Bill Skarsgård’s transformation into Count Orlok in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu has been highly anticipated by audiences. In a recent interview by Variety, prosthetic makeup effects designer David White provided insight into both his inspiration and the design process.
White shared that his version of Nosferatu was modeled after an experience he had as a child:
When I was a kid in the library, rooting through the horror section, I came across a book. I opened it to a full-page, black-and-white still of Max Schreck as Nosferatu. This image was so striking it was burned into my psyche to this day.
He also relied on “a dark and mysterious photo” of a painting of the character provided by Eggers, which had a “great head shape and ashen skin tone.”
White described a lengthy creative process that involved nearly a year of discussion with Eggers and three to four months in a workshop, during which elements were combined and tested on Skarsgård. He spoke highly of key sculptor Colin Jackman as well as his workshop crew and on-set team, all of whom demonstrated the dedication and passion needed to get the job done.
The most challenging aspect of developing the vampire’s look was that the prosthetic makeup had to work on several levels. It had to keep Count Orlok’s age ambiguous, make him appealing and charismatic while hiding his “filthy rot and decay,” and vary his skin and eye color depending on the situation and scene. His arthritic hands and lengthy fingers also required much effort to allow Skarsgård to be able to write and manipulate objects.
Because Focus Features continues to hide the full view of Count Orlok, audiences can appreciate the surprise of being able to view the vampire in his entirety at their local theaters.
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