>>STARGAZING
Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen
Mia Wasikowska as Alice
Paul Gooch’s over-the-top hair creations add
magic to Alice in Wonderland.
Most thought it inevitable that Disney’s new take on Alice in Wonderland,
hitting theaters on March 5, would be nothing short of remarkable. But
Paul Gooch—one of the most gifted hairdressers working in films today—is
making the trip down the rabbit hole all the more memorable. Gooch,
who collaborated with director Tim Burton to invent new looks for the
characters, created the Red Queen’s heart design after experimenting
with various shapes and colors. “It needed to be comfortable for Helena
[Bonham Carter] to wear through the long shooting day, so its bulk was
created using a plastic mesh similar to the bulky yet lightweight material
used for pan scrubbers,” says Gooch, who used a bald cap to accentuate
the wig’s heart-shaped hairline. To achieve a polar-opposite look on the
White Queen, he used a bald cap and wig to cover Anne Hathaway’s
brown locks. And after input from Johnny Depp, Gooch had a special wig
made for his character, the Mad Hatter. “The orange hair is an allusion to
the mercury used in making hats,” he says. “It’s very poisonous and could
turn a hatter’s hair red and make him mentally unstable, hence, ‘the Mad
Hatter.’” To read more about Gooch’s imaginative hair creations, visit blog
. americansalonmag.com. ✂ —Kelley Donahue
Wonderland
LEFT TO RIGHT: Paul
Gooch, second from
right, and crew members
talk shop with director
Tim Burton; Gooch
and his team create a
gravity-defying look
for Mia Wasikowska’s
character, Alice; Gooch’s
right-hand man, Terry
Baliel, puts the finishing
touches on the Red
Queen’s wig.
