Movie Magic
TFK Kid Reporter Madeline Martinez spoke with Frances Hannon, the lead hair, makeup, and prosthetics designer for Wicked (2024) and Wicked: For Good (2025). Read her account below.
The movie version of Wicked has earned more than $750 million dollars worldwide, and racked up dozens of awards and nominations. One of those was an Oscar nomination for Frances Hannon, the film’s lead hair, makeup, and prosthetics designer.
Now the world of Wicked is back, with its second installment, Wicked: For Good. Hannon is back, too, with fresh hair and makeup designs for the cast, including lead characters Glinda and Elphaba. I interviewed Hannon, who lives in London, England. As a huge Wicked fan, I was excited to learn about what went on behind the scenes. Here’s part of our conversation.
What inspired you to become a makeup and hair designer?
I loved painting faces from quite young, and I think it carried through. Eventually, I found a course at a university here. It was a three-year course. It taught everything for the [film and TV] industry: makeup, hair, and prosthetics. In England, we do all three jobs. In America, [the jobs are separate].
How did you launch your career after leaving school?
I was very lucky and got to join the BBC television company, and I stayed with them. They trained me for three years, so I had six years of basic training. And then I stayed in the industry I’m in now. I’ve never had a different job.
Which Wicked character’s hair and makeup was your favorite to design?
There were many, but I’ll start with Elphaba. Finding her green [face and body color] was finding something new in the industry. That was very special, to find a color that didn’t look like face paint and looked like real skin—particularly when you put it up 40 feet in size with big close-ups. And you might have noticed we changed the color of Elphaba’s eyes. [Cynthia Erivo has] beautiful, deep brown eyes, and we changed them to green. Her [character] was the most difficult and the most detailed.
Then, of course, there’s Tin Man and the Scarecrow, which are coming up in the new movie, and those were extremely exciting. Also, to tell that story between [the first movie and the second], how the characters and the story change. When you look at it, you’ll see that they also change visually. Their hair and makeup tells the story, as well as the words.
What was your favorite moment during filming?
One of the most enjoyable sessions was in the library. [Editor’s note: In Wicked, actor Jonathan Bailey, who plays Fiyero, leads a high-energy musical number in a school-library setting.] It was really uplifting and exciting. But it’s very hard to pick one favorite moment. If you know Wicked well, you’ll know that every song is so emotional and touching. Some days you’d be crying listening to them singing, and some days you’d be up tapping your feet.
What challenges did you face?
There was the obvious challenge of finding the perfect green. And then we had another challenge that’s quite a secret one: We painted [Fiyero’s] horse blue for real. [The director] chose a special blue that he liked. We had to make sure you could paint it on a horse and not hurt the horse. We had three horses—all different colors: one white, one brown, and one dark brown. They were all shaved, and they were all dyed black. They all matched. They all had hair extensions in their tails and their manes, and they were all painted that iridescent blue.
No matter which horse was needed for that day—whether it was good at standing still, or good at running, or good at posing, or [Bailey’s] favorite horse—you had different horses for different moments in the film. I don’t think people will ever know that!
Did you keep a memento from either movie set?
I kept one of the books that was in the library. You know when Fiyero jumps on the desk and slides and dances on the books and throws them around? I kept one of those as a small memento. But don’t tell anyone.
What advice would you have for kids who want to become hair and makeup designers?
There are lots of routes into that job. If you’re based in America, you might first decide if you like painting the face or doing the hairstyling. Or do you like the thought of prosthetics, where you’re adding pieces to change somebody visually? Like Tin Man and Scarecrow, for example. If you can’t decide, I would say to try and get a good grounding in the history of art. And never give up. I do say that: Never give up, because there is a way into every job. You just have to be devoted.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
