American Salon July 2011 : Page 30
Maid to Order Based on Kathryn Stockett’s New York Times best-seller, The Help follows Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (Emma Stone), who returns from college in the 1960s determined to become a writer but turns her friends’ lives and her small town upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent Southern families. Along the way, the Southern town’s unspoken code of rules is shattered by these courageous women and the unlikely friendship they forge. To get the actresses’ hair just right, Hair Department Head Camille Friend used the book as a backdrop to develop the characters’ looks during filming and also worked closely with the director and costume designer to create them. “I love 30 American Salon July 2011 Camille Friend shines a spotlight on the hair that helps define the characters in the soon-to-be-released DreamWorks Pictures film The Help. all the characters in The Help—they are all really different and unique in style,” says Friend, who notes that Skeeter’s look was hard to craft. “In the book, she has unruly hair, and it’s a pivotal story point, so we decided on a blonde, curly hair texture for her lace-front wig.” The character Hilly Holbrook, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, also posed challenges because Howard’s hair was very long. “We had to create two falls in a layered bob shape and used her own hair in the front,” Friend says. “Aibileen (Viola Davis), on the other hand, needed to look very natural, and natural is sometimes the hardest look to create.” For her look, Friend had two wigs made featuring a natural African-American hair texture before she and her team added some gray to them for FROM TOP: Aibileen Clark (standing) tends to the needs of Hilly Holbrook (seated center), Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (left) and her friends; “Hairspray was a must to control Skeeter’s curls in the Mississippi humidity,” Camille Friend says. dimension. Celia (Jessica Chastain) was Friend’s over-the-top character, so she and her team designed a Marilyn Monroe type of look for her using a lace-front wig made from platinum blonde hair. Finally, Charlotte, played by Allison Janney, wore many wigs because her character has cancer. “She changed looks with her outfits,” says Friend, who used many wigs and ¾-inch pieces on her, as well as a very thin wig for her cancer-patient look. “None of these looks would have been possible without an awesome hair team.” ✂ —Kelley Donahue PHOTOGRAPHY: DREAMWORKS II DISTRIBUTION CO.
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Kelley Donahue
Maid to Order<br /> <br /> Camille Friend shines a spotlight on the hair that helps<br /> define the characters in the soon-to-be-released<br /> DreamWorks Pictures film The Help.<br /> Based on Kathryn Stockett’s New<br /> York Times best-seller, The Help follows<br /> Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (Emma<br /> Stone), who returns from college in the<br /> 1960s determined to become a writer<br /> but turns her friends’ lives and her small<br /> town upside down when she decides to<br /> interview the black women who have<br /> spent their lives taking care of prominent<br /> Southern families. Along the way, the<br /> Southern town’s unspoken code of rules is<br /> shattered by these courageous women and<br /> the unlikely friendship they forge.<br /> To get the actresses’ hair just right,<br /> Hair Department Head Camille Friend<br /> used the book as a backdrop to develop<br /> the characters’ looks during filming and<br /> also worked closely with the director and<br /> costume designer to create them. “I love<br /> all the characters in The Help—they are all<br /> really different and unique in style,” says<br /> Friend, who notes that Skeeter’s look was<br /> hard to craft. “In the book, she has unruly<br /> hair, and it’s a pivotal story point, so we<br /> decided on a blonde, curly hair texture<br /> for her lace-front wig.” The character<br /> Hilly Holbrook, played by Bryce Dallas<br /> Howard, also posed challenges because<br /> Howard’s hair was very long. “We had<br /> to create two falls in a layered bob shape<br /> and used her own hair in the front,” Friend<br /> says. “Aibileen (Viola Davis), on the<br /> other hand, needed to look very natural,<br /> and natural is sometimes the hardest look<br /> to create.” For her look, Friend had two<br /> wigs made featuring a natural African-<br /> American hair texture before she and<br /> her team added some gray to them for<br /> Maid to Order<br /> dimension. Celia (Jessica Chastain) was<br /> Friend’s over-the-top character, so she<br /> and her team designed a Marilyn Monroe<br /> type of look for her using a lace-front wig<br /> made from platinum blonde hair. Finally,<br /> Charlotte, played by Allison Janney,<br /> wore many wigs because her character<br /> has cancer. “She changed looks with her<br /> outfits,” says Friend, who used many wigs<br /> and ¾-inch pieces on her, as well as a<br /> very thin wig for her cancer-patient look.<br /> “None of these looks would have been<br /> possible without an awesome hair team." —Kelley Donahue
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