Oscars Predictions: Best Makeup and Hairstyling – ‘Pinocchio’ Shows Off For Voters

Clayton Davis
·8 min read
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Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE COLLECTIVE

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DRAFT>>>PRE SEASON>>>REGULAR SEASON>>>POST SEASON

2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

UPDATED: Mar. 4, 2021

AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: This category ended up taking a different shape than we thought, especially with “Promising Young Woman” out of the race. “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” remains the presumptive favorite but this is one of those categories that doesn’t reveal itself until after nominations as seen with past winners like “Dallas Buyers Club,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Suicide Squad.”

WATCH RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE VOTING: There are only ten on the shortlist and voters should be able to see this crop of films before the close of phase one.

PRECURSORS LEADER:
None
Awards Circuit Winners Chart (2020-2021)
2021 Awards Season Calendar

AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:

  1. "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" (Netflix)†††
    Matiki Anoff (makeup department head), Mia Neal (hair department head), Larry M. Cherry (hair department head)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    -
    DIRECTOR: George C. Wolfe
    SYNOPSIS: Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable "Mother of the Blues". Based on Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's play.
    STARRING: Chadwick Boseman, Dusan Brown, Jonny Coyne, Viola Davis, Colman Domingo, Taylour Paige, Michael Potts, Jeremy Shamos, Glynn Turman

  2. "Hillbilly Elegy" (Netflix)
    Eryn Krueger Mekash (makeup department head), Patricia Dehaney (hair department head), Matthew Mungle (prosthetic designer)

    OSCAR HISTORY:
    Mekash - Never nominated
    Dehaney - 1 nomination, 1 win (2018's "Vice")
    Mungle - 4 nominations, 1 win (1992's "Dracula")
    –
    DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
    SYNOPSIS: An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future.
    STARRING: Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso, Haley Bennett, Freida Pinto, Bo Hopkins, Owen Asztalos

  3. "Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)" (Warner Bros.)
    TBD

    OSCAR HISTORY: TBD
    –
    DIRECTOR: Cathy Yan
    SYNOPSIS: After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.
    STARRING: Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong

  4. "One Night in Miami" (Amazon Studios)†††
    Scott Wheeler (makeup department head), Sabrina Cruz Castro, (makeup co-department head), Nakoya Yancey (hair department head)

    OSCAR HISTORY:
    Wheeler - 1 nomination (1996's "Star Trek: First Contact")
    Cruz Castro - Never nominated
    Yancey - Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: Regina King
    SYNOPSIS: A fictional account of one incredible night in 1964, where four icons of activism, sports and music – Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke – gathered, discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the ’60s.
    STARRING: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom, Jr., Joaquina Kalukango, Nicolette Robinson

  5. "Pinocchio" (Roadside Attractions)
    TBD

    OSCAR HISTORY: TBD
    –
    DIRECTOR: Matteo Garrone
    SYNOPSIS: Old woodcarver Geppetto's puppet creation, Pinocchio, magically comes to life with dreams of becoming a real boy. Easily led astray, Pinocchio tumbles from one misadventure to another as he is tricked, kidnapped and chased by bandits.
    STARRING: Federico Ielapi, Roberto Benigni, Rocco Papaleo

NEXT IN LINE:

  1. "The Glorias" (Roadside Attractions and LD Entertainment)
    TBD

    OSCAR HISTORY: TBD
    –
    DIRECTOR: Julie Taymor
    SYNOPSIS: The story of feminist icon Gloria Steinem's itinerant childhood and its influence on her life as a writer, activist and organizer for women's rights worldwide.
    STARRING: Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Timothy Hutton, Lorraine Toussaint, Janelle Monáe, Bette Midler

  2. "The Little Things" (Warner Bros.)
    Donald Mowat (makeup department head), Michael White (hair department head)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: John Lee Hancock
    SYNOPSIS: Two cops track down a serial killer.
    STARRING: Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, Rami Malek

  3. "Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey" (Netflix)
    TBD

    OSCAR HISTORY: TBD
    –
    DIRECTOR: David E. Talbert
    SYNOPSIS: Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.
    STARRING: Forest Whitaker, Madelen Mills, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Ricky Martin, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose

  4. "Mank" (Netflix)†††
    Kimberley Spiteri (hair department head), Gigi Williams (makeup department head)

    OSCAR HISTORY: Never nominated
    –
    DIRECTOR: David Fincher
    SYNOPSIS: 1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles.
    STARRING: Tom Burke, Lily Collins, Joseph Cross, Charles Dance, Monika Gossman, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jamie McShane, Tuppence Middleton, Toby Leonard Moore, Gary Oldman, Tom Pelphrey, Amanda Seyfried, Sam Troughton

  5. "Emma." (Focus Features)
    TBD

    OSCAR HISTORY: TBD
    –
    DIRECTOR: Autumn de Wilde
    SYNOPSIS: In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.
    STARRING: Anya Taylor-Joy, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Josh O'Connor, Johnny Flynn, Tanya Reynolds, Bill Nighy

† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
††† = official eligible nominees not yet determined by AMPAS

AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. The most awarded films in Oscar history are “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” at 11 statuettes. The most nominated films in Academy history are “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” at 14. “La La Land” is the only film of the three to have lost best picture. The biggest Oscar “losers,” meaning most nominated and walk away with zero awards, are 1977’s “The Turning Point” and 1985’s “The Color Purple” at 11 each. The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Rick Baker (“Men in Black”), who is now retired, has the distinction of most nominations with 11 and wins with seven. Greg Cannon (“Bram Stoker’s Dracula”) is closest to him in both regards with 10 mentions over his career with four wins. The most decorated woman in this space is Ve Neill (“Mrs. Doubtfire”).

Academy Awards Predictions (All Categories)

2021 Golden Globes Predictions (Film)

2021 SAG Awards Predictions (Film)

About the Academy Awards (Oscars)

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners are selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 17 branches are represented within the near 10,000 person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.

  • The Oscars are scheduled for Sunday, April 25, 2021.

About the Golden Globes

The Golden Globes Awards, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, is held annually with 93 members since 1944. The group recognizes excellence in film and television across drama and comedy or musical categories. Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” holds the record for the most awards won by a single film with seven. Milos Forman’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express” are next in line with six each. Robert Altman’s “Nashville” has the record for most nominations received by a film with 11 while Colin Higgins’ “Foul Play,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather Part III” and Mike Nichols’ “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” share the record for receiving the most nominations and not winning a single award at seven.

  • The Golden Globes are scheduled for Feb. 28, 2021.

About the SAG Awards

The Screen Actors Guild Awards, hosted by SAG-AFTRA, is an annual award show that has become one of the most important and key indicators for the Oscars. Four films have won the most SAG awards with three: 1999’s “American Beauty,” 2002’s “Chicago,” 2011’s “The Help” and 2017’s “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Three movies have been nominated for the most SAG awards with five: 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” “Chicago” and 2008’s “Doubt.”

  • The SAG Awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 4, 2021

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