For Palms RoyalSlim Aarons’ 1960s photographs served as the biggest inspiration for makeup and hair heads Tricia Sawyer and Karen Bartek to perfect the looks of a cast that includes Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett, Ricky Martin and Leslie Bibb.
“Aarons really captured the essence of Palm Beach at that time,” says Sawyer THR. “He has several books that I consult daily. There are also some videos online that feature women from Palm Beach society during that time that have helped me a lot.”
Palm Royale follows Wiig’s Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons, an outsider trying to carve out a place in Palm Beach high society. Nearly every actor in the series, which has been renewed for a second season, references the hairstyle or makeup of a famous actress or icon of the era, Bartek explains. Maxine wears Sharon Tate’s long, styled locks, while Bibb’s Dinah bob pays homage to Barbara Parkins and Jackie Onassis. Janney and her hairstylist Jill Crosby worked on an Esmeralda-esque aesthetic for her character Evelyn, while hairstylist Frida Aradóttir worked with Laura Dern on her character’s hippie style.
Sawyer and Bartek scoured Pinterest as well as various magazines and films from 1969 to find further inspiration for the hair and makeup looks: “We chose colors that would enhance the world created by (writer and producer Abe Sylvia) and not distract from it,” says Sawyer.
Bartek had wigs and hairpieces made for each actor. Sometimes three or four looks were required in a single day of shooting, which proved challenging. “Some of the looks were definitely more difficult than others, like when we started attaching hairpieces to wigs. I know Jill would sometimes use two or three wigs for just one look for Allison,” she says. “Each character had a specific look (and they) were all very different, so we tried to keep the same distinctive look for each of them throughout, while still maintaining that fun 1969 Palm Beach look.”
Both Sawyer and Bartek cite the extreme summer heat as a challenge throughout production. “The temperature sometimes reached over 100 degrees while we were working in small tents,” says Bartek. Sawyer recalls that crews had to be careful to keep the actors “cool, fresh and with sun protection.” The show was filmed not in Palm Beach (filmmakers are not allowed to shoot there without a permit), but in Los Angeles.
“I think the biggest challenge for me was having the wonderful Kristen Wiig in every scene, first in, last out,” says Sawyer. “Josh Lucas shot Yellowstone at the same time and had to keep his sideburns contemporary for both shows. When we had flashbacks to the ’40s, (makeup artist) Kenny Niederbaumer covered his sideburns completely. (Makeup artist) Marissa Lafayette and Kenny covered Ricky Martin’s many tattoos on a daily basis, especially for the pool scenes where he is topless.”
Eyelashes, nails and tans were kept consistent throughout the show, as was the use of sherbet colors. KISS’s self-adhesive nails were “a lifesaver for our extras,” says Sawyer.
This story first appeared in an August single issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine and subscribe, click here.
