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Creating “Wicked” Looks

Award-winning hair and makeup artist Frances Hannon talks about the magic she worked on the Wicked movies

Oct / Nov 2025
Interview by Karen Grimaldos

Universal Pictures

How does Hannon show each character’s journey through their hair and makeup?

Scholastic Art: What is your job?

Frances Hannon: I am a makeup, hair, and prosthetics designer who has been working in film and television for more than 20 years.

Universal Pictures

Frances Hannon

SA: How did you approach designing your Oscar-nominated looks for Wicked?

FH: I worked closely with the director, costume designer, and production designer to define each character before developing their looks. When it came time to design, I focused on each character’s journey for inspiration. For example, Madame Morrible has magical powers that allow her to control the weather. In Wicked, her hair is inspired by puffy, voluptuous clouds. But in Wicked: For Good, her hair transforms from beautiful floating clouds to more of a stormy-weather, hazardous look. This change is a visual reflection of her character’s journey.

Universal Pictures

How does Madame Morrible’s hair transform to suggest different types of clouds?

SA: What was your process for developing makeup designs?

FH: My first step was to become familiar with the color palettes that had already been developed for each area in Oz. After reviewing all the color palettes, I was able to design makeup looks that were a good fit for each area. You can see this with the Munchkins in Munchkinland, which had a very earthy color palette of reds, oranges, and caramels. Their makeup design featured tanned skins and freckles. This fit the color palette, and it also made sense with their story because Munchkins are agricultural people who work outdoors.

SA: Did you collaborate with any other hair and makeup artists on the set?

FH: Yes, we had a huge team. On an average day, we had 45-50 artists in hair and makeup. When we would shoot scenes with Munchkins, or in the Emerald City, we sometimes had more than 160 artists because so many actors needed makeup and hair. These artists worked extremely long hours, sometimes starting as early as 2:30 in the morning and not wrapping up until the evening—and then they still had to dress wigs for the following day!

SA: Did you face any challenges during the production?

FH: Yes, finding the perfect green color for Elphaba’s makeup was a challenge. We needed a color that would work well on Cynthia’s skin and last through long shooting days. It also needed to be sweatproof and could not rub off on any of the beautiful costumes. That color did not exist—it had to be created for us. Another important consideration with Elphaba was time in the chair. The longer it takes to apply or remove makeup, the less time your director has with the actor on the set. This is why we decided to airbrush the color onto Cynthia.

Universal Pictures

What made it difficult to find the best makeup to create Elphaba’s green skin?

SA: What advice do you have for students who are interested in a career like yours?

FH: Gain practical experience. If you are interested in hairdressing, contact a local theater company and learn everything you can about coloring hair and dressing wigs. Learn makeup processes by going to a makeup store and observing how they apply makeup. Maybe there is a prosthetics artist who will let you clean out their molds in exchange for observing their process. Never give up! There will always be somebody, somewhere who will let you in that door.

Universal Pictures

How do details like Elphaba’s nails create a unified look for her character?

How To Become a Hair and Makeup Artist

GETTING STARTED:
  • Volunteer at a local theater company or work at a makeup counter to get experience.
  • Learn the basics of film production.
  • Take pictures of your hair and makeup designs and create a portfolio.

 

EDUCATION:

  • Many hair and makeup designers have a bachelor’s degree in theater with a specialization in makeup design.

 

SALARY:

  • Film hair and makeup artists can earn between $40,000 and $66,000 or more, depending on experience and location.

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