How Crew Recreated ‘The Godfather’s’ Look for Paramount+ Series ‘The Offer’
variety.comJazz Tangcay Artisans EditorAs part of Paramount+’s “The Offer,” makeup designer Katy Fray had to recreate looks from “The Godfather.” That meant transforming Justin Chambers and Giovanni Ribisi into Marlon Brando and Joe Colombo, respectively.Ribisi gained 30 pounds to play the part of crime boss Colombo.
In addition to a few prosthetic pieces, Fray took to shaving back his hair to create a receding bald comb-over. He then added a little hairpiece to the top of his head to create a thinning look.Fray says she and Ribisi “had to convince” director Dexter Fletcher that it was the right move. “Once it’s been taken off, it’s gone,” she says.Brylcreem was her go-to hair product to keep the hair in place, and makeup for him was minimal.
On the other hand, the most daunting challenge was transforming Chambers into Brando’s Don Vito Corleone. Fray began by researching the work of Dick Smith, whose credits include “The Exorcist, “Taxi Driver” and “The Godfather.” Then she tried his techniques on Chambers.
She began by taking impressions of Chambers’ mouth. “We recreated a jawline by pulling it down with dental plumpers so his jaw would hang low,”Fray says, noting that the plumpers with the mouthcast would help structure the actor’s mouth to look exactly like Brando’s Corleone.
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