A lot of expert makeup work goes into the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Out of all of the characters, nobody's look is more difficult to achieve than that of
Nebula, daughter of Thanos and villain turned Avenger.
You may recognize actress Karen Gillan, but she definitely looks a little different in
the MCU.
In order to design Nebula's prosthetics, Guardians of the Galaxy's makeup team began with a full-size
sculpted bust of Gillan's head, which was used to properly fit the prosthetics they'd
soon be applying to the actress herself.
Makeup effects artist David White called the design the "most complex and interesting"
of any of the Guardians, and likened it to putting together a 3-D puzzle.
Speaking with Business Insider, White said,
"The five-piece prosthetic was a puzzle of butt joins and blend offs, all on the same
pieces, and the density of the prosthetic changes to accommodate the need to control
the amount of prosthetic movement from one piece to another."
In other words, the areas of her face where Gillan's expressiveness would have to shine
through needed thinner prosthetic pieces than areas for which this wasn't a consideration.
The makeup team applied the carefully designed prosthetics to Gillan's head each and every
day, after first putting on a latex bald cap, which, especially in the case of the first
Guardians movie, was really kind of a formality.
Guardians of the Galaxy's version of the Nebula makeup required Gillan to shave her entire
head, which she understood would be necessary before accepting the gig.
Speaking with Screen Rant shortly before the film's release, Gillan said,
"I was told even before I auditioned that the actress who got this would have to shave
her head, and I didn't think I was gonna get it.
So I was like, 'absolutely, I will shave my head!
Sure!'
Then, like three screen tests later, [I thought], 'oh God, this might actually happen.'"
Gillan famously demonstrated her dedication at San Diego Comic Con in 2013, when the Guardians
cast was introduced.
She arrived at the event sporting shoulder-length locks, but when an audience member pointed
out that Nebula was supposed to be bald, Gillan removed what turned out to be a wig, revealing
her completely smooth dome and drawing a raucous response from the crowd.
At the time, she called the look "liberating," but admitted later that being bald did take
some getting used to.
"I found the whole thing hilarious at the time, I was like, 'Ha ha, I'm bald!'
And then I woke up in the morning and I was like, 'Oh God, oh God!'"
By the time she reprised her role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, her makeup's design
had undergone a slight modification.
Speaking to The Wrap before the flick's release, Gillan said,
"I shaved half of my head this time, but they took away the butt, like, the underneath-half
of my hair, and then left the top part.
That was the best gift ever."
For the first Guardians film, Gillan's stint in the makeup chair each morning was nothing
short of grueling.
Being Nebula's first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the flick was introducing
a character who had a very specific look in the comics, one which the makeup team took
extra time to ensure came off looking perfect onscreen.
"It takes about five hours to get ready in the mornings, and it's all just kind of prosthetics
all over my face and then an intense amount of paint."
The process involved delicately putting that five-piece puzzle together on Gillan's face,
carefully matching the prosthetics' blue shade with makeup wherever her skin was exposed.
Of course, every piece would have to be a perfect fit, including the "cybernetic implant"
on the left side of her head.
Once the day's shooting was complete, it was another 30 minutes in the makeup chair for
everything to be removed, during which Gillan would often serenade her makeup artists.
And, the next morning, she'd have to endure the process all over again.
By the time Guardians Vol. 2 was ramping up production, the makeup team had gotten their
process down to the point where they could essentially cut the amount of time in half,
requiring her to sit for only two-and-a-half hours every morning.
Once all of the prosthetics are in place, there are several minor touches needed to
finish off the look.
The parts of her face not covered in latex need to be touched up with blue makeup, which
is carefully applied with special swabs.
To achieve a delicate shading in these areas, more makeup is layered on with an airbrush.
Finally, some fine detail is provided all around using fine brushes and stencils, which
are used to give a textured look.
A final once-over with the airbrush, some black shading around the eyes, and a set of
false eyelashes finishes off Gillan's head and neck.
While Gillan's face and head are being worked on, additional artists tend to her hands,
which are also painted completely blue.
The same texturing stencil is applied to the backs of her hands, and once this is complete,
there's the little matter of Nebula's cybernetic arms to consider.
As Gillan is made up in blue all the way down past her shoulders, she's fitted with a pair
of prosthetic sleeves, the right one featuring Nebula's lovely blue skin tone and "seams"
around the shoulder, and the left made to look completely metallic.
The right arm also receives the stencil treatment and fine detailing.
Gillan is then given a final once-over by the team, and then there's one last piece
to the puzzle.
As with the rest of Nebula's look, her jet black eyes are also achieved through practical
means.
According to makeup artist David White, Gillan was fitted with 22-millimeter black contact
lenses which cover her entire eye to finish off her daily makeup ordeal.
Of course, all of the makeup on Earth wouldn't make a difference if Gillan weren't capable
of nailing Nebula's physicality, and, like most Marvel actors, she undergoes a training
regimen which requires an insane amount of dedication.
"Ugh, this is horrible."
In addition to healthy doses of cardio exercises like cycling and running, she took part in
martial arts training, and lots of it.
Speaking to the crowd at St. Louis Comic Con in 2017, Gillan said,
"I had to do fight training every day that I wasn't shooting.
They told me that you have to do something six thousand times before it's second nature.
I didn't manage to do the routine six thousand times, but we certainly tried."
Weightlifting is also a critical part of her routine when preparing to step into Nebula's
shoes.
The actress told PopSugar:
"I had to transform myself, because prior to playing the role, I didn't do any [strength
training]."
Her routine before and during a shoot consists of three days per week of heavy weight training,
interspersed with two days of dedicated fighting and mixed martial arts.
It takes a lot of time and expert makeup work to transform a pleasant Scottish actress into
a menacing alien warrior, but it's hard to deny that the results are anything short of
astounding.
Gillan as Nebula is virtually unrecognizable, and according to the actress, that's largely
due to the extensive makeup process.
Without it, Gillan says, she has a hard time even reading her lines.
In one interview, Gillan said,
"Essentially, I have the character's skin glued to my face, which is really as close
as I could possibly get to her.
It's pretty cool.
And it's kind of intense and slightly claustrophobic.
It's definitely become like part of my ritual, in terms of like getting into character.
One time I did a rehearsal without the makeup and I did not feel like her at all.
It's become a vital part of the process for me."
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