STAN EDMONDS
(Key make-up artist)

- How did you get involved in THE 13TH WARRIOR?
- I was hired as one of three department head make-up artists by Jeff Dawn, the Head make-up designer.
- The first title of the movie was EATERS OF THE DEAD. When hired, weren't you surprised by the association of Disney with such a movie (and such a title)?
- I was not aware of the Michael Crichton novel, so, yes, I was surprised, as it sounded like a zombie movie!
- How long did you work on this project?
- I spent a month or so in preparation, and then shot for 110 days.
- You are listed in the end credits as "Key make-up artist". What was your task, exactly?
- As I said, there was 3 of us that Jeff Dawn hired (also, many assistants under us). One of the other "Keys" handled the background, one specialized in prosthetics and effects, and I made up 7 of the main Viking cast, in addition to being the make-up supervisor on set... Also, taking care of Antonio Banderas and Omar Sharif.
- How many make-up crew members worked on the show?
- At our busiest, we had about 57 hair and make-up artists working. Most of the time, we had about 12.
- Working with John McTiernan, how was it?
- During the prep of this show, the director did not participate as much as we would have liked. In fact, he waited until just 2 days before shooting to decide up on the final looks of the main Vikings. This meant that we could not incorporate as much design into the film as we would have liked.
- Did the actors give any suggestions for their character's make-up?
- No.
- Did you do any research for this show?
- We did extensive research and offered many variations of character looks... Unfortunately, the director was not interested in most of them.
- What were the filmmakers' desires regarding make-ups? I assume they wanted some sort of realism, right?
- Yes... To be real, particularily with the background extras. But, often, their idea of "real" and ours would clash.
- What are the main differences between make-ups for a contemporary show and make-ups for a "period" show like this?
- In a period show, you may be using a lot of make-up techniques to achieve a look, but you have to be careful that it never looks like make-up.
- Would you compare your make-up work on the Vikings for this movie with other "realistic" make-up works you did on westerns?
- I did the movie UNFORGIVEN with Clint Eastwood and, yes, the dirty grimy look is one that is similar in both genres. After seeing THE 13TH WARRIOR, I wish they were more dirty... But that is one thing the director was specific about: he did not want them as dirty as we did.
- What did you do on the level of facial hair and beards, which usually are considered as symbolic of the Vikings?
- In the beginning, we tested many beard variations with the actors... But the director wanted a simpler approach. Most of the actors grew their own beards throughout shooting. And, unfortunately, we were not able to use some of the more interesting designs we came up with...
- What is "Clean-Dirt"? Jeff Dawn mentioned this product in the production notes...
- Just a product that gives the look of dirt without being dirt. Tinted cosmetic powders mixed with glycerin and facial mud bases.
- What about the actresses' make-ups on this show?
- Very minimal, but perhaps still too much. Not enough attention was paid, because they were so overshadowed by the male actors.
- The movie was shot on location, out in the dirt and the miserable weather: did that pose any particular problems for the make-ups? (touch-up, continuity, etc.?) Also, I have read that the tent scenes were done in the blazing heat...
- Actors were in heavy wardrobe and armour... And in the heat, or being rained on... And sweating off their scars or make-up... The Wendols body make-ups were specially formulated to be resistant to heat and perspiration. As a result, the actors and stuntmen who played Wendols had a little trouble getting their make-up off... It would come off all over their bed sheets! The local hotels hated us for that! The blazing heat scene was the Viking tent, which was set up in a huge barn. It was blistering summer heat, in addition to the movie lights, as well as the huge firepitts and torches on set. Omar Sharif suffered heat exhaustion here, on his first day of shooting!
- When creating make-ups for the actors, did you take into account this (rather unusual for an Hollywood movie) lighting with fires and torches?
- The movie ended up with a lot of minimal light scenes. We did not know this would be the case initially. So we adjusted as we went along!
- Did you try to give each Viking his own sort of individual personality through make-ups?
- That is what we wanted to do and we did in the tests. The final result is toned down a lot from what our original ideas were.
- What were your inspirations for the Wendols make-ups?
- We spent a week testing colors and designs for the Wendols body make-up... And many more weeks designing and fabricating the "Neanderthal like" prosthetics that were used. In the end, you only really saw the blackened body make-ups and the choppy hair. I thought that the black sooty look was appropriate for cave dwellers, and then, we put slashes of colors through it, like they had painted on streaks of lightning using sticks.
- Wasn't the Wendol leader's make-up more elaborated than the ones of his troops?
- Yes, he and a few of the "close up" Wendols were in prosthetic appliances and dentures. Again many tests... And the director changed his mind and re-shot the Wendol Mother 3 times! With a new make-up look each time!
- I had heard that several actresses were used to play the Wendol Mother and that many make-up effects were tested for that same part that didn't seem to suit the director... So that was true!
- Yes! As I said, 3 times! My favourite was the original one, which you will never see... However, I cannot divuldge the original design details, as it was not mine...
- Weren't there other women, all painted and wearing bone jewelry, involved in the original Wendol Mother scene?
- No.
- While on the reshoot/actresses subject, do you know who exactly plays the Second Oracle Woman, the old witch they meet in the woods? Is it NY actress Suzanne Bertish (as listed in the credits) or Anne Bancroft?
- It was Suzanne... NOT Anne!
- Also, some source told me they reshot the swordfight scene between Herger (Dennis Storhoi) and Angus (big red hair giant), and that the original Angus was actually an untrained biker they picked up at the last minute to play the part, who ended up
breaking Dennis' hand in the swordfight. Any truth in that?
- That one is true. Dennis suffered a broken hand due to the over-zealous inexperience of the "Angus" actor.
- Most of the Wendols are wearing bear heads and, in the first part, they are supposed to be demons... Did that translate in their make-ups in any way? For example, did the director ask their face to be darkened in order to make them more nondescript, or things like that?
- It served that purpose, yes.
- I noticed paints on some of the Wendols horses. Were they also designed and applied by your people?
- Yes. We established those and then, turned the work of applying over to the animal wranglers.
- One of the 13 warriors has got tattoos on his face...
- These are Celtic braids that both John McTiernan and Michael Crichton wanted. Jeff Dawn originally designed an amazing "Viking" tattoo, with various symbols and in a primitive blue color, that was much better!
- Regarding the tattoos, I have seen several different versions myself, on photos... Did each of the main Vikings characters go through many looks like that, before the final version being picked?
- Yes.
- Could you elaborate on some of these unused original ideas?
- Basically, just more elaborate wigs and facial hair designs, scars, that sort of thing...
- Besides their costumes, I noticed three elements that helped characterize the main Vikings from one to another, in their final look: scars, colors of the hair, and plaits. For
example, Halga has giant scars on his face and left biceps ; Weath, the "Scottish" one, has red hair (I think it was colored, right?) ; and Rethel wears a big plait on his side...
- Yes, this was all to differentiate the Vikings from one another. Tony [Curran] actually has red hair... But we enhanced its brilliance. Rethel's hair was one of the most elaborate designs that actually was used. Perhaps the director allowed that because [Mischa Hausserman] is in fact a friend of John McTiernan's in real life...
- Did you find any inspiration in the main Vikings nicknames, as written in the script? (Herger the Joyous, Edgtho the Silent, Skeld the Superstitious, etc.)
- No. The director did not seem to pay much attention to these character traits... And only Skeld's design of tattoos on his face was representative.
- I was wondering... Did you test make-ups with beard for the Buliwyf character (he has no facial hair in the movie, which is a rather unusual look for a Viking, by the way...)?
- That was how the director wanted it from the beginning... So, nothing was tested on him... Just long hair and regular make-up.
- During the tests (or when working in the make-up trailers), did you ever play movies on VCR, or film music, to put actors in the mood? I have heard about Richard Fleischer's THE VIKINGS, and BRAVEHEART...
- No. I cannot speak for the other trailers... but not true in mine.
- Antonio Banderas' look is evolving throughout the movie, from the Baghdad opening scene to the final battle...
- Well, he begins as a proper Arab emissary, with the kohl around his eyes, and gradually gives in to the Viking ways, emulating them... sans beard.
- Did you work on the Baghdad scenes too? The make-ups from that sequence are quite different from the rest of the movie...
- Yes. We shot that in studio... The same artists!
- Back in early 1997, there were rumours circulating about Arnold Schwarzenegger doing some cameo appearance in the movie. Did you hear about this on the set?
- Yes. But it was never true. There was talk he would play the Viking King... but not so.
- So many scenes were shot which are not in the final release. Do you remember having participated in sequences that ended on the cutting room floor?
- Many! Too many to remember...
- Amongst cut scenes, I have heard about some more Baghdad scenes, shot in sets not seen in the final cut (a garden and a court)...
- No. You saw all that we shot of Baghdad.
- ...some whale scene (apparently, the mechanical whale they used was not working very well...)...
- False. No mechanical whale.
- ...more romantic scenes between Ibn (Banderas) and Olga, the local beauty (Maria Bonnevie)...
- False. Again, you saw what was shot.
- ...some mass suicide of the Wendols scene; they must have used gory effects in that sequence...
- False.
- ...and a scene with Arab generals waiting for old Ibn (Banderas), outside his tent; maybe you worked on some "aged" Banderas make-up for this scene?
- No. Just the scene at the end of him writing, in very subtle age make-up.
- There is also, in the previews, a very mysterious shot of Queen Weilew (Diane Venora) kneeling on the ground, in the mud, under the rain, looking upwards, crying and shouting, as if someone had been killed (like her husband, the Old King, or her son, Prince Wigliff) or she was expressing her anger/outrage at the Wendols... Obviously, this scene is taken from the end battle sequence...
- Diane's part was unfortunately very disjointed. She is a wonderful actress whose talents were wasted here.
- Have you heard about additional photography on this movie?
- Yes. Charles Porlier and Jeff Dawn did another 20 days or so in L.A.... Inserts for the battles scenes, mainly.
- Didn't they also shoot the interiors of the farmer's hutt sequence (with all the dead and severed bodies) in L.A.?
- No. That was all on location, on Vancouver Island, in the actual set you saw the exterior of.
- Do you know why they did these reshoots? Several alleged reasons are invoked, from Antonio Banderas' back problems during original filming to very bad test-screenings...
- Not so. The main goal was to add more make-up effects to the battles and coverage that the director needed to cut the scenes the way he wanted! Antonio did have some back problems that shut us down for a bit (from doing his own stunts on [THE MASK OF] ZORRO) but he was able to shoot everything required.
- During some chat on the net, Antonio Banderas' photo double, Alejandro Abellan, told fans that you can tell which footage are from principal photography and which are not simply by looking the "hair thing": according to him, Banderas' hair is shorter in the footage from the re-shoots... Did you notice such a thing in the final version of the movie?
- No. In fact, Alejandro was not a photo double, but rather a lighting stand in. Antonio's stunt double was Casey [O'Neill]... And the hair was identical between them!
- There are also rumors of disputes between Michael Crichton and John McTiernan... Do you know what were the reasons of the trouble?
- This is a delicate area... All I know is that it all started as a "happy marriage" and went sour very quickly, when Crichton saw how the director was shooting the movie. It was better than we all thought it would be... But not what it "could have been"! In my estimation (and dare I say, Michael Crichton's), the director was simply not at his best during this movie.
- Do you know why they finally changed the title of the movie?
- Michael Crichton always wanted his original title from the novel... But Disney thought it sounded like a schlocky horror film.
- They allegedly considered other replacement titles...
- I have not heard of the other titles.
- Finally, what was your greatest challenge on this show?
- Putting up with the director! Much of the time, we never knew what we would shoot from one day to the next... And the director would expect us to create many effects on set that were not planned! The locations were a challenge too, as we had heavy winds rain... In fact, on several days, we had storms that actually started to uproot giant trees, and they would fall down crushing tents, trucks or anything on their path! The crew had to evacuate a number of times. We came back to find the "Extras" make-up tent had a giant tree fall on top of it! Had we not evacuated, and there were people working, we surely would have had casualties.
- So you were on the set when that storm wreaked havoc on August 97?
- Oh, yes! As I was walking to breakfast with Charles Porlier, another Key make-up artist, a 100 foot tall tree came crashing down behind us where we were walking seconds before. That is when we decided to evacuate!
- How did you feel about the finished version of THE 13TH WARRIOR?
- Again, mildly disappointed... because I was there, at these amazing locations, with great actors and first rate production design, and all of the elements were in place... but the director chose to shoot it in such a way as not to truly capitalize on all of these things!
- Anything you would want to add about your work on THE 13TH WARRIOR?
- It was the hardest shoot of my career!

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