From Ariana Grande and Stevie Nicks’ iconic performance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend to the opening night of the much-awaited film Saturday Night, based on the legendary sketch comedy show, it’s safe to say that this has been a huge week for all things SNL.
As the show celebrates its 50th season, the film Saturday Night takes viewers back to the beginning, focusing on the lead-up to the show’s very first broadcast. Not only is Saturday Night filled with laugh-out-loud moments from the comedic actors of today like Rachel Sennott and Lamorne Morris, but it also transports viewers back to the ’70s, thanks largely to the meticulously created beauty looks. Ahead, some of the biggest ’70s beauty secrets from the set of Saturday Night, as told to The Zoe Report.
Wigs, Keratin Treatments and Curling Irons: Transforming 2024 Actors into ’70s Icons
The hairstyles of the 1970s are so distinct that there was no room for error in transforming the cast into the pioneers of SNL, makeup department head Tricia Sawyer and hair department head Janine Rath Thompson told TZR. Thompson, in fact, had to order 28 custom wigs for the main cast and another 50 for the ensemble. But, for the few actors who didn’t require wigs, like Bottoms star Rachel Sennott and The Fablemans actor Gabriel LaBelle, lots of effort was still needed to bring the actors’ hair back five decades. Thompson explains that LaBelle—who plays SNL creator Lorne Michaels—had to have his hair chemically straightened with keratin treatments every few weeks, while Sennott’s hair was hand-curled every day using the T3 Switch Kit Curl Pro ($280).
Skin care and makeup also played a huge role in nailing the looks of the ’70s SNL icons. “In the mornings, we usually just do a light moisturizer,” Sawyer explains. “[Augustinus] Bader is great for under makeup. It’s one of my favorites for that.” Once the skin was prepped, though, the real work began on actors like Nicholas Braun, who needed to appear much older. “We had to age him,” Sawyer tells TZR. “I did a Bluebird Old Age Stipple on his face and drew on broken capillaries, and he had a full beard and mustache that [special effects wigmaker] Sasha Camacho in LA made for me. It was a fun makeup. I think the Jim Henson character was one of my favorites on the show.”