'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Canadian makeup artist and prosthetic designer Donald Mowat says he didn't let previous film and TV adaptions of "Dune" impact his style choices in the latest version of the sci-fi epic, instead opting to make the characters his own.
The highly anticipated adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel from Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve had a world exclusive IMAX screening at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.
The sprawling interstellar story of warring families stars Timothee Chalamet as the protagonist antihero. Oscar Isaac plays his father, who oversees a dangerous desert planet called Arrakis, which contains the most valuable resource in the universe, a drug nicknamed “spice” that gives its users heightened powers and allows navigators to guide spaceships through the universe. This makes Arrakis the target of violent battles and political treachery.
Mowat, who is known for his work on "8 Mile," "Skyfall," "Blade Runner 2049" and "First Man," told CTVNews.ca that he's only worked on films that were either based on a true story, book or play, or are some form of a remake of an original version – making his job more difficult, he says.
"I think there's an influence, and it also makes you [feel] like you're not creating your own looks," Mowat explained in an interview over Zoom.
Mowat said he decided not to watch the 1984 version of "Dune" so as not to have director David Lynch's depiction of the characters influence how he would create them.
"I had the same challenge with 'Blade Runner' because there was this thing, this huge epic thing that people would compare it to inevitably, and I just thought, 'I can't get caught up in that'," Mowat said
Mowat said he has since looked at clips of the original film and is "really glad" he didn't beforehand.
Canadian makeup artist and prosthetic designer Donald Mowat does Rebecca Ferguson's makeup on the set of 'Dune.' (Courtesy of Warner Brothers)
Swapping out characteristics of red hair and wildly overgrown eyebrows, Mowat opted for subtle yet distinct features to recognize each planet's people, specifically the people that live on the desert planet of Arrakis, known as the Fremen.
The Fremen's costumes -- including actor Zendaya's -- were heavily influenced by Bedouin tribes and Moroccan culture, and Mowat said he wanted their hair and makeup to match that aesthetic.
Fremen who use spice have distinctive blue eyes. Mowat also opted to make their makeup look natural, using nude hues to create a "very neutral yet kind of beautiful" look. Their hair is unkempt, but not so much to the point where they "look like savages," he said, adding that there is an "attraction" about the Fremen.
"They're not uncivilized people," he said. "They look like they live there, so they should look good because that's where they belong. That's where they live and where they thrive."
Mowat says the makeup team also covered actors playing Fremen people in sand and dirt to match the desert environment.
Canadian makeup artist and prosthetic designer Donald Mowat does David Bautista's hair on the set of 'Dune.' (Courtesy of Warner Brothers)
Bald caps, eyebrow covers and small tattoos were also part of Mowat's looks for the Harkonnen and Mentat people -- features not seen in previous adaptations.
In addition, Mowat helped to create the prosthetics for the villainous Baron, played by Stellan Skarsgard. He says the fat suit and prosthetic makeup was a "huge elaborate build," taking the team 16 weeks to conceptualize and create.
"My concept was a character that was based loosely using a gorilla -- the size of a gorilla, the power, the viciousness and fierceness," Mowat said. "Then some Marlon Brando in 'Apocalypse Now" and 'The Island of Dr. Moreau' with that very white skin and makeup."
Mowat said the transformation required Skarsgard to spent six to eight hours at a time in the makeup chair.
With each character's appearance being "meticulously" thought out, Mowat said the film is a testament to the artistry of those who work behind the scenes on major movies.
"For me, it celebrates filmmaking on the big screen -- great costumes, great production design, music, every type of makeup imaginable -- it just encompasses every aspect of cinema that we love so much," he said.
Canadian makeup artist and prosthetic designer Donald Mowat touches up Josh Brolin's makeup on the set of 'Dune.' (Courtesy of Warner Brothers)
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.