Interview: Nadia Stacey, Cruella's Hair and Makeup Designer

by Nathaniel R

Nadia Stacey talks "Cruella"

When I sat down with Cruella's Hair and Makeup designer Nadia Stacey over Zoom we just had a few minutes to talk. To break the ice quickly, a true story. When I first saw the image of Emma Stone as Cruella, my mind immediately lept to Olivia Colman as Queen Anne in The Favourite and her disgruntled "I look like a badger" quip. I had no idea why. Only when prepping for our Cruella interview did I realize the films had the same makeup designer. Stacey laughs, fondly remembering her BAFTA-winning film. "I feel like there’s a theme going on with me doing mask-kind of faces!"

And with The Favourite (a beloved favourite) duly cited, we jump right in to our conversation about her impressive filmography and her biggest assignment yet, designing Disney's live-action Cruella. [This interview is edited/condensed for clarity]

NATHANIEL: You've done a few movies with Olivia Colman and two with Emma Stone. Are you just going to keep The Favourite-ing from now on?  

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All hail the glorious Glenn Close!

by Cláudio Alves

It's been over a week since the Oscars. Despite losing the prize, it's fair to say that Glenn Close came out of it all as a winner. Dancing to "Da Butt" and insinuating Daniel Kaluuya was too young to know Donna Summer's Oscar-winning tune, the most nominated actress never to have won the Academy Award brought needed playfulness to a mostly somber ceremony. The internet was riveted, and Close may have earned another legion of fans if her sterling filmography and acting acumen hadn't done that already. All this, and she's still making news…

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Anthony Powell (1935-2021)

by Cláudio Alves

Just the other day, I was writing about Peter Ustinov's Poirot movies, praising their sartorial exuberance, their delectable Oscar-winning costumes designed by Anthony Powell. Not long after publishing that, while perusing Twitter, I encountered unexpectedly sad news. According to some of the stars he dressed, like Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley, the great Anthony Powell died at 85 years old. It happened just the other day and, while most movie sites seem to be ignoring the tragedy, here at The Film Experience, we couldn't let the news pass by unnoticed. Powell was one of the most fabulous costume designers in recent Hollywood history and one of the most generously rewarded, with three Oscar victories and three other nominations. Throughout his career, he dressed numerous stars and even more iconic characters…

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101 days til Oscar. How will Disney's fare fare?

by Nathaniel R

Glenn Close actually dressed up as Cruella for the movie's premiere!Remember Glenn Close's Globe nomination for 101 Dalmatians (1996)? In retrospect it's kind of fascinating that greedy Disney didn't start fully committing to live-actioning and spinning off all their animated properties until recently because that early example was a huge hit, the sixth most popular film in the US that year. It also grossed $320 million globally well before the days when billion dollar worldwide grosses became common for Disney blockbusters.

Close's broadly comic diva turn didn't cross over to an Oscar nomination but its sequel managed one (for Costume Design). With Disney quadrupling down this year with four options for voters to look at (Dumbo, Maleficent 2, The Lion King, Aladdin) one wonders how the Mouse House will fare come nomination morning. After the jump a list of exactly how previous remakes have fared and how 2019 might shake out...

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woof woof. It's your daily Oscar trivia

by Nathaniel R

101 DAYS DALMATIANS until Oscar. For today's Oscar trivia did you know that neither the Disney animated classic of 1961 nor the live action Glenn Close starring remake in 1996 earned Oscar nominations?

Everyone knows that the Academy didn't have a Best Animated Feature category until the 21st century began but prior to that Disney's beloved animated classics were often honored in Original Song. But "Cruella de Vil," the hit single that dog-loving composer Roger writes in the film, the one that earns him enough cash to feed and care for 101 pups in that film's happy ending was not so nominated...

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