One thing that’s universal among horror fans is that they LOVE the special effects and makeup! We had the opportunity to sit down (virtually) with Jacqueline Holden, a makeup artist who’s experienced in everything from beauty to horror special effects makeup, and spoke to her about her career and how she got started. Through Project Fashion Tails she’s also worked with talented photographer Devin Dygert and has done makeup for such actors as Sarah Wayne Callies, Finn Wittrock, Robert Englund, and more!
Married to Horror (MTH): Hi Jacqui! Welcome! How are you?
Jacqie: Hi, thanks for having me! It’s already been busy. I started on one feature and I have an 18-day feature coming up.
MTH: That’s amazing! We’re glad you’re doing well. This is such a scary situation.
Jacqie: It’s crazy. Now, the process is so much more exhausting, even just wearing the face shield and the mask with people having to be in front of you without a mask after you’ve been used to quarantining…it’s scary.
MTH: It really is. We hope the world can get back to normal soon. Thank you so much for joining us virtually! Would you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got started in makeup? How did you come to love it and it became a career for you?
Jacqie: Well, I was a medical assistant first and then when I was going to college I took a photography class. I wasn’t very good at photography but I started doing the makeup for the other student’s models and that’s how I got my “in” in makeup but I definitely thought I was going to go the fashion route. Back before Instagram and before anything! Just when I used to buy magazines and be like, “Oh, I want to do this.” So, once I turned 25 that’s when I had the thought that’s when I have to make the jump to doing this or I’m going to be this medical assistant. So, I moved out to Los Angeles and I went to makeup school. I did think I was only going to spend a year out in L.A. just because I hated it in the beginning. I feel like everyone says that and then you hit that four or five-year mark before you love it. At least for me. Devin (Dygert) was the very first photographer I met out here. So, I started building my portfolio right after school and that’s how it all started.
MTH: That’s great! L.A. can be a tough city. If you don’t find your group and your rhythm then it can be pretty isolating.
Jacqie: It’s going to be my ten years next year!
MTH: You still look 25. I’ll tell you that! Do you think having been a medical assistant helped you with some of the special effects makeup you create?
Jacqie: Definitely, I worked mostly in nursing homes. When you’re a medical assistant working in nursing homes it’s stressful. Sometimes I just look at the crew and they’re just like kids with cameras trying to make something happen and it’s just so fun. I do definitely think every time I read a script and if they want something a little more made up since I was a medical assistant I do know what things properly looked like if something deteriorating or bruising. So, it did help me in that aspect of trying to keep it more realistic. I was happy to have a niche that worked for me.
MTH: Totally, it’s a difficult industry so it’s good to figure out where you can get in. Would you tell us how long you did fashion makeup before you transitioned into horror makeup?
Jacqie: I did fashion makeup for a few years and then I started assisting people. So, I started to get a little dabble in film but with film there’s a bunch of character makeup. Completely different from photo shoots or just a commercial look. So, I interned 7-8 years ago at Boneyard Effects and interning for them at that time they always did Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. So, I was thrown into that Halloween world that I’d never been in which was so fun to be a part of. Around 7 years ago before they started doing silicone masks on and off when I was interning at Boneyard they are making 5,000 prosthetics for 500 scare actors a night. Halloween Horror Nights was very makeup heavy in the beginning years I did it at Boneyard. After I interned at Boneyard that’s when I met a lot more makeup artists from there and then started doing a little more film and that’s how I got my baby special effects start.
MTH: You got your feet wet! Universal Halloween Horror Nights really has the best scare actors.
Thank you for doing this interview Charlene & Daniel. Makeup artists are a very important piece in the filmmaking process and rarely get the spotlight they deserve. I really enjoyed reading about Jacqueline’s journey. Also, I think it’s very cool Daniel that you got to be a zombie for George Romero’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Thanks J!
Jacqueline is great and so talented and totally agree! Make-up artists are such a pivotal part of the movie-making process especially in horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. re: Daniel. That was so cool! I had to work and was sad I couldn’t be there but so excited for him and hearing about the process.