How do you transform two actors into some of the most recognisable figures of the 20th century?
In Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022), Austin Butler and Tom Hanks portray Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker across three decades. Prosthetics, make-up, wigs and hairstyling help carry that transformation, allowing the performers to move through time while remaining believable on screen.
The team worked through small, precise changes. For Butler, a tiny prosthetics piece was even designed to hold his ears closer to his head, matching Elvis’s profile beneath the famous quiff. For Hanks, the process was more extensive: his make-up took three-and-a-half hours, rising to more than five when Parker appears aged 87, and Hanks wore 10 prosthetic pieces.
Led by creatives including Mark Coulier, Jason Baird, Shane Thomas, Aldo Signoretti and Louise Coulston, the work won Best Makeup and Hair at the 2023 BAFTAs and Critics Choice Awards.
Collection
Not in ACMI's collection
On display until
30 July 2029
ACMI: Gallery 1
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Worlds → MW-05. Character Design → MW-05-C01