As starlet Marion Davies and stenographer Rita Alexander, Seyfried and Collins deliver both ends of the 1930s hair spectrum in David Fincher’s black and white epic.
The Hair in “Mank”: How Amanda Seyfried and Lily Collins Transformed Into Their Iconic Characters
“Everything had to have more detail and texture, or it would have all blended together in a mush of grays,” Kimberley Spiteri tells Vogue. As the head hair designer on set for Netflix’s Mank, filmed by David Fincher in black and white 8K (maximum resolution), Spiteri meticulously transformed Amanda Seyfried and Lily Collins into 1930s-era historical opposites. Seyfried plays Marion Davies, the glamorous, platinum-haired Hollywood starlet linked to media billionaire William Randolph Hearst. Collins, on the other hand, channels her natural-born instincts as British stenographer Rita Alexander, “the prim and proper secretary” who helped screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz record the script for Citizen Kane. Describing the mood on set, the word “focused” comes to Spiteri’s mind. “You needed to be performing at the highest level.”
At home in Los Angeles, Spiteri is prepping for another season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which earned her an Emmy nomination this year. Remembering Mank’s methodical research process, she references books like The Times We Had: Life with William Randolph Hearst and The Brothers Mank. “They all had actual photos, and gave great insight to these characters,” she says. To perfect the classic techniques, it was a team effort with the help of hairstylist Colleen LaBaff and custom wigmaker Rob Pickens. “Amanda Seyfried’s transformation could not have taken place without the beautiful wigs,” Spiteri says. “As beautiful as her natural blonde hair is, Marion Davies was platinum.” The team would wrap Seyfried’s extra-long waves as tightly as possible to prep for the hand-tied, bleached bob Pickens designed to hover above Marion’s extravagant costumes, whether a glittering lamé gown or maribou-trimmed circus uniform.
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Arden Fanning Andrews
