MUD Talks: An Hour with Howard Berger

My mom was a teacher and an artist. My dad was a post-production sound editor in the film business, so he introduced me to films early on. I fell in love with monster films especially, like Two-Headed Transplant and Creature from the Black Lagoon. By the time I was about eight years old, I realized that there were people behind the scenes who made all these characters, and I knew that was what I wanted to do when I grew up.

When I was ten years old, I got the book “The Art of Theatrical Make-up for Stage and Screen” by Mike Westmore. I made everything in the book from start to finish to learn what worked for me and what didn’t. When I was twelve I got to meet Stan Winston—known today for films like Terminator and Jurassic Park. He stressed the importance of education, so as long as I got As and Bs on my report card I could continue to visit his shop. There I met people like James Kagel, Mike McCracken Sr. and Jr., and Jeff Kennmore. When I graduated high school, Stan hired me. He was very influential in my career. Early on I also met my hero, Rick Baker, of King Kong fame. Everything Rick ever said to me sticks in my brain.

“Keep reinventing. School plants a seed and you have to let it grow. That’s what’s going to make you special and stand out.”

Originally, there were three of us that formed KNB Studios—Robert Kurtzman, Greg Nicotero, and me. We had been supervising for other people and putting in a lot of hard work, but we weren’t getting any of the credit. So we said, “Let’s stop working for other people, and let’s start our own company.” We had a tiny 800-squarefoot facility that was like a garage, and we grew from there.

I met Quentin at a barbeque. He’s brilliant. Before he was well-known, my company was the first to ever pay him to write a script. We told him if he ever got a film going that we would do the effects. Shortly after, he started working on Reservoir Dogs. We made all the blood and the rest of the effects. For Kill Bill, we went to China thinking we would be there for three weeks. We stayed five months. I always knew when our effects were successful because Quentin would laugh. One time we chopped somebody’s arm off and blood hit the roof thirty feet above us, and Quentin laughed and laughed.

Mila is lovely and patient, but her wicked witch make-up was the hardest of all the characters in Oz. She has porcelain skin and we turned her totally green. We initially used a silicone piece for the nose, but it didn’t hold up well during fourteen-hour shoots.

We switched to foam and kept modifying it as we went. I tried to keep her away from food to preserve the look. One night there was barbeque, and she said “Howey, I would never have the barbeque.” But when I went to touch her up, there was barbeque sauce on the tip of her witch nose!

It was awesome. You don’t do films to win awards. You just go and do the job the best you can. When I was a little kid I always dreamed that someday, maybe, I would be an Academy Award-winning make-up artist. In the same month I won the BAFTA, the Saturn Award, and then the Oscar—all for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I had a whole month of so much joy.

I’ve been working a lot with Mark Wahlberg and recently department headed Ted 2. I’m not just doing creature stuff these days. I handle all the straight make-up, I’m Mark’s personal artist, and I do all the effects. I like to stay busy or I go nuts.

“It’s the best career in the world. You’re living a dream.”

Invent. You learn something in school, a curriculum, but then you have to take that and make it your own. What you are taught at school is a base, but that’s not how you should do it every single time. You have to figure out the best way that works for you. Then keep reinventing. The school plants a seed and you have to let it grow. That’s what’s going to make you special and stand out. You have to bring something to the table. Another important thing is that it’s not a competition. Don’t worry about what others are doing. Everyone is here to do a good job. We all work as part of a team.

I don’t recommend specific looks. I want to see what best represents you and what interests you. It’s about quality over quantity. I would rather see five great photos than 100 crappy ones. I also look for good attitudes and enthusiasm. If you have skill, obviously, that helps. But I would rather hire somebody who has a better attitude over someone who maybe is an amazing sculptor with a terrible attitude.

I try not to use the word “job” because that makes me sound like a bit of a drudge. It’s my career. What I love most is that I get to wake up every day and I’m excited about going to work, doing make-ups, and going on set. I’ve been doing this for thirty-five years and every day is like a new day. I love being creative and working with good people. It’s the best career in the world. You’re living a dream. •