Stellan Skarsgård, who plays the odious Baron Harkonnen in Dune, wanted more scenes of his character in the buff.
According to makeup artist Donald Mowat in an interview with TheWrap, Skarsgård "just loved being naked as the Baron. We all used to kill ourselves laughing when Stellan would ask for more nude scenes. He felt, quite correctly, that the Baron appeared more frightening and dangerous unclothed than cloaked in robes or armor. So he was always asking for more nudity.”
Baron Harkonnen in the 2021 film is primarily created through heavy makeup work -- not just an unnaturally grey skin tone, but several prosthetics as well. "We added cheeks, jowls, a silicone bald cap, and eyebrow covers," Mowat explained. "I’m always looking to spot fake eyebrow covers in films, so we worked hard on those. Also, Stellan wore prosthetic hands and feet and ankles."
As a result, Skarsgård's makeup required five artists and four hours of time to put together -- and that was when he was fully clothed. Naked, the timespan was upped six to seven hours. "That’s a huge difference in the day, but it was worth it," Mowat said.
When they started working on Dune three years ago, director Denis Villeneuve told Mowat that the Baron's makeup shouldn't ever obscure or cover up Skarsgård's performance. "Honestly, the first couple versions we sketched out didn’t work," Mowat recalled. "That’s often the case with villainous characters. Denis liked the idea of a smooth, Alopecia-like appearance, but our initial designs make him look like a hairless bear. And we were aware, of course, of the history of using fat suits for comic effect. This was definitely not meant to be one of those performances."
Mowat added that two of the main inspirations for the Baron were a pair of performances by the legendary actor Marlon Brando. "We always talked about Brando as Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, that mysterious figure in the jungle with the long robe and the bald head," he explained. "I also had in my head the crazy Brando role in The Island of Dr. Moreau. That movie was not a big success but, wow, Brando’s performance is so unpredictable and out there."
Despite all the difficulties that went into making the Baron onscreen, Mowat praised Villeneuve's commitment to using practical effects in the movie. "I just love that Denis was so committed to go with practical makeup effects," he noted. "And that he was so supportive. We needed 16 or 17 weeks and Denis and [producer] Joe Caracciolo actually let us have it. We needed the time but also the support and the belief that we could do this. It’s a very traditional technique, not a visual effect, not CGI. Very few films get to do this anymore – it’s the essence of our craft."
Dune is currently playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.
Source: TheWrap
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