A+E Networks Layoffs Throughout Departments at Lifetime, A&E and Historical past

When the “Saturday Night time Dwell” hair and make-up departments are introduced a skit for that upcoming weekend, they often have round two days to type an thought of what they wish to do with the actors concerned, make it into one thing tangible and execute it.

After which, it must all come off and be swapped out, simply minutes earlier than the following sketch.

Hair division head Jodi Mancuso and make-up division head Louie Zakarian work in tandem to make sure friends and forged members on the present are prepped and able to go for the evening.

“It’s very trusting,” Mancuso says of their work collectively. “If [the team] says Louie wants to color the wig, I’m like, ‘Go forward.’ I’ve full belief. That usually doesn’t occur all over the place…what we do, most individuals don’t perceive it. Our stuff solely has to final three minutes, after which it will possibly fully disintegrate.”

Zakarian says as soon as they’re introduced scripts and do a desk learn Wednesday evening, they instantly begin to craft the appears for the weekend. For pre-taped sketches, they’ve simply sooner or later to get the whole lot collectively earlier than they movie Friday.

And for the “Weekend Replace,” Zakarian says, they often solely get from Friday evening till Saturday morning to prep.

When Chloe Fineman appeared as JoJo Siwa in her new look on a “Weekend Replace” in Could, Zakarian says he and his crew had to determine learn how to give you the glittery black make-up in just below sooner or later.

He says he and Jason Milani, one of many make-up artists on his crew, examined loads of make-up appears the evening earlier than on one another. Since Fineman needed to exit 5 minutes after the section for an additional sketch, Zakarian says they needed to discover a technique to wipe all of the darkish, intense make-up off in simply two minutes.

“I used to be capable of finding this palette that had this nice glittery make-up in it,” Zakarian says. “As soon as we painted the black strains, we have been simply in a position to stick that glitter onto that make-up and it stayed fantastically. After which with only a sizzling towel, all of it got here proper off.”

And generally, tweaks to the actor’s hair and make-up are completed up till minutes earlier than they hit the stage.

When Emma Stone hosted in December 2023, she performed Mitch Lester, a sleazy document producer for singer Cass Elliot (performed by forged member Chloe Troast) in “Make Your Personal Form of Music.” The character boasted a fluffed-up salt and pepper wig, full with a sparse mini-mustache and cigarette everlastingly in hand.

Mancuso says initially, she had a darker wig for the scene. However after one rehearsal, they needed to age the character up, so she added extra grey to the entrance of the hair piece.

Though Stone initially needed to be balding and have extra facial hair, Zakarian says, it wasn’t possible given the fast modifications. They tried out three several types of facial hair earlier than falling upon that pencil-thin mustache.

“It appears easy to the viewers, nevertheless it generally could be a problem,” Mancuso says. “One thing about that character, [Stone] actually cherished. It was really fairly just a few conversations and modifications, it wasn’t so simple as it appears. They added the cigarette final minute, she nearly wore glasses. It was performed with fairly a bit.”

And regardless of the speedy turnaround for his or her work, Mancuso and Zakarian say the adrenaline rush retains them going.

“If you’re in it, you’re up in opposition to that point,” Mancuso says. “You wish to make all people completely satisfied and also you’re part of it. And now, it’s in our blood. When it’s a simple present, you’re nearly whistling Dixie and bored.”