Eva’s effortless and Sarah struggles
SheKnows: I actually spoke to Sarah before the film came out in theaters and she was saying she wasn’t sure about things, but I guess Frank said that the way she was looking on screen was very much like the classic Alfred Hitchcock blondes.
Isabel Harkins: Right!
SheKnows: Was that something Frank had told you or was it something that was just between him and Sarah?
Isabel Harkins: You know what? There was some convincing to do with Sarah. But, what we did with Frank, which is very unusual for a director to do this, he conveyed Will Eisner and his vision. He was very clear. We went through hundreds of magazines and drawings. That’s the beauty of working with Frank. He’s amazing. Right away he puts a storyboard for you and you can adjust it with his ideas and your ideas. That is so good for an artist because this is so graphic. That hardly ever happens. Frank so is good. He listens. He respects. He completely goes into your idea. I was really lucky the presentation I did from day one with Frank. He said he loved it and that’s exactly what I want. He’s extremely good with women. He’s ingenious with women. He knows a woman better than Hef. I used to work with Hugh Hefner from Playboy. Hef and him have that ‘in with the women.’ They know how to put things to women that works both ways. They feel honored, and listened to, the beauty they would like to be. I remember with Sarah, I thought, what about a Grace Kelly. Frank loved that.
SheKnows: Well it works for Sarah.
Isabel Harkins: Everybody has their ideal of who they want to be like, so that’s why I think Frank brought her into the Alfred Hitchcock situation. He had such a way. Eva was incredibly nervous herself.
SheKnows: Oh really…
Isabel Harkins: Yeah, because she thinks she has eye bags and things like that. She’s so flawless! She is beautiful. I’ve worked with Eva for many years and I know her very well. She’s flawless and so perfect. If you notice the character for Eva in the film, it wasn’t the 1940s, it was the 1970s. Sometimes you have to sacrifice something, wardrobe, make-up, something to help an actor get into character.
SheKnows: As you said, you’ve worked with Eva before on Stuck on You. You’ve also worked with one of our favorites, Patricia Arquette on a few projects including the Medium pilot…
Isabel Harkins: You know I work with Patricia for years. It was not so consistent for me Joel because I was a single parent raising children. I couldn’t be a person that was committed to someone for the whole year. I could do junkets with them. I could do here and there– for me to be in a full career move with them — it was very hard because I had teenagers.
SheKnows: Well look where you are now.
Isabel Harkins: Look at Penelope Cruz, I was with Penelope in Europe and here, but I couldn’t just bounce around through the world when you have a family and you’re the only one.
Isabel Harkins Filmography
Courtesy of imdb.com.
The Spirit (2008) (makeup department head)
Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control (2008) (makeup department head)
Numb3rs (makeup department head) (12 episodes, 2005-2006) (makeup artist) (4 episodes, 2005)
Longshot (2006) TV episode (makeup department head)
Traffic (2006) TV episode (makeup department head)
Two Daughters (2006) TV episode (makeup department head)
Spree (2006) TV episode (makeup department head)
Hot Shot (2006) TV episode (makeup department head)
The Virgin of Juarez (2006) (makeup artist)
Medium (makeup artist) (1 episode, Pilot, 2005)
In Enemy Hands (2004) (makeup department head) (special makeup effects artist)
Stuck on You (2003) (makeup artist: Matt Demon & Greg Kinnear) (makeup department head)
Holes (2003) (makeup artist: Patricia Arquette)
Biker Boyz (2003) (assistant makeup department head)
Adaptation (2002) (makeup artist)
Auto Focus (2002) (makeup department head)
The Badge (2002) (makeup artist: Patricia Arquette)
Good Advice (2001) (makeup artist)
Planet of the Apes (2001) (makeup artist)
Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) (key makeup artist: second unit)
Donnie Darko (2001) (assistant makeup department head)
Double Take (2001) (key makeup artist)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (makeup artist)
The Last Producer (2000) (key makeup artist) (makeup department head) (uncredited)
Love & Basketball (2000) (makeup department head)
The Hi-Lo Country (1998) (makeup artist)
Sins of the City (1998) TV series (head makeup artist) (unknown episodes)
Chinese Box (1997) (makeup department head)
Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) (makeup artist)
Relativity (1996) TV series (makeup artist) (unknown episodes)
Arli$$ (1996) TV series (makeup department head) (unknown episodes)
Striptease (1996) (makeup artist)
Deadly Games (1995) TV series (makeup department head) (unknown episodes)
Miami Rhapsody (1995) (key makeup artist)
My So-Called Life (makeup artist) (18 episodes, 1994-1995)
Read on for more DVD interviews
Marley and Me on working with Jennifer Aniston
The woman behind The Tale of Despereaux
The two youngest reasons to see Bedtime Stories
SheKnows interviews Eva Mendes in 2008
A little bonus video for our readers!
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