Stellan Skarsgård is famous for his impressive transformations for the films in which he appears. As Bootstrap, Bill Turner transformed into a crew member of the Black Pearl covered with sea growths. Now we can see him in the next part of “Dune”. As Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, he is a huge body who, due to his bulk, is unable to move on his own and needs special mechanisms to lift him. The technology of special effects has been so advanced for several years that an actor does not necessarily have to become his character thanks to makeup. However, Skarsgård chooses the traditional method, contrary to trends.
“Dune 2”. Stellan Skarsgard’s makeup took eight hours
Stellan Skarsgård already became known as a lover of cinematic traditions on the set of “Pirates of the Caribbean”. While other actors came to the set, squeezed into tight motion capture suits and had spots painted on their bodies as reference points for the computers, Skarsgård felt that this was degrading to him as an actor. It is also disrespectful to the ancient art of makeup.
However, this meant an appropriate amount of sacrifices. Every day on the set, Stellan Skarsgård had to show up much, much earlier than everyone else. Makeup for “Pirates of the Caribbean” took about six hours. It took him even longer to become Vladimir Harkonnen in “Dune” – it took over six hours to put on the costume and an additional two hours to take it off.
The oversized naked body is made of special modeling foam, which itself is quite light. However, the situation is different when there is so much of it that it becomes the actor’s entire additional body:
I wasn’t as heavy as I looked. But carrying about 40 kilograms of the costume and acting physically normal was a challenge. You have to come to terms with it. Don’t panic, sit still and let the experts work while you watch them cover your body with paint and paint every vein on your hands. It’s fascinating, Skarsgard said in an interview with USA Today.
The Baron’s costume was intentionally all naked flesh. “Harkonnen does not need armor, he is more dangerous naked. His evil comes from within,” the actor explained. The 72-year-old squeezed into a 40-kilogram costume (the prosthetic hands alone weighed about 10 kilograms), which had a special cooling system installed to prevent the actor’s body from overheating.
Without it, I would suffer from heatstroke. I had a large pipe attached to the back that was constantly pumping cool water. It wasn’t very dignified, but it helped me survive. Without a doubt, it looked idiotic, he said.
Dune 2 Niko Tavernise / Niko Tavernise
Denis Villeneuve dreamed of “Baron the Hippopotamus”
One of the most famous scenes, repeated many times in both parts of “Dune”, is the one with Baron Harkonnen immersed in healing fluids. It turns out that the first attempt at shooting the shot completely destroyed Skarsgård’s hard-won characterization. The oils in which the Baron bathed dissolved the glues that held the costume together. However, the stage had to be created regardless of the costs.
I dreamed of immersing the Baron in liquid and letting him rise to the surface like a hippopotamus, said Villeneuve with disarming sincerity.
In the conversation, the gentlemen also briefly answered the question what exactly the Baron was immersed in. It was apparently a mixture of oil, water, thickener and black paint. “I didn’t know what this crap was and I was a little afraid to ask,” Skarsgård said.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
