When Katharine McPhee stepped onto the set of The Artist, she didn’t have the luxury of months of prep. In fact, she wasn’t even sure a role would materialize at all. “I was thrown into this project really last minute,” she tells us about her work on the historical-fiction thriller that premiered November 6 and boasts an award-winning cast consisting of Mandy Patinkin, Janet McTeer, Patti LuPone, Zachary Quinto, Clark Gregg, Hank Azaria, Danny Huston and Ever Anderson. “I just showed up and let the experts do their thing.”
Making her debut a little later in the season, McPhee plays real-life entertainer Norah Bayes (a singer and vaudeville performer born in 1880), and for the actress, the transformation began the moment wardrobe stepped in. “The costumes really do most of the work,” she says. Filming took place last November, which serendipitously helped her slip into the look. “My skin was a little more pale at that time, which was great for a period piece. Very little makeup—super natural, pretty skin, curled lashes, no mascara.”
Glam-wise, she loved that production used her natural hair. “With wigs, you never know if they’ll be distracting,” she explains. “I think they did a great job.” To ground her performance, she researched photos of the real Norah Bayes. “She was a pretty lady,” McPhee says. “They kept me fresh and pretty the way she was.”
The music, however, required some quick studying. “I had to learn this little song I’d never heard before,” she says, laughing. “Different style, strange lyrics…it took me a minute.” With only a couple of days to learn it, she focused on making the piece feel authentic. “Anything unfamiliar takes longer, but after a day or two, it felt like it belonged to me.”
While she arrived knowing the ensemble cast, she knew little about the story. Watching early episodes, she was struck by the modern sensibility woven into its historical setting. “It feels like a contemporary show set back in the 1800s,” she says. “There’s bad language, the cadence feels current. It’s not like Shakespeare, where you need time to adjust. You can jump right in.”
McPhee’s post-filming routine is all about caring for her skin. When it comes to beauty, her routine is simple, but her enthusiasm for her favorite tools and products is unmistakable. Right now, she counts herself as a devotee of the Shark LED face device. “I’m obsessed,” she says. With multiple light settings and under-eye cryo, it’s become a regular part of her routine. “It sounds like I’m being paid by them. I should be being paid by them!” she jokes. “I’ve tried masks where the light bothers you, or you can’t really do anything. This one? I can watch TV, no problem. Plus, now I hear they have this skin-cleaning device! I’m honestly about to buy everything!”
After a facial arranged by producer Hilary Shore, McPhee also fell in love with the brand Allies of Skin. “Their products are really high-quality—they have the peptides, everything,” she says. One product in particular—a dual-purpose SPF with a hint of self-tanner—has her hooked. “It smells amazing, gives you a light tan and has SPF, which I’ve always been a believer in.”
As for the show itself, McPhee is certain viewers are in for something special. “People will be surprised,” she says. “It’s easy to follow, highly entertaining and feels modern in a really smart way.”
