The Stranger Things Season 4: Jamie Campbell Bower now spends only 3 hours in makeup.
The Stranger Things Villain Looks Different
Fans have noticed that Vecna, the scary villain from Stranger Things, looks much thinner this season.
Some fans and even celebrities have joked about his new “slim” body, but there is a real reason for this change.
It isn’t because the character lost weight—it is because the show is using new technology and less heavy makeup to create him.
Seven Hours vs. Three Hours in the Makeup Chair
In Season 4, the actor Jamie Campbell Bower had a very difficult time becoming Vecna.
- Season 4: It took seven hours every morning to put on his makeup. A team of four artists had to glue 26 different rubber pieces all over his body.
- Season 5: Now, it only takes about three hours. The artist only put makeup on his head and one arm. The rest of his body is created later using computers (CGI).
Taking the makeup off is also much faster now, dropping from two hours to just 45 minutes!
Why the Change?
The creators of the show, the Duffer Brothers, wanted Vecna to look “larger than life” this year.
They wanted his body to look like it is made of moving vines and have holes that you can see through. This was impossible to make with just rubber and glue.
Now, Jamie wears a special tight suit (spandex) with vine patterns on it. This helps the computer experts add digital effects later.
Even though he wears less makeup, his prosthetic head and arm still weigh about 10 kilograms (22 pounds), so it is still hard work!
The Actor Behind the Monster
Even with the faster makeup process, Jamie Campbell Bower works very hard to stay in character. As the artists work on him, his personality changes.
He starts the morning being a polite British man, but by the end, he speaks in Vecna’s deep, scary voice. He even listens to heavy metal music to help him feel like a monster.
A Brand New Set Every Day
A surprising fact is that every time Jamie films, the makeup artists have to make a brand new set of prosthetics.
This is because the rubber pieces are destroyed when they are pulled off his skin at the end of the day.
It takes a team of artists two weeks of hard work just to prepare one day’s worth of makeup!
While Vecna looks a bit different this season, he is still just as scary as before.
The new mix of makeup and computer effects allows him to do things a human in a suit simply couldn’t do.
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