While the attention was on Johnny Depp and other honorees for the evening, the 11th Make-Up Artists and Hair Style Guild Awards paused for an onstage marriage proposal between two young men.
When host Tom Arnold paused for a “special moment,” a video of Ryan Sirois dancing and singing to Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” played on the big screen. Afterwards Chris Heller got down on one knee and proposed to his boyfriend of four years, Sirois. Neither were artists being honored at the evening’s event, but Heller was a friend of someone who helped put the awards show together.
The evening, at the Paramount Studios Theater on Saturday, was a long time coming, as this was the first make-up and hairstyle awards show in ten years.
Arnold opened the ceremony with a top 10 list of things only make-up and hair stylists have to deal with. The list included requests such as, “I shaved my mustache, can you make me one?” and “Hey, I hired my girlfriend. Can you train her?”
From “Edward Scissorhands” to “The Lone Ranger,” Johnny Depp is no stranger to the hair and make-up chair. Depp has completely transformed for many of his roles, so the guild honored him with the Distinguished Artisan Award. Depp joked that he wasn’t so sure he deserved it.
“This is a great honor, but looking up, glancing occasionally at the screen I realize what a ridiculous thing I’ve done,” Depp said. “I mean seriously, why do they still give me jobs?”
“There’s no way in the world that I would’ve been able to find the root of those characters, the heart of those characters, without the artists,” Depp said.
Make-up artist Rick Baker presented the lifetime achievement award to Dick Smith (“The Godfather,” “Taxi Driver”) who couldn’t attend because he is in poor health. In honoring Smith, Baker attributed his career to not only Smith’s groundbreaking work in the make-up industry but also to his life-long friendship and mentorship.
“[Smith] set the standards we all strive to achieve,” Baker said. “He really wanted to elevate the state of the arts, and he wanted to do that by sharing information.”
“Glee” star Jane Lynch presented the award for best special make-up effects in a feature film, which Stephen Prouty and Tony Gardner took home for “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.” Before thanking their fellow artists, they made sure to give a shout-out to a few other important people in their lives.
“I think the people we need to thank the most are our wives for putting up with us,” Gardner said. “For controlling reality so we can go off into fantasyland and do what we do.”
Robert Stevenson and Candace Neal accepted trophies for the best contemporary hairstyling in a feature film category from June Squibb for their work on “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” Stevenson felt particularly grateful because prior to “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” he was taking a “long break” from work.
“I must say God is good because I retired and came out of retirement and this is what’s happening,” Stevenson said. He proceeded to thank others in the industry who have guided him through his career.
Here is the complete list of winners:
FEATURE LENGTH MOTION PICTURE (FEATURE FILMS)
BEST CONTEMPORARY HAIR STYLING:
Lee Daniels’ The Butler
Candace Neal
Robert Stevenson
BEST CONTEMPORARY MAKE-UP:
Prisoners
Donald Mowat
Pamela Westmore
BEST PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER HAIR STYLING:
American Hustle
Kathrine Gordon
Michelle Johnson
BEST PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER MAKE-UP:
Dallas Buyers Club
Robin Mathews
BEST SPECIAL MAKE-UP EFFECTS:
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
Stephen Prouty
Tony Gardner
TELEVISION and NEW MEDIA SERIES (Episodic Television)
BEST CONTEMPORARY HAIR STYLING:
The Voice
Shawn Finch
Jerilynn Stephens
BEST CONTEMPORARY MAKE-UP:
Breaking Bad
Tarra Day
Steve LaPorte
BEST PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER HAIR STYLING:
Vikings
Dee Corcoran
BEST PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER MAKE-UP:
Boardwalk Empire
Michele Paris
BEST SPECIAL MAKE-UP EFFECTS:
The Walking Dead
Greg Nicotero
Jake Garber
TELEVISION MINI-SERIES or MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION (M.O.W) – CABLE NETWORK/M.O.W.s
BEST PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER HAIR STYLING:
Behind the Candelabra
Marie Larkin
Yvette Stone
BEST PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER MAKE-UP:
Behind the Candelabra
Kate Biscoe
Deborah Rutherford
Hiroshi Yada
THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS (LIVE STAGE – LIVE THEATER)
BEST MAKE-UP/HAIR STYLING:
Magic Flute
Darren Jinks
Samantha Wootten
Brandi Strona
COMMERCIALS
BEST CONTEMPOARARY MAKE-UP:
Wash the Day Away (Delta)
Tyson Fountaine
Brian Penikas
