‘Poker Face’: Cruella De Vil Was the Inspiration for Cherry Jones’ Character
variety.comA.D. Amorosi Throughout the currently-running first season of Peacock’s “Poker Face,” guests to actor-writer-co-creator Natasha Lyonne’s murder mystery party have found themselves transformed almost beyond recognition.
While this has included Chloë Sevigny as a metalhead, and Judith Light and S. Epartha Merkerson as radical hippies-turned-doubly-radical-senior citizens, one transmutation stands above the rest: Episode 8’s “The Orpheus Syndrome” and the makeover given to actress Cherry Jones.
In its script written by Alice Ju and Lyonne (who made her “Poker Face” directing debut with Ep. 8), Jones’ ‘Laura’ character is a big money, power mad, special effects house co-founder who’ll stop at nothing to maintain her position within the film community — including murder.
Enter “Poker Face” makeup head Amy L. Forsythe and hair department head Marcel Dagenais – both worked with Lyonne on her “Russian Doll” series – to transform Jones’ usual earth-mother beauty into something stark and haughtily haute couture. “Cherry’s ‘Laura’ was inspired by Cruella de Vil – perfectly dressed, sinister, oh-so-chic,” said costume designer Trayce Gigi Field. “I wanted ‘Laura’ to feel like money just entered the room.
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