Emma Thompson’s Goth-Punk Hair, Makeup, and Wardrobe Transformation
The Oscar winner disappears into her rule-breaking PI role in Apple TV’s ‘Down Cemetery Road.’ (Spoiler-free!)
Hey WNVM-ers,
Hi, Fawnia here! I’ve loved Emma Thompson since the ‘90s, specifically in Dead Again, the Much Ado About Nothing with Keanu and Denzel, and Sense and Sensibility. You know how an actor stays frozen in your consciousness as the version you first saw during your formative years? To see Thompson, not in corseted period dresses, but grunged-out black leather and smeared eyeliner in “Down Cemetery Road,” was a bit of a mind f*ck that I loved. So I had to talk to the Apple TV show’s costume and hair/makeup designers about it.
A programming note: We’re off next week for Thanksgiving, but look out for the November bonus issue and, in big news, I hand it over to Cheryl…
It’s Cheryl here, with a bit of news to share. At the end of the year, I’ll be leaving WNVM. Due to some personal and professional goals and commitments, I can’t devote the amount of time, care, and attention that both Fawnia and our subscribers here deserve. I am so proud of what we built over the last 18 months, and am so grateful to you all for supporting, reading, and sharing our work.
There is very little content devoted to Gen X-ers that I want to read regularly, and I like to think we created that here. Now, I’m going to be an enthusiastic reader as I leave WNVM in Fawnia’s very capable and talented hands. Looking forward to chatting with you all in the comments section!
Don’t say goodbye yet — we still have a month of Cheryl and her amazing writing to enjoy!
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Sweet Dreams Are Made of This
By Fawnia
The first episode of “Down Cemetery Road” — the Apple TV mystery series based on a book series by “Slow Horses” author Mick Herron — features one of the gnarliest, most shocking scenes ever.
As grizzled private detective Zoë Boehm, two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson, storms into the run-down Oxford office she shares with her husband Joe Silvermann (Adam Godley). Just seeing the definitive Elinor Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility (and veteran of two Merchant Ivory films) in a long, beat-up black leather jacket, lace-up combat boots, and a barely-tucked-in and very mussed shirt gave me total whiplash.
“Emma’s personal style was so far removed from this,” says “Down Cemetery Road” costume designer Annie Symons. “It was really funny when she came in and transformed into this dynamic.”
But then — since unpaid bills cut off the water at home, Zoë grabs a washcloth that looks like it came out of Jackson Lamb’s filthy Slough House bathroom, wipes down her armpits, and sticks her hands in her pants to freshen up her nether regions. Next, she proceeds to touch up her smokey eyes with mascara — without washing her hands. (She and Lamb are kindred spirits.) Her choppy, spiky white-and-gray hair feels appropriately untamed and rebellious, and her red lip hints toward plans not including Joe.
“We really wanted to create Zoë, rather than do anything Emma had done before,” says hair and makeup designer Frances Hounsem.
Well, mission accomplished. Thompson looks like she’s having the best time playing — and looking — against-type as a foul-mouthed, cantankerous, and etiquette-challenged PI. So much so that Thompson seemed to be holding onto some of Zoë as she did her “Down Cemetery Road” promo rounds, but in her own polished, elegant, but still playful kind of way.
“Her hair on ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ with her hair [by Ricardo Rojas] slicked back at the sides,” says Hounsem. (Thompson’s makeup by Julie Harris also looks quite Zoë-esque.) “She looks so good.”
Inspiration From an ‘80s Icon
Both Symons and Hounsem cite Annie Lennox, and her penchant for subverting masculine-feminine tropes, as the top reference point for Zoë’s defiantly indifferent swagger. Symons went a step further imagining how Zoë’s CD — or probably vinyl — collection informed her style.
“Joe is a jazz freak and she hates jazz,” says Symons, envisioning Zoë’s preference for moody post punk and high-energy New Wave artists, like New Order and I’m guessing, the Eurythmics. “She looks like a modern woman with attitude.”
Hounsem devised a harmoniously DGAF hair-and-makeup aesthetic. “Quite ‘get up and go.’ Zoë’s not someone who would necessarily think about her look,” says Hounsem. “She wants to do something that’s quick and easy. The lived-in eyeliner throws back to an Annie Lennox look from years ago. She’s a huge icon of mine — and Emma, as well.”
Zoë’s Unexpectedly Punk Leather Jacket and ‘Sh*t-Kicker Boots’
Per the script by Morwenna Banks, Zoë’s leather jacket serves as her hero piece to convey her audacious, nonconformist, and rebellious vibe or “for want of a better word, ‘punk attitude,’” says Symons. But she didn’t want to go with the standard black moto jacket that’s now shorthand for “I’m trouble!” on-screen.
“It’s a bit boring,” says Symons. After loads of searching, she landed on the perfect leather jacket that fittingly rebels against the norm: a streamlined, knee-length, and nipped-waist silhouette that billows like a superhero cape (or classic PI trench).
“[Thompson] loved it: the high collar, the silhouette, and the way it moves,” says Symons, who then lined it in a “shocking red” fabric that helps amp up the tension and drama, especially during the action sequences. “It has cinematic value.”
Zoë also lurks about and stomps into rooms unannounced in rough-and-tough combat boots. “Pardon my French, but it’s in the script as ‘sh*t-kicker boots,’” says Symons, who found a cool, lug-sole version by Scottish brand, Brora, with a coordinating red tab up the back. “The red flash sort of looks like Prada but Zoë Boehm would never have afforded Prada. So we thought she’d bought them in a market…as a replica.”
Symons also took inspiration from Thompson, herself.
“When I first met Emma, she turned up in this extraordinary outfit, and said, ‘Well, what do you think?’” says Symons. “She had some really good boots on, which were clearly out of the price range of the character, but the essence of them were really good. She also had [cuffed up] her jeans, which became a Zoë signature.”
For Thompson’s sake, comfort also proved crucial for Zoë’s “uniform,” which features a rotation of basic t-shirts or a shiny gray blouse for, erm, special occasions.
“Zoë basically changes her shirt, but doesn’t wash it,” says Symons. “She knows her style. It’s very functional. She knows she looks good in it.”
Zoë’s Just-Goth-Enough Eyeliner and Red Lip Stain
Zoë’s grungey, easy-to-apply makeup look plays off of her trademark leather jacket. “Her costume was very dark, very leathery, and very heavy. I was like, ‘We can’t go too gothic with the makeup, because it would just clash,’” says Hounsem.
For Zoë’s smokey eyes, Hounsem set the stage with a MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot as a neutral base. “Then it was just a very simple MAC Kohl Eyeliner in Smolder smudged in1,” says Hounsem, who also applied Revitalash Length Define Mascara. “Sometimes we enhanced it, like she’d kind of slept in it and she’d put a bit more on [the next day].” Hounsem imagined that Zoë, always in a rush, also applies and smudges her red Tom Ford lipstick with her fingers.
“Emma likes to be very dewy in her skin, and I like that look,” adds Hounsem, relying on Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Perfect Natural Glow Foundation, and Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Cream Contour Duo, and no powder.
Zoë’s Short, Edgy Haircut and Thompson’s ‘Real’ Color
In the book, Herron describes Zoë’s short, cropped hair as “must have been a wow at 18 but could get to be a nuisance in later life when people thought you wore it like that to look younger.” Rude, Mick, RUDE!
“We so totally veered away from that, and we did our own strong, powerful thing,” says Hounsem, with a very polite side-eye.
Thompson came to the show straight from filming her no-BS doctor role in Bridget Jones Diary: Mad About the Boy with a slightly longer “Princess Diana style” and happily sat in Hounsem’s chair for a rugged crop at the back with unruly layers at the front.
“We just shaved and chopped into it,” says Hounsem. “As soon as we did it, we were like, ‘Let’s go shorter, shorter!’”
For Zoë’s enviably unkempt style, Hounsem applied Sam McKnight Cool Girl Volume Foam on Thompson’s thick wet hair, dried it upside down for volume, and finished off with Sam McKnight Perfect Mess Soft Matte Styling Clay for texture. Thompson also provided an assist. “She’s very good at putting her hands in her hair and feeling how she wants it to fall and how she likes it to look,” adds Hounsem.
Zoë’s striking dark silver-streaked white hair also feels integral to the bold, unapologetic character — and is actually Thompson’s own.
“I want to take credit for it, but I can’t,” says Hounsem. “Our original producers were saying, ‘Oh, maybe we should blend that.’ But I was like, ‘I think it’s great. I don’t want to blend it. It goes with the character. It’s real.’”
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Whatever Nevermind explores stories and trends defining our generation, celebrate Gen X-ers doing cool things, and analyze all the ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia in current pop culture, fashion, and beauty. Read more stories like this one here!
You Oughta Know
Speaking of leather jackets, national treasure Henry Winkler stopped by “Lovett or Leave It” and shared how ABC initially made The Fonz wear a cloth one on “Happy Days” to avoid any criminal undertones. Then he got giddy talking about Timmy Chalamet, who’s a “hugger.” -FSH [Lovett or Leave It]
This detailed roundup of the inspirations and how-tos behind all the ‘80s-authentic hairstyles in “Stranger Things” is a delight — from Billy’s Rob Lowe-inspired mullet to Vickie’s Princess Di “bixie” to Lucas’ high-top fade. (And it’s by my wonderful editor Sophia Panych!) -FSH [The Set Set]
Members Only, the ‘80s jacket company, is opening up a “three-level-bar” in NYC, offering drinks like the Blue Lagoon, Singapore Sling, and a Long Island Iced Tea. Hall & Oates better be playing in there 24/7. -CW [Eater New York]
InStyle’s social media team continues to lean into clickbait. It suggested in a recent Instagram post “Helena Bonham Carter’s Daughter, 17, Looks Just Like Mom in Modeling Debut.” The picture they included looked SHOCKINGLY like HBC. You know why? Because it was actually a young HBC and not her daughter. I fell for this until I clicked into the actual story. IRL, her daughter looks kinda like her? (Don’t give them the satisfaction of clicking the link). -CW Oops, fell for it — sorry WNVM IG! -FSH [InStyle]
Cannot wait to watch the new Eddie Murphy documentary on Netflix, just in time for a re-watch of one of the best holiday movies, Trading Places. -CW [The Hollywood Reporter]
A surprisingly moving ode to, of all people, Adam Sandler. -CW [NYT]
I tried this with the Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Eyeliner (I finally caved in and bought it) and it’s super easy to apply and smudge and does looks cool.
The minute I saw Emma Thompson's hair in her new series, I raced to my regularly scheduled trim and bombarded my stylist with photos. It's perfect for grey hair, even fine like mine!
I feel heartened to see I am far from alone in absolutely loving Emma Thompson’s style in Down Cemetery Road. Her character is memorable and mesmerizing.
I had just cropped off my own hair the day before I started the show and so I’m well on my way to her wickedly wonderful style.
Thanks for the makeup info. I’m not above copying her look as best I can!
Cheers to all of you fellow fans!