When it comes to the standout features of Netflix’s Bridgerton, the iconic nature of the cast (Nicola Coughlan, Simone Ashley, Jonathan Bailey, we’re looking at you) and the phenomenal hair and makeup looks vie for top spot.
Taking on the challenge of creating incredible period hair and makeup looks for a globally-adored Netflix drama is something beauty industry veteran Jenny Rhodes-McLean is only too familiar with – though she has become an expert in overcoming them as she explains in this exclusive interview with HELLO!.
© LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX“Constantly touching up and adjusting to the camera is the main trick – and also longevity of their skin prep,” Jenny tells us.
© LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX“Sometimes you’re shooting for nine months and [the cast] are wearing makeup every single day, which they might not in normal life.
“Also, they are dehydrated constantly because they are in corsets, and not drinking enough water…Their diets might not be as great as they had been; they’re exhausted. So you are constantly trying to recharge their skin. Great skincare is such a main goal when it comes to creating that canvas.”
Inside a Bridgerton wedding
Jenny’s intricate hair and makeup looks (“very minimal makeup but exquisite”, if you ask the artist herself to sum them up) truly come to life in the show’s iconic wedding scenes – and allow the star-studded cast to showcase their off-camera bond on camera.
© NETFLIX“The energy is [like that of] a family. When you have a scene like a wedding, it really feels like a wedding,” the Emmy Award-winning hair and makeup artist reveals.
“When you get those big scenes and those big balls and everyone comes together, it’s so wonderful because they are all such great friends and you can tell that the energy is there, especially with the younger cast. It’s such a fun set to be on.”
© NetflixIncredible period looks
Creating a look that shines on camera is the name of the game for Jenny, who is also conscious of honouring historical accuracy in her looks.
© LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX“I think there always has to be a balance, and you have to ground it in the period somewhere,” she explains, adding that she will normally receive a story arc between four and six weeks before shooting starts, with the task of conjuring up the fabulous looks.
© LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX, Netflix“You can’t go crazy with the makeup and crazy with the hair…we pull loads of historical references, a lot of paintings, a lot of photographs, and we have them all over the walls, even just to make sure that we have some silhouettes that just feel very authentic to the period.”
Working on The Buccaneers
Jenny, who during her 20-year-long career has worked alongside iconic film directors including Baz Luhrmann, Ridley Scott, and Danny Boyle, has also had the opportunity to flex her creative muscles on the set of Apple TV’s The Buccaneers, for which she has been the hair and makeup designer since its premiere in 2023.
© AppleSeason two, the finale of which aired on Wednesday, saw Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester join the cast, which already featured Christina Hendricks and Mia Threapleton, as Nell.
© Apple TV+“I actually couldn’t think of anyone better to play Nell, and she works so incredibly with Christina Hendricks and Kristine Froseth,” Jenny says. “She looked incredible in that purple dress by Kate Carin. I just thought it was phenomenal.”
© AppleJenny Rhodes-McLean is an Emmy-winning hair and makeup designer with over two decades of experience in high-end television and film, most recently serving as the hair and makeup designer on Apple TV+’s The Buccaneers Season 2. She can be found on Instagram www.instagram.com/jennyrhodesmclean.