Shadowhunters Debriefs: Interview with Brian Hui and the Makeup Team

Welcome to Shadowhunters Debriefs, an insider’s look into the making of Shadowhunters. This collaboration with ShumDarioNews features interviews with the writers and crew behind this award-winning, fan-favorite TV show. This week’s debrief is with Brian Hui (Make-Up Head of Department), Amanda O’Leary (Key Make-Up), and Verity Fiction (Assistant Make-Up). They opened up about who was the most fidgety during make-up, the usefulness of packing tape, the collaboration behind the characters’ evolving looks, and the emotional last day of filming.

You’ve created lots of stunning make-up looks throughout the seasons. Do you have some favorites?

Brian: I just came on in Season 3 so some of the characters were already established, but I was able to put my own spin on their looks. Clary has her regular ‘mission’ look, but we got to have some fun for special events like her rune ceremony, date night, and club looks. As Clary’s journey continues in 3B, her look will evolve.

Brian: Lilith was such fun make-up to do. ‘Black Lilith’ in episode 3×01 took about two hours; initially with four of us airbrushing Anna Hopkins with MAC black airbrush make-up, stippling her body with Bluebird Gloss Sealer, and then when we were shooting, we covered her body with a product called ‘Ultra Crude’ which gives an oily tar finish. That same day, we had to clean her up entirely and turn her into ‘glam Lilith.’ Our costume designer, Shelley Mansell, dressed Anna in the most incredible gowns, so we went full-out glamour for her make-up. ‘More is more’ was our mantra!

Which products did you run out of the most often?

Brian: A variety of FX sealers to prolong the wear of the runes and, if you would believe it, packing tape! Lots of packing tape, which worked on most of the actors to remove their runes quickly. We also went through our fair share of blood. Fresh blood, dark blood, mouth blood…you name it, we had it!

Amanda: Gosh, it was such a busy show and there were all manners of make-up. But I’m gonna agree with Brian here, tape! We became experts on packing tape – which brands worked better on some actors, which ones were stickier, which technique worked better, etc.

Also with [Harry Shum Jr.], I went thru a lot of nail polish remover! The polish and traditional removers were pretty hard on his nails, but I found this all natural remover (Karma Naturals) that was just amazing.

What was your everyday routine when coming to set?

Brian: We are generally in anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours before the crew so we can have the actors ready for blocking out the scene. Depending on what actors are in later that day, that determines which of the team go to set initially to maintain the cast for the first scene. Each day is different, which will determine whether or not I have to attend meetings for upcoming episodes, breaking new scripts down, and keeping up on our continuity notes. My team is amazing (Amanda, Verity, and Jen) and I delegated tasks to them as well. The film world is a lot of ‘hurry up and wait,’ but we always had work to do while we waited!

Whose make-up took the most time to get done?

Brian: With the exception of [Lilith in 3×01], I would say the Seelie Queens and Meliorn were the longest make-ups. We would book 2.5 hours for hair, make-up, and prosthetics. The Seelie Queens involved being wig-capped; wigged; vine tattoos applied to the face, arms, and chest; and then the leaves painted with gold, seelie ear tips glued, and then the beauty make-up.

Amanda: I would have to say [Emeraude Toubia]. She always had a lot going on, and always had these beautiful outfits that showed a lot of skin, and that means lots of runes! Isabelle had pretty much a signature look, but we both love make-up so much that we were constantly looking for ways to make it better.

There was one make-up on Emeraude that I assisted our prosthetics make-up artist, Adrian Stansfield, with that took a few hours. He did such a great job with her. It’s in an upcoming episode, so I can’t say too much about it right now.

Verity: For me, the seelies definitely took the longest. Brian already mentioned Meliorn; we also have a couple of upcoming new seelies that were very long processes. I would often tag-team with Adrian [for the prosthetics], to get the job done faster. We had a really smooth routine down by the end. One of the longer make-ups was the day when our Seelie Warrior (from 3×11) arrived with a shaved face and I had to create fake stubble for him from scratch, using a technique called ‘hair laying.’ We also shot the scene that day where he was shirtless and being tortured, so along with all his usual make-up and the stubble, he had to have vine tattoos on his chest and arms applied.

Who would you say was the most difficult about sitting still for their make-up?

Brian: [Laughs] No one was ever difficult! However, Jace with long sleeves on versus Jace shirtless added a whole lot of extra time. [Dom Sherwood] has his own tattoos which I had to cover first and then apply about 23 runes afterwards. Usually, Verity and I would tag-team to get him processed quicker if we had to see all of his runes.

Amanda: Harry, for sure! That man is always dancing, always moving. Harry does not like to sit still. I had to come up with some creative ways to get his make-up on straight. I had a yoga wheel he could stretch with. Sometimes he wouldn’t sit at all; I would just do his make-up standing up. But he is so lovely, he would always stop when I needed him to.

How did you keep track of the rune positioning?

Brian: We kept a very detailed rune/prosthetic transfer bible to keep the continuity of the runes. It also included any prosthetics that we did, like Jordan Kyle’s wolf scratches. [Kat McNamara] and I had the system down pat and we would put the runes on together just to be time efficient.

Amanda: We had a pretty elaborate system for the runes. In addition to our valuable bible, there was a filing system, and an ordering system; we were alway cutting runes out. We all remember in our beginning days thinking we would never master these runes, and when we realized we knew them all by heart – their meanings and who got what where – we were super proud of ourselves on that day!

Do you work with the writers, directors, and showrunners to help come with a character’s look? How much direction do you have?

Brian: Meetings, meetings, and more meetings! Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer are amazing showrunners, and Matt Hastings was my go-to person on-set for any questions I had. On Anna’s first day as ‘glam Lilith,’ she went to set to rehearse. I hadn’t gotten full approval yet for her look, and I received a message that Matt had a make-up note which was ‘10% more.’ Oh, I can definitely do 10% more! [Laughs]

Amanda: There was always a strong collaboration between writers, directors, showrunners, and us. It was really important to all of us that we never forgot the books, but that we stayed true to our story.

Verity: We work very closely with the writers, producers, directors, and showrunners as well as the actors themselves to figure out each of the looks. At the beginning of each season, and whenever a new character is introduced, we do what are called ‘camera tests.’ That is where hair, make-up, and costume do a trial run of the looks we have discussed for that character and they go in front of the camera. Then that footage is shown to the big bosses in L.A. and they give feedback. If changes are requested, we then implement the changes and the final look is decided before the first day we film with that actor. It’s a really cool collaboration process that means everyone is happy and there are no surprises on the day [of filming].

After the show became more mature and darker for Season 2, we noticed changes in some of the characters’ looks. What were your thoughts behind that?

Amanda: That was all very intentional, aging them up a bit, to keep in line with the entire shift of the show going to a darker and more dangerous place. Our heroes are dealing with some big issues and not everyone survives. We wanted our looks to reflect that.

Magnus is one of the characters whose look changed the most over the seasons. What was the process and thinking behind that?

Amanda: When I came to the show in Season 2, I really wanted Magnus. There were so many things I wanted to bring to his character. Little did I know what a journey it would be and how much I would fall in love with both Harry and Magnus.

I really wanted to show Magnus’ darkness, his wisdom, and carry the richness of his wardrobe through to his make-up. I wanted him to be sharp, chiseled, and on point. One of the biggest changes from Season 1 to 2 was his goatee, and we (Harry and I) fought to keep it in Season 3. Also in Season 2, I had a purple liner (Stila Magnificent Metals in ‘Black Tanzinite’ disc.) that I used that I loved on Magnus. We decided to drop it in Season 3 because Magnus was more settled in his life with Alec, he didn’t need to be so flashy.

Did the script have an influence on what make-up you were going to use on the characters? For example, when Magnus was struggling with his nightmares in 2×13, what determined the use of pink eyeshadow?

Amanda: Changing Magnus’ make-up was a way for us to show his emotions. 2×13 was sort of the start of that for us. Magnus was always the stoic and wise warlock; it was a way to show his humanity. In Season 3, we use this a lot more, especially in 3B.  

In 3×10, Magnus lost his powers, [and they were] almost like another sense. And after all these centuries, he has not only become habitually dependent but he [also] took his powers for granted. He struggles to find his way without them, and we tried to reflect that in his make-up. There’s even a scene in 3×11 where he tries to do his make-up without magic – not very successfully, I might add. We used different tones of grey eyeshadows instead of black, sometimes we changed his nail polish and we even got rid of it at one point! It was really fun to explore that journey through make-up.

Do you have a favorite look for each main character?

Brian: I loved anytime I got to come up with a Clary ‘event’ look. Kat and I would get so excited when we found a moment for a new make-up! There’s about three [distinct] looks for her in 3B, but you’ll have to wait and see!

Amanda: Yes! There is with Magnus, but I can’t tell you that yet; it’s literally near the end of the series! As well, I always had the best time with Emeraude making Isabelle as flawless as we could get her.

Are there any looks in 3B that you were particularly happy to work on?

Brian: I loved that all of my women had completely different looks. From Clary, Lilith, Helen, and both Seelie Queens, they all had distinct looks. I also got to do some really fun prosthetic FX work as well (some things that will be revealed in 3B!).

The evolution of Jonathan’s look was great fun, too. Luke Baines and I worked together on the placement of his runes. Since he’s obsessed with his sister, Clary, and feels a rivalry with Jace, we decided on a combination of the two of them. For example, Clary has her Heal (Irazte) on her neck and Vision and Protected on her left clavicle. We placed the same runes on Jonathan but in different sizes and slightly askew (to break up his body) to show how unbalanced he was. For Jace’s runes, we placed them on Jonathan as a mirror image and slightly off (like the Speed and Flexibility runes), almost as if he’s looking at Jace and trying to measure up to him. Fun little Easter eggs!

Verity: Yes, but I can’t talk about them just yet 😉 .

Did the actors have any input on their hairstyle and make-up?

Brian: Definitely, which is why I love to collaborate with the cast on their looks. If we have time, we will get the actor in for a hair/make-up test. Other times, the actor might be cast a few days before shooting, so I’ll usually try to have a few ideas to present to them beforehand. One fun idea I had for Helen (Sydney Meyer) was to put two runes on her arm, Angelic/Love to foreshadow the relationship between her and Aline. Sydney loved the idea so that made me happy!

Amanda: Actors always have opinions about their characters; it’s one of the best parts of this job. People coming together with ideas and making some art. Writers come up with all these weird and wonderful ideas and they go down the chain, and we try to explore all of them. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. And sometimes they end up on our Wall of Unused Script Ideas!

Verity: Make-up and hair can be a huge help to an actor and be the thing that takes them to the next level in becoming their character. So it’s very important to involve the actor in the process. They have developed the character in their head and often times have already thought about how they would look before sitting in our chairs. I love the process of discussing the looks and helping create the character with my head of department and the actors. It’s so rewarding to have the, ‘Oh, there they are,’ moment when a make-up is complete.

If you could create any character’s makeup look again, is there anything you would do differently? Or, alternatively, is there anything you would have loved to have experimented with more?

Brian: The only thing I wish I had done was to have given Underhill (Steve Byers), more affectionately known as ‘Underpants,’ a good neck rune. I gave him these great ones on his forearms, but most of the time, his sleeves were down.

Amanda: If I could go back and change anything, it would probably be the Iron Sisters (from Season 2). We just really didn’t have the time with them to really develop who they were and find out where we could go with them.

Episode 1×10 is set in an alternate universe. Most of the character looked very different from what the fans were used to. What were your thoughts while creating those alternate looks?

Verity: This was my favorite episode to work on in Season 1. I loved the idea of alternative universe looks and we really got to play. Fun fact: I was the inspiration for the ‘nerd Izzy’ look. Emeraude and I discussed a lot of ideas for nerdy looks as I was the resident ‘nerd girl’ at the time. Ultimately, she asked me to do her make-up how I did my own make-up. I was also super into a side braid at the time, so the hair department decided that would be a fun hairstyle for Alternative Universe Izzy to have.

How did working on Shadowhunters differ from your other projects?

Brian: I’ve been in the business for over 20 years, so I’ve worked on a lot of interesting projects. What I loved about working on Shadowhunters from a make-up perspective is that our team got to do a bit of everything: beauty, tattoos (runes), fantasy, prosthetics, blood-and-gore…a make-up artist’s dream! I also have to add that this cast and crew are such a family, definitely a Shadowfam! I said it earlier, but I had the most amazing team on Shadowhunters.

Amanda: We have become a family. We all became friends, real friends – cast, crew, and the production team. We hung out together on weekends, and most of us all talk to each other to this day. We all thought we would be together for a long time.

Verity: Shadowhunters really was a dream make-up job, as Brian said, we really got the chance to do every kind of make-up you could think of. The challenges were frequent enough that it was never boring but not so frequent that you were a ball of stress every day. Because we shot for almost 10 months out of the year, the cast and crew really became a tight-knit family. Shadowhunters, I think, will always be a career highlight for me.

If you could go back to your first day of working on Shadowhunters, what advice would you give yourself?  

Brian: Breathe! You will figure out the rune placement eventually.

Amanda: If I could go back, I think I would try and convince everyone to keep Valentine alive. I loved to hate him so much!

Verity: Take photos, of everything, everyone. All my experiences on the show are fading memories now and I just wish I’d taken more photos.

What was the most important thing you gained from your experience working on Shadowhunters?

Brian: The friendships between the cast and the crew are what I will hold dear to my heart. And of course, the fans…I can’t tell you how wonderfully overwhelming the love and support from Shadowhunters meant to us. We generally work a 70-80 hour week in our little bubble and hope that the end result is good. Well, Shadowfam, you made all of the hard work worth it.

Amanda: The power of the angels, the Shadowhunters fans. They are by and far one of the most incredible things I have witnessed in my career. Their passion and dedication has brought me to tears on more than one occasion. I wish we could have saved the show for them.

Verity: Shadowhunters was my first big full-time union show and I gained my union membership because of it. I’ll forever be thankful to my Season 1 head of department for trusting in me and bringing me onto the show. Each of my department heads each season taught me so much. Every experience has been a valuable lesson that I will take with me for the rest of my career.

What was your favorite memory from working on Shadowhunters?

Brian: There are so many amazing memories! One of my first memories was going to the stunt room in the studio to meet Kat. She was working out and came up to me saying, ‘Hi, I’m Kat! Sorry I’m sweaty!’ and gave me the biggest hug. That is the Shadowfam in a nutshell!

Paris…ah, Paris! As you saw in 3×12, the show went to Paris and I was fortunate enough to be asked to go. We had such a wonderful time shooting there and had some fantastic meals as well.

My most emotional memories would be filming the series finale. It was bittersweet, but I felt so fortunate that we got to work with each other again. When they said, ‘Cut…and that’s a series wrap,’ there wasn’t enough tissues for all of the tears. I will say that we partied hard in the Institute that night!

Verity: Literally too many to recount. I remember that we laughed a lot on that show. Some of my favorite memories include almost the entire cast and crew going to Archers Arena for [Isaiah Mustafa’s] birthday one year. Our wrap parties were always killer. Getting rune tattoos for real with Dom and some of the make-up/hair team in Season 2 (don’t believe Dom; he copied my pinky talent rune tattoo, not the other way ‘round!). Jamming in the band room at lunchtime and creating the ‘very real’ band with [Alberto Rosende], ‘The Fiction Contradiction.’ [These] are some of my most favorite life memories, not just Shadowhunters memories.

But ultimately, I think my most most most favorite memory – and one that I will cherish for the rest of my career – happened on our very last day when we finished shooting Episode 22 of Season 3. Our 1st AD, Siluck, and Todd Slavkin gave a speech thanking everyone for their work on the show, and as I looked around teary-eyed, I saw every single person in the room tearing up, too, even some of the older crew who’ve seen so many shows’ final days. And I remember thinking everyone loved this as much as I did, and it really was something special.

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Shadowhunters airs on Freeform on Mondays at 8pm EST and is available the following day to stream on Hulu and Netflix International.