A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Hair and Makeup of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”
Our take
The meticulous artistry behind cinematic visuals is often overlooked, lost in the spectacle of the final product. The recent article detailing the hair and makeup process for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” offers a compelling glimpse into that world, highlighting the deliberate choices made to enhance the narrative and character development. It’s a fascinating reminder that even seemingly effortless on-screen aesthetics are the result of extensive planning and execution, particularly when aiming for a heightened realism within a fantastical framework. The film’s dedication to portraying a believable, lived-in New York City, even amidst superhero action, necessitates a grounded approach to its characters' appearances. This echoes a broader trend in contemporary blockbuster filmmaking – a move away from overly stylized looks towards a more natural, relatable aesthetic. The focus on subtle details, like the strategic placement of flyaways and the nuanced application of makeup to mimic real-world wear and tear, underscores this commitment. It’s a shift that resonates with audiences increasingly discerning about authenticity, even in the realm of superhero narratives. Consider, for instance, how the resurgence of classic sneaker styles, championed by figures like Kristen Stewart Forget 2026's Sneaker Trends—Kristen Stewart's Lime Green Adidas Sambas Will Always Be Famous , demonstrates a similar desire for timelessness and understated elegance. The article’s emphasis on practical techniques – avoiding excessive layering of makeup and embracing natural textures – is particularly noteworthy. It’s a rejection of the often-artificial, heavily contoured looks prevalent in earlier superhero films. Instead, the team behind "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" appears to have prioritized portraying characters who feel genuinely present and relatable. This aligns with a broader cultural shift towards celebrating individuality and embracing imperfections. The deliberate choice to allow Zendaya’s MJ to appear authentically youthful and somewhat disheveled, even during high-stakes action sequences, speaks volumes about the film’s commitment to portraying realistic characters. It’s a far cry from the meticulously polished portrayals of female superheroes that once dominated the genre. The subtle integration of product placement, as alluded to in the article, is also handled with a degree of sophistication, feeling organic rather than intrusive. It’s a delicate balance, and one that many films struggle to achieve, but the “Spider-Man” team seems to have navigated it successfully. This mirrors the wider industry’s growing awareness of consumer sentiment – audiences are more likely to embrace brands that feel seamlessly integrated into the narrative, rather than aggressively marketed. Billie Eilish’s embrace of the Adidas Samba Not Tokyos, Not Taekwondos—Billie Eilish Makes a Case for an Adidas Samba Sneaker Comeback is another example of this – a casual endorsement that feels genuine and aspirational, rather than overtly commercial. Beyond the technical aspects, the article subtly underscores the evolving role of hair and makeup artists in contemporary filmmaking. They are no longer simply tasked with making actors look “pretty”; they are collaborators in storytelling, contributing to character development and world-building. The careful consideration of how lighting and camera angles will affect the final appearance demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the filmmaking process. It’s a recognition that even the smallest details can have a significant impact on the overall viewing experience. The emphasis on creating a cohesive aesthetic that reflects the film’s tone and themes further elevates the role of these artists. It’s a shift that reflects a broader trend in the creative industries – a move towards interdisciplinary collaboration and a blurring of traditional boundaries. The article also highlights the importance of cultural sensitivity in character design, ensuring that hairstyles and makeup choices are respectful and authentic to the characters' backgrounds. Ultimately, the behind-the-scenes look at “Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s” hair and makeup reveals a dedication to detail and a commitment to realism that elevates the film beyond mere spectacle. It’s a testament to the power of subtle artistry and a reminder that even the most fantastical narratives can benefit from a grounded, authentic approach. As audiences continue to demand greater authenticity and nuanced character portrayals, we can expect to see even more emphasis placed on the often-overlooked contributions of hair and makeup artists in shaping the cinematic landscape.
This story contains spoilers.
Every incredible artist has their method. For Alessandro Bertolazzi, the makeup and hair designer for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," the secret to creating the looks for the beloved superheroes, villains, and characters in the highly anticipated Marvel movie lies in a sketchbook. A 250-page sketchbook, to be exact.Filled with pictures hand-painted by Bertolazzi himself, the book helps him lay out how he wants each character to look and feel. As we hop on a Zoom, he shows me pages of sketches (something he does for every movie he works on, by the way) and key phrases he associates with each character in the film. He tells me that he always sits and talks with each actor to get a better idea of how he wants to design their look before going to his team to execute his vision.
The theme of the new "Spider-Man" film was grounded, something director Destin Daniel Cretton asked Bertolazzi to hone in on when creating the characters' looks. "I don't want to say dirty, but real and grounded," he tells Popsugar. "This was the wish of [Dustin], and I was really happy to do this."
Zendaya had her own personal makeup artist, Kellie Robinson, and Tom Holland had his own grooming team on set to create their respective character looks. For the others on the cast, see how Bertolazzi came up with their looks below.
Sadie Sink as Jean GreyThe secrecy around Sadie Sink's character loomed so large that during production, Bertolazzi says Sink's character was given different code names to keep the secret airtight ("Jack" was the name that stuck out most). But now it can be revealed that the conspiracy theories are true: Sink is playing Jean Grey.
But audiences for "Brand New Day" are meeting a pre-X-Men Jean Grey. Set up as a false antagonist, the Jean Grey we meet is a young teen still discovering the depths of her telepathic and telekinetic powers, wreaking havoc in New York City while searching for her sister. Sink wears Jean Grey's signature red hair (Bertolazzi says at one point they briefly toyed with the idea of blond hair for the character, but decided against it) in messy layers, with minimal makeup.
Bertolazzi assigned these words to Sink's Grey: New York Girl, Edgy Girl, Cool, Messy, and Dangerous. He says he looked to different celebrities to provide inspiration for Sink's look. He considered the likes of Emma Chamberlain and Gigi Hadid, but eventually went with Billie Eilish to strike that balance of edgy with a sense of light. "Billie for me represented that perfectly," he says.
Jacob Batalon as NedNed, along with Zendaya's MJ, is older and now a post-college grad living in New York City. His look not only had to reflect this new era in his life, but also had to look more realistic. Bertolazzi says he was not happy with Jacob Batalon's wig in the previous film and wanted to make sure that this time around, Batalon's Ned had natural-looking hair. "I wanted the wig more natural, not stiff and stuck on the head," Betolazzi says.
Even with the small scene with Ned's goatee mustache briefly shown on a smartphone screen, Betolazzi says they took special care to make that small detail as realistic as possible.
Before becoming an unlikely ally, Frank Castle and Spider-Man do get into a bit of "spat" that leads to Frank being thrown out of his moving truck. The result is a battered Punisher with scars all over his face.
To get the scars, Bertolazzi didn't use any prosthetics: he used a makeup palette to paint them on. "You spend too much time in makeup with prosthetics [and] it can become boring," he says. "The idea is to keep it all natural, real."
The palette is a type of skin illustrator color makeup palette to get that realistic look. "It takes five minutes," he adds.
Florence Pugh as Yelena BelovaA truly delightful cameo in the film, Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova lends Spider-Man a helpful hand when trying to track down Jean Gray (and offer some life advice in the process). Most of Pugh's short scenes take place at a Russian bathhouse where she's either in water or drying off, so Bertolazzi says he doesn't recall having to brainstorm anything special about Yelena's specific look for the movie. She does have one distinct product on her: eyeliner. "I assumed she asked to put green [eyeliner] below the eyes," Bertolazzi says.
The HandThe Hand, another antagonist in the film, has one of the most visually stunning costumes. The group of ninja mercenaries is draped in red garments and wears masks to hide their identities.
Notes that Bertolazzi wrote for The Hand include "Eastern Civilization," "Toward Western Civilization," and "The Mask as Protection of Intimate Space." One of The Hand's members, Snow, is a female warrior with a long braided ponytail, a winged cat-eye, and a red warrior headband. Bertolazzi wrote "Scheherazade" for Snow, a reference to the Arabic folktale character who cunningly delayed her death from a murderous king by narrating tales for one thousand and one nights.
Other CharactersBertolazzi also loved working on the smaller minor characters, such as Michael Mando's Scorpion and Marvin Jones III's Tombstone.
Jones wears a naturally textured, tapered cut wig to get Tombstone's signature hair, but Bertolazzi says that it was important for him to keep the actors' essence in both characters while taking some artistic liberties. Bertolazzi also found inspiration from an 18th-century drawing of a real scorpion at the Royal Academy in London. He created a special tattoo for Scorpion to signify that Scorpion is a more complex villain than meets the eye.
"[He] is a bad guy, but not completely," says Bertolazzi. "So I was thinking about showing what your skin looks like cracked open. [The gold] is a light from behind."
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