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In The Scenario, reporter Kirbie Johnson takes readers behind the scenes of the buzziest movies and TV shows to reveal how the best wigs, special-effects makeup, and more are created. For this edition, Johnson spoke with Kellie Robinson, Zendaya’s personal makeup artist on The Drama, to break down how the bridal makeup is the least dramatic element of the film. As you may expect, there are spoilers ahead.
The Drama lives up to its name. Ahead of its release, there’s been much discussion about the film’s horrifying twist, despite the studio trying to keep it under wraps (press screeners were kept uncharacteristically small and to a minimum). The dark romantic comedy stars Zendaya as Emma and Robert Pattinson as Charlie, a couple engaged to be married within the week. During a game of “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”—a game I can’t say is culturally popular or, frankly, that I’ve ever played—Emma and Charlie exchange stories with their couple friends, Mike (played by Mamoudou Athie) and Rachel (Alana Haim).
There is the bad: using a date as a human shield against an aggressive dog, like Mike. Then there's the unconscionable: locking a child with an intellectual disability in a fort, like Rachel (which I personally feel is a horrendous act I would rather forget than mention). And then there’s Emma's revelation: She shares after one too many glasses of wine that, as a bullied teenager, she planned a school shooting—a plan she ultimately didn’t follow through with. (She then ironically goes on to become the face of antigun activism in her school.)
This revelation rocks the foursome. Mike and Rachel are the best man and maid of honor, and we see the news take a toll on the couple throughout the week, through a variety of scenarios that make you question who actually wins the “worst act” award.
The Drama stirs up many emotions. During my press screening full of typically silent journalists, there was audible laughter, gasps, groans, and even sniffles. You're charmed by the bridal couple, horrified by several situations, and anxious to see how it all culminates at the wedding. This is what makes the film interesting and controversial, and it’s destined to be watercooler talk (at least at the online watercooler, a.k.a. the comments section). But the one element of the film that is no drama, no fuss, and doesn’t make you squirm in your chair? Zendaya’s beauty looks throughout—but especially her hair and makeup during the wedding scene.
A24 / Anthony Prince Leslie
Makeup artist Kellie Robinson, who has worked with Zendaya on other projects like Challengers, describes her wedding makeup for the film as a “ballerina, baby doll, clean” beauty look. The star's hair is swept off her face, but not in a tight, slicked-back bun; her makeup is a little more exaggerated for the wedding than it is in the rest of the film, but it’s not overpowering.
“[Zendaya] is very true to the character, true to the script,” says Robinson. “That’s the foundation of any character that we build. She [isn’t like,] ‘Oh, I need eyeliner.’ It’s like, ‘What does this character call for?’ So creating the look for the wedding was about who Emma was. The way that the story plays out, Emma would be a class act. It would be super classy, clean. She wouldn't do anything extra. She wouldn't add big hair and veils. That's not who she is.”
Robinson says she looks at things like wardrobe and the character’s lifestyle to inform the makeup: Emma is based in Boston, her husband is the director and curator at the fictional Cambridge Art Museum, and she has some nice staple garments that are expensive but not flashy. She is much more put-together and elegant than her teenage self. (Who isn’t?) All of this helps determine the makeup look, which is usually the cherry on top of her visual identity, not what’s driving everything else.
“If I were to pick a pink lip and a purple eye shadow, it would be really pretty,” says Robinson. “But if [Zendaya] should come out of the wardrobe with a red shirt on, no one's gonna say, ‘Why does she have that red shirt on?’ They're gonna say, ‘Why does she have the purple eye shadow?’ So I do play last for everything to come together.”
A24 / Anthony Prince Leslie
Robinson describes Emma’s overall, everyday look as effortless and classic, and the products used reflect that. For lips, Robinson used Nature Republic Light on Velvet Tint in #01 Fresh Lychee. “We didn't want a glossy lip,” Robinson explains. “It needed to be a stain, because that is true to who she is. She's not going to be the girl who keeps cleaning up.” In a titular scene at the wedding reception, you see Emma go to the restroom and pull out Violette FR’s Bisou Balm in Rose Latte for a touch-up, which Robinson says was used for filming purposes because the lip stain’s viscosity could have caused drips and splatters during application.
Robinson is also an esthetician and focuses heavily on the skin, avoiding powder on set and instead ensuring that the skin always appears supple. She employed a variety of foundations throughout filming, depending on the needs of Zendaya’s skin, including MOB Beauty Blurring Ceramide Cream Foundation in Neutral 50, TirTir Mask Red Cushion Foundation in Camel, and Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Serum Foundation in shade 6, and added hydration with 9 Happened Face Water.
For the cheeks, she used an under-painting technique—applying blush first and coverage products second—so it melted seamlessly into the skin. For Emma’s wedding look, Robinson used Patrick Ta’s Major Headlines Double-Take Creme & Powder Blush Duo in She’s Blushing (a rosy taupe); but to create a natural flush for the other scenes, she used Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed in Red Velvet and coated the lashes with Half Magic’s Eyelectric Extreme Mascara.
In the end, Emma is beautiful; the makeup is beautiful, even as all hell is breaking loose. The looks Robinson created for Zendaya’s character are striking in that you’re not thinking about them— leaving all the drama to every other element of this controversial film.
