ALL HAIL THE KING - THE SECRETS OF SKULL ISLAND
KONG: SKULL ISLAND is the latest blockbuster that features Hollywood's favorite gigantic gorilla star. From the beautiful locations of Vietnam to the action sequences and the digital character work, this installment in the Kong series is truly a visual delight. One of the many responsible is makeup department head, Academy Award winner Bill Corso. His credits include A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, FOXCATCHER, and DEADPOOL, among so many, has made him a master of both traditional and prosthetic makeup.
AM: King Kong is without a doubt one of the most beloved and recognizable icons that has ever came out of cinema. What was your first introduction to the character and what are your thoughts about the previous incarnations that came before?
Bill Corso: My first brush with Kong was a making of book I found in my local bookstore that preceded the release of the 76' Kong. I had already become obsessed with the work of a young FX guy named Rick Baker and in that book there were many pics of him creating the suit( sculpting the expression heads) that he would eventually wear in the film.
AM: Was there some sort of impact or influence that came from that?
Bill Corso: I became Kong obsessed. I sculpted a Kong face onto every action figure/ GI Joe that I had. And dug up anything I could find on Kong, including finally seeing the original.
AM: And why do you think that Kong has endured and lasted for so long making him ultimately timeless?
Bill Corso: Let's face it, he's the original 'larger than life character. The true 8th Wonder of the world.
AM: How did you get on board to the project and what appealed to you about this incarnation of Kong?
Bill Corso: I was contacted by an Ex. Producer to compliment my work on another film when he asked me if I was interested in doing the new Kong movie. I calmly said, I might be interested while my insides were screaming with joy.
AM: As the makeup department head, what were your responsibilities on the film?
Bill Corso: As the Makeup Dept. it was my job to design the looks and progression of all the characters that the script describes. That includes the natives of Skull island, the Iwis.
AM: In terms of the Skull Island natives, what were some of the challenges of coming up with the designs? Were there any specific tribes around the South Pacific or other group of people that had a key influence?
Bill Corso: With the Iwi, we knew this was the first time our island would be located in the South Pacific so we would be looking into utilizing Asian actors as our islanders and trying to come up with a tribal look that hasn't been seen a million times.
AM: One can naturally assume that on-set application and maintenance must have been difficult in these locations. Where there any challenges with those aspects?
Bill Corso: Anytime you have actors in varying states of distress and your shooting in rough conditions, jungles, swamps can be a challenge. That's the fun of it.
AM: You’re very well known for your prosthetic work and are there some sort of prosthetics featured in the film?
Bill Corso: The only way to achieve the strong design of the IWI's was to utilize prosthetics that helped take the form of tightly patterned, mud makeups.
AM: What do you audiences will take away from this film? The spectacle? The awe of these locations? The action?
Bill Corso: All that and more. Hopefully the joy of seeing the great Kong, certainly one of cinemas most iconic characters, back in an all, new adventure.
AM: And it’s just inevitable that they’ll eventually meet up, we all know what Warner Bros are planning, but who do you think would win in the King Kong VS Godzilla movie?
Bill Corso: I'll always be team Kong, but one blast of Atomic breath and I think the King is in trouble.
AM: And are you a bigger Kong fan or a bigger Godzilla fan?
Bill Corso: KK.
AM: Bill, thank you so much for this, I’m going with a friend to see it opening night. We just can’t wait for it! I hope that we could stay in touch and maybe do another interview in the future.
Bill Corso: Hope you like it. Glad to help. Give me a shout anytime.
For the digital part of the film, multi Academy Award winning visual effects house Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) handled the bulk of the visual effects shots, primarily focusing on the digital characters, including Kong himself. Here are the key people involved with the process:
ILM Visual Effects Supervisor - Jeff White
ILM Animation Supervisor - Scott Benza
ILM Art Director - Aaron McBride
Kong performed by Terry Notary & Toby Kebbell
KONG: SKULL ISLAND is in theaters now, see the Eighth Wonder as you never seen him before.
