last night’s Best Actress winner, Olivia Colman. "She won and we tried to get her in and out because there were still a few major categories for her to see once back in the audience," Grayson says. But even after getting a quick touch-up, Grayson noticed later that Colman’s emotions took control and her nose was red all over again from crying. "That’s one of the great things we don’t talk about — you can’t stop the effects of emotions," he says. "They go on for as long as they want, and that’s what I love about the award-show process."
Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images.
Regina King Remained Immaculate From Start To Finish
Colman may have experienced a bit of inflammation, but King — somehow! — remained immaculate after her emotional Best Supporting Actress win. "She looked like she was on the verge of crying, but wasn’t," Grayson says. "Nothing ruined the integrity of her makeup."
Even if some stars are as unflappable as King, Grayson’s kit is stocked with emergency tools for worst-case scenarios. "I always have a bottle of Bioderma cleansing water handy to clean up eyeliner that shifts or starts to bleed," he says. "It’s usually dry in February here in L.A., and a lot of the times the eyeliner runs because people’s eyes water." He adds that his kit is nothing without cotton swabs for easy clean-up ("they’re a must," he says).
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.
The Underdog Makeup Looks
Ask Grayson and he’ll say everyone looked amazing on Oscars night, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t spot some favorites while backstage. He credits Kacey Musgraves for having the best skin and brows, Allison Janney for the spikiest lashes, Krysten Ritter had his favorite red lip, and KiKi Layne looked especially beautiful, while Emma Stone won for her rusty eyeshadow.
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.
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Source: Refinery29 – Samantha Sasso