It has been a month since The Suicide Squad hit theaters, and director James Gunn is still sitting on a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes photos and videos. He revealed a few images on his social media account recently, which feature Gunn posing with David Dastmalchian as the actor gets his first makeup trial done for a Polka-Dot Man scene in the film.
The photos offer a close-up look at the exceptional makeup and prosthetics used to get the look for Polka-Dot Man when he is experiencing a “rash” in The Suicide Squad. Dastmalchian is almost unrecognizable in the images, with a whole bunch of prosthetics attached to his face that even glow in the dark and provide the colorful look necessary for his character.
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Gunn revealed that these images were taken during their first makeup test for the “extreme polka dot disease,” which fans will remember from The Suicide Squad. In the film, the first time fans see the makeup in action is when Polka-Dot Man arrives on Corto Maltese along with Idris Elba's Bloodsport, John Cena's Peacemaker, King Shark portrayed by Sylvester Stallone, and Daniela Melchior's Ratcatcher 2 for a covert operation.
The inspiration for the makeup, according to Gunn’s tweet, comes from actor Lon Chaney, known for his role in 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera, Boris Karloff, who was known for his portrayal of Frankenstein, and Universal Monsters. As a fan of their work, Dastmalchian was “overcome with emotion” when he found out that he was to be their “modern embodiment and began to weep” when he saw his Polka-Dot Man look for the first time.
Since this was just the first trial, Gunn revealed that a lot of “changes were made to the makeup after this.” The team experimented with the look and added prosthetics to get the glowing effect. Gunn commended their work, not just for getting a wonderful look complete for Polka-Dot Man, but for “all the prosthetics” used for the various characters who are part of The Suicide Squad.
It seems like Polka-Dot Man is one of Gunn’s favorite characters from the film. In a previously held Q&A session on Twitter, Gunn had revealed that the character’s costume is actually his favorite in the film.
The white outfit covered in bright colored polka dots, along with a red belt and gladiator glasses, perfectly added to Polka-Dot Man's personality. In fact, it is quite similar to the costume that the character wears in the comics, and Gunn had previously praised the costume department for nailing the look.
The Suicide Squad is showing at theaters.
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Source: James Gunn/Twitter
