Bringing the story of a late music legend [1] to the big screen is one thing. Bringing the story of a living legend — who can pop by the set unannounced, in his orange rhinestone-encrusted sunglasses and matching devil suit no less — on the other hand? That brings its own kind of pressure (and payoff). Just ask the hair and makeup team behind the newly released Elton John biopic, Rocketman [2].
"I felt it was really important to choose Elton's pivotal looks wisely so the audience would relate to the character — they helped tell the story," said Lizzie Georgiou [3], the film's makeup and hair designer. "The hair and the sideburns were an important part of Elton's journey."
To do so, she referenced photos that director Dexter Fletcher pulled straight from the archives "of Elton's own collection," she said, and kept focussed on the bigger picture. "It was never my intention to make Taron [Egerton] [4] into a carbon copy of Elton. I wanted to give him an essence of Elton with subtle hair and makeup work, along with the costumes and the glasses. I feel that's what really helped Taron go out and be Elton."
What did the real John think of the portrayal? How many sideburns really went into the transformation? Keep reading for the behind-the-scenes beauty secrets that required Georgiou to "delve into my wig, facial hair, and makeup collection [5] every day" — because we think it's gonna be a long, long time until you see looks this good again.
The Drastic Change Taron Egerton Made to Transform Into Elton John
"The hardest thing we did was shave Taron's hairline further back [on his forehead] and to thin his hair out," Georgiou revealed. "That was brave of him [6], as he had to live with that for the run of the film." Among the other major changes Egerton went through to transform into John: prosthetics to create under-eye bags and deep smile lines, heavier eyebrows, and a bald cap.
"I called in Barrie Gower of [FX makeup company] BGFX [7] to codesign the prosthetics. We had two prosthetic artists and myself create that look for each [scene] Taron was in."
The Special Sentiment Behind Taron Egerton's Ear Piercing in Rocketman
Talk about dedication to your craft (and quite the nice gesture from a music legend): "Taron was gifted an earring by Elton, and so he decided to pierce his ear in order to wear it for the run of the film," Georgiou said.
The 1 Request Elton John Made About the Hair in Rocketman
The toughest critic should probably be the subject at the centre of the story line, right? Turns out, John has been very supportive. "I met Elton at the start of my time on the project when he came to set to visit and see the progress we were making. He didn't personally discuss this with me, but I knew he saw the screen tests and he asked that his hair be a sandy blond with highlights [8] — which of course I took on board. David Furnish also visited the set often and was always keeping us informed of Elton's thoughts as the film was being shot. I must say we only ever got praise."
Exactly How Many Wigs It Took to Create the Looks For Rocketman
Reading Georgiou's list of wigs it took to bring the characters in Rocketman to life reads like a recipe, only a little hairier:
- Four wigs for Egerton (for John)
- Three wigs for Jamie Bell (for Bernie Taupin)
- Three wigs for Howard (for Sheila Dwight)
- Three wigs for Gemma Jones (for Ivy)
- One wig for Richard Madden (for John Reid)
- One wig for Stephen Graham (for Dick James)
- One wig for Tate Donovan (for Doug Weston)
- Four wigs for John's band
- Three wigs for John's second band
- Countless sideburns and facial hair wigs
For anyone counting, that totals a whopping 23 hair wigs — and likely double that number for sideburns and facial hair. And that's just the central cast! "My supporting [hair and makeup] artist supervisor had hundreds of other wigs applied daily to the supporting artists too," Georgiou said.
Why such an extensive list? "Each main character had at least three looks with three different wigs to help with their journey through each era," she said. "Barrie and I kept the same method for all the characters in the ageing process. That way their ages all moved seamlessly in the storyline."
The Biggest Hair Changes of Rocketman
"I had to colour up a lot of the actors' hair," she said. "The younger Elton's [was lightened], and then Richard Madden had to be made darker to play John Reid." As such, she kept keratin-based shampoo and conditioners [9] at her side at all times to repair any damage.
