ANDREW SANTAGATO:
What INITIALLY sparked your interest in ‘Make-Up’?

DICK SMITH:
Movies: 1939-1942 “Hunchback Of Notre Dame” – 1939. Laughton in great ‘make-up’ by Percy Westmore, and “Dr. Jekyl And Mr. Hyde”, with Spencer Tracey. In 1941, second year at Yale, I tried to make myself up as ‘Mr. Hyde’ and scare my classmates.

AS:
I know you have done MANY, MANY ‘Make-Up’s’, but can you think of at least 2 that were extremely challenging?
DS:
The 121 year-old make-up on Dustin Hoffman in “Little Big Man” in 1969. It was my first real BIG challenge. I spent 1 1/2 months sculpting. Another would be my last ‘aging’ job in 1982, when I created the ‘make-up’ for ‘Old Salieri’ in “Amadeus”. It was my most enjoyable ‘make-up’. It was my only one in the film. I had ‘carte blanche’, and a fine actor. Finally, I got an Academy Award and the English Award for the same job.

AS: Did you ever work with any Actor/Actress that you looked up to, and found that they exceeded your expectations as a person?
DS:
Lawerence Olivier was an extraordinary human being, who was too great for me to describe. I first did “Moon And Sixpence” with him in 1959, when I was 27. He said that the ‘leprosy make-up’ in the last scene did the acting for him! He was a Prince in every way.

AS:
How do you feel when you see how far the art of ‘Make-Up’ and ‘Make-Up Effects’ has come, knowing that you have been a major contributor to this field?
DS:
Of course, I’m happy and proud of the advancements I’ve made in the ‘make-up’ field. Of course, I was lucky to work during a period of great productivity and challenge brought about by television.

AS:
What is one film in particular that you have watched, and after seeing a ‘Make-Up Effect’, have asked yourself: “How the heck did they do that?”
DS:
I can’t answer this one, partly because for the last few years, I have seen very few films or tv dramas.

AS:
Looking at the technology of today, do you think that one day, Make-Up Artists will be replaced COMPLETELY by CGI?
DS:
I suppose the future will be full of surprises, and the use of ‘make-up’ as we know it will be greatly changed, but I think that if entertainment continues to revolve around human activities, using ‘make-up’ will sometimes be more advantageous than CGI. I HOPE!!

AS:
What advice would you give to someone who is seriously interested in getting into the art of ‘Make-Up’ and ‘Make-Up Effects’?
DS:
Be your own toughest critic. Even your best work will not be perfect. So study your finished work, to see what wasn’t perfect, and figure out how you could make it better in the future.

AS:
Thanks so much Dick, for taking the time to answer these questions. You are a true ‘role-model’ for all of us ‘aspiring artists’. Take care.
DS:
All the best.

THIS INTERVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR THE MONSTERS AND MADMEN WEBSITE. THE HMA WANTS TO THANK MONSTERS AND MADMEN, AND NIGHTOWL PRODUCTIONS FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION.