In the long lineage of Oz on screen, makeup and hair have carried as much mythology as the characters themselves—from actress Gale Sondergaard refusing to wear Wicked Witch makeup to the Horse of a Different Color made possible by powdered gelatin. Academy Award–winning makeup artist Frances Hannon added to that Oz lore by finding an animal-safe way to paint Fiyero’s horse a shimmery blue and by landing on the perfect shade of green for Elphaba, which Hannon cites as one of the most satisfying
aspects of bringing the films to audiences.
Hannon recently spoke with Boxoffice Pro for the cover story of our November 2025 print edition. In celebration of Wicked: For Good arriving in theaters from Universal Pictures on November 21, here is our full conversation with the hair and makeup wizard.
From Buddy Ebsen being covered with aluminum dust to Gale Sondergaard refusing the makeup changes that paved the way for casting Margaret Hamilton, some of the most infamous Oz stories revolve around hair and makeup. The story behind finding the green makeup for Wicked has become part of that lore. With For Good, is there one aspect that stands out for you?
What is wonderful about the epic conclusion is the development of the characters, which is designed in the very beginning. You give them a timeline right from the start of the first film to the end of the second. There’s a huge development in For Good, in which you really see an enormous difference in Elphaba. There’s a difference in Glinda as well, but it’s not quite so strong visually as with Elphaba’s changes. Obviously she stays green, but we really gave her a huge development in makeup, bringing far more density and darkness to the whole thing. Longer, darker, free-flowing hair tells the story of how she’s feeling within herself.
How did you approach finding and demonstrating that overall story through your work?
I look at the whole picture, so I give them a track of time and show the differences visually within them from the beginning to the end. For Elphaba, when she’s the younger girl at Shiz uni, she’s obviously green but very lighthearted, with very young, girlish looks within her hair and her makeup. As she develops, she gets much, much darker. Therefore, I think it’s the visual side of showing how much stronger she gets within herself.
Within Glinda, she has a huge development as well, but hers is much more once she’s the symbol for good. She’s reveling in her popularity. I always kept her very accessible. But you can see how everything about her is slightly more grown-up than when she was at Shiz. Her wigs are longer, blonder, and slightly more frivolous in some of the styles. Elphaba’s is longer and wilder, and I think that really shows their growth.
What were some of your visuals and references with For Good?
There were no particular references, but for instance with Nessarose, as she took over her father’s position, I chose to make her take on her mother’s look. It’s the mother that she never knew, of course, but there are always photographs within the office. I chose to bring her back to the stage. It made her look very strong and not the young girl she was at Shiz. Madame Morrible gets more and more powerful but also gets wilder as her storyline develops.
Which is then reflected in her hair.
Very much so. The choice of hair was very much to depict her power—as in weather control—to make her look like the clouds. In the earlier days, it’s soft and voluminous, but as she herself gets more powerful, it gets wilder and bigger, and then, of course, her whole life changes. You really see a huge difference there as that develops.
All of these choices are so thoughtful and so prominent, but they don’t stand out. They blend seamlessly into the patchwork of Oz. What were some of the small things in this second chapter that you’re particularly proud of?
Gosh, there are so many things. For me, it’s always the tiny details that make everything really special. I think the subconscious effect of that development is how people absorb it when they’re watching it in the cinema. It’s pretty epic within the sets and the costumes. The whole story is always moving into the more thrilling and spectacular parts of this second film. [It’s about] making your work match that completely in strength.
For Good includes more prosthetics work. How did you work with make-up and prosthetics artist Mark Coulier to build those additional looks?
It was wonderful. I work with Mark a lot. I like him to do all my prosthetics. How we approach it together is that he has a fineness to his prosthetics, whereas lots of prosthetics are quite bulky and heavy and not the style I would choose. For our film, it’s finesse, and it’s fine detail. What it does do is it holds completely onto the original character. You never ever lose their roots in part one.
Beyond your department and teams, you collaborated with so many other artists, including a close collaboration with costume designer Paul Tazewell on the overall looks for each character.
It’s nearly one in the same job. Not only with Paul, but with Nathan as well. The size of the sets helps give you the size of something like my hairstyles. The people that were chosen to be cast for Emerald City are very, very statuesque. [They’re] of every walk of life, but they definitely have a different look to our Munchkins, which are much shorter and have totally different color palettes. That’s something that’s discussed long, long before we ever turnover on any film; the journey for them within the color palettes and for the people that Jon [ultimately] chooses.
Everything blends together, from the height of the set to the size of the artist to how tall my hairstyles are and how strong my makeup is on them. It’s never, ever just my thoughts. It’s always a collaboration. Also, I must say, always with the artist. Cynthia and Ari, Jonathan [Bailey], Jeff Goldblum, everybody. I bring to life their visual thoughts as well, not just my own input. I present it to them, and hopefully we then find together what it is that they want to be.
In your career, you’ve had several moments where you’ve created something truly new. What were some of the innovations and new techniques that you’ll take away from this project?
This project gave me much more scope for something new than many of my previous projects. The wonderful experience of discovering a new makeup and making it work. Making somebody’s skin look like it is real and not face-painted: Filling a 40-foot screen, and you couldn’t tell that it was something on the surface. It really looked like it was coming from within Elphaba.
Then making Glinda look so iridescent and opalescent so that they balance each other very well. Glinda didn’t just disappear because your eyes are caught with something green. It’s an enormous balance of work, but one that people aren’t really aware of; you just accept it.
That’s the beauty of it. It’s not something that moviegoers are necessarily walking out of the theater commenting on. Because you’ve done your job, it blends so seamlessly into the story and just becomes a part of the experience.
Yes, and not a distraction. I’m sure you and I have both seen films where something just doesn’t sit well. Your eyes are drawn to that all the time. It can be something small, like makeup, hair, or something that’s not quite right. When it is right, it is just part of the story, and the balance is perfect. I think that’s what Jon has achieved with all of us throughout this wonderful, spectacular film.
What was your experience like seeing Wicked in the cinema for the first time?
I was blown away. You watch it all day, every day. You watch all your dailies. You go on the journey with the artist and with every thought you’ve had. But when you see it in the end, it’s absolutely breathtaking. You think, ‘Wow, it was actually something to do with me that it sits so well’ [laughs]. That’s something that you never acknowledge when you’re getting through every day and fulfilling everything that’s needed. But I have to say, it was so emotional for me; that’s how I describe it. I got absorbed, even though I knew the journey. You really are taken on an emotional journey, and there is so much to come in this next one. Even I’m taken along with all that Jon has brought to the story and all the new stuff that shows the depth of the story.
To see it become this must-see theatrical event, where audiences are dressing up and emulating these characters, what’s that been like for you?
Oh, thrilling! I can’t wait to see Halloween this year. Your Halloween is so much better than in England. I feel like there are some wonderful new visuals we’ll be seeing from now on in life. I know that this film will be as timeless as the original, and it’s just a masterpiece. It’s when people start to copy it that you realize how much it really does touch people.
What’s been the most satisfying aspect for you in bringing these films to audiences?
The most satisfying thing is when you’re sitting in the audience and you see the emotion it brings. It’s not many films, and certainly not in my career, that have been done in such an epic way, where it’s actually there; it’s tactile. Which was everything that Jon and Marc Platt wanted. They didn’t want blue screens and green screens, as is the way of our films these days. It was there for real. And that’s so rare. It’s really emotional to see how it moves people. It’s a shame that more films aren’t made in this way, because I truly think it has a huge, different effect for the industry.
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