Abbott Elementary has been around for three seasons, delivering incredible, funny storylines and amazing looks for each character. The show has been praised for its quality, receiving all kinds of awards during awards season. Truthfully, the show wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for the precise and delicate work done by the hair and makeup team, who bring together incredible looks for each character to stand out and have their own personality.
I recently had the opportunity to chat with Moira Frazier and Constance Foe about the creative process behind the hair and makeup on Abbott Elementary.
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This interview is condensed for length and clarity.
Character Styles
Lara Rosales: When you started the hair and makeup process for these characters, did you try to steer away from the actors’ usual style and have a special style for each character? Or do you base it a little bit on the actors’ styles?
Moira Frazier: When it comes to Janine (Quinta Brunson), her style is very different from Quinta’s style. They’re night and day. When I approach a character, I’m looking at it based on the story being told. I try to convey that by telling that story through hair. So, because of that, I am diving deep into the quirks. I’m diving deep into the little clues given in the script. Talking about character development in general, Janine’s character isn’t the character that’s gonna go blonde tomorrow and do a short pixie cut like Halle Berry.
But for somebody like Ava (Janelle James), she’s gonna switch it up. Even with Ava’s character and Janelle’s real life, it mixes a little bit. She’s got that vibe about her that always changes constantly. Then, as far as Barbara’s (Sheryl Lee Ralph) character is concerned, she’s the matriarch of the cast. I’m sure Sheryl’s like that in real life as well as being the matriarch of her family. We’re trying to tell the story a character goes through because that character has to be relatable to our audience.
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Constance Foe: For makeup, it’s a more collaborative effort because we want our talent to be comfortable enough to act in their characters. They are very different, but we put a few hints of the characters themselves into it so that they can perform their jobs.
A Diverse and Inclusive Team
LR: Since Abbott started, it has been praised a lot for its representation and diversity, and how great that has been. In other shows, we’ve heard that sometimes there have been issues off-screen when actors didn’t have people who knew how to do their hair or makeup. So, how important is having that same diversity off-screen and on your team to ensure the characters are as authentic as possible?
MF: A diverse and inclusive team is the most important for any environment you work in. It is good to see representation across the board. We take pride in that on our show; we hit the nail in every department as far as showing that particular type of representation. A lot of times, you don’t get to see women of color in leadership roles like the hair and makeup department. We’re so blessed to have that opportunity to represent our heritage and culture.
CF: It’s imperative. Honestly, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had talent come in on different shows and see a Black hairstylist or a Black makeup artist, and they are so relieved because now they can put away their makeup bag or they can put away their brush and stuff like that. They don’t have to be told to do their hair and makeup before they come. They actually are relaxed. We give them that environment of, “Okay, I can do my job because someone here has my back.”
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Character Changes
LR: Have you had different character changes throughout the seasons that represent the character development we see in the story?
MF: The smallest detail is the change of a part. That’s the first thing a lot of people notice. Because for Janine, change is big and a little outside of her normal. In Season 2, she switched her side part to another side. She even pointed that out after her breakup with Tariq (Zack Fox). Then, coming back to Season 3, [we did] a middle part. This middle part is a huge change for her.
Not only does that middle part represent dominance and confidence, but it’s the first thing you see when you look at somebody with a middle part because you want to make sure it’s straight. I’m very proud of her being able to carry that. It helped add to the development of telling the story with her being in the district. It’s a whole new vibe. Small changes but [they are] going in a positive direction despite everything she’s been through.
CF: I can only speak on Season 3. Janine’s character has always been more of a plain Jane. She is more focused on her students and things like that. But we have had slight changes since her little hiccup with Gregory (Tyler James Williams) and going to the district. I used jewel-tone eyeliners instead of the usual black and brown, which dazzled in a color that would match her Jelly Bean belt. That was a piece of Jeanine, so little things of that nature that we brought into Season 3.
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Inspirations
LR: Like you were saying with the Jelly Bean belt, are there any other inspirations you used to create these signature character looks?
MF: When you are an artist, you get inspired by life. Let’s be honest: every character you see on the show represents real people. Being from the salon world, I’ve done every hairstyle you see because it represents an actual person. So, as far as drawing inspiration, it’s life experiences. Barbara Howard, her whole thing about having a short pixie cut, her pearls to go with that, her lipstick to match that. She’s very straightforward. Old school church mama — we all had them in church. So, we draw from our experiences.
CF: We’ve all gone through something. We have a family member, a cousin or a friend who looks like or reminds you of someone on the show. You are like, “Oh, my cousin would do that,” because they remind me of Janine, or “Oh, Miss Barbara looks like the church mother.”
Hair or Makeup Challenges
LR: Were there any challenges you faced with the makeup or hair, and how did you figure it out to make it work for the show?
MF: A wig shrunk four inches. We had gotten a brand new wig dryer. I put the wig in the dryer, thinking it would knock out some of the moisture and dry real fast. It is supposed to be this supersonic dryer. Oh, it dried fast and shrunk one of my wigs by four inches. When I took it out, I said, “It’s a wig for a child.” So, I had to grab some materials, some lay, some hair and sow the rest of the hair back on so I could make it bigger.
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The actress did not know; nobody knew, nobody could tell. I think on our first hiatus, I rebuilt the same wig so we could fit properly in five days. So, that was a really big challenge. I’m thankful I’m able to think fast, so nobody can know, and nobody can tell. We were always having things thrown at us on our show.
CF: Honestly, our challenge is when all talent is up at the same time. We have to work diligently to get them out at their call time. We’re all tag-teaming. We’re running here and there. Our day players are going, and literally, it’s like 100 people in one scene. The first day, we’re like, “Okay, so this person goes here, this person goes here,” and it’s more scheduling and making sure they get out. Or they’ll throw extra people in at the last minute. So, a lot of the time, we have a double team. That makes our departments run so smoothly. We work so well together.
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Costume Collaboration
LR: Do you also collaborate with the costume department to ensure the look makes sense?
CF: Oh, 100 percent.
MF: So we know what she or he is wearing. Their outfits make a huge deal in the character development of it.
CF: Myself, Moira and Susan [Michalek] are always texting or talking to each other, making sure things flow. We do that with other departments. I know Moira and I talk to lighting. We talk to the art department. Everything is flowing, and it goes correctly because no one is going bigger than the other. It is all a collaborative effort.
Real-Life Style Trends
LR: You said you got inspiration from life, but are there any style trends you follow? Or things that you see and say, “Okay, this will make sense for this character,” or even the children and background characters?
CF: Well, you have to keep in mind that it is in Philly. So, you can’t say, “Oh, let’s do this,” if it’s something that’s being done in California and is not necessarily a Philly thing. That’s one thing I always keep in mind when I’m coming up with certain looks.
MF: It all boils down to the character. For Ava, it would make sense to put on a 30-inch long kinky straight wig on her versus a 30-inch long kinky straight wig on Barbara. We’re drawing from life and we’re drawing from reality and what makes it authentic, even down to the children. We’re in this natural hair movement. It’s not a movement; it’s a way of life, honestly.
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But in California, you see a lot of kids with a lot of curly hair because of the weather. You’re gonna see a lot of wash-and-go. A lot of kids are wearing their afros or their curly hair all the time. That ain’t like that in Philly, the East Coast and even the Midwest. I’m from the Midwest; we have cold weather here. I’m talking about real winters with snow.
As a a child growing up, my mom never let me walk out of the house with wet hair. That’s not realistic; that’s not what she would do. So, to keep our hair up and to keep us from getting sick, she would have us in braids or ponytails or things that we always had to be able to switch up. But it’s realistic on the East Coast side for you to have your hair not just in a curly wet-and-go because you don’t live in those climates. Maybe in the summertime, that’s a little different, but not during the school year because it’s just not real.
Behind-the-Scenes Fun
LR: Do you have any fun behind-the-scenes anecdotes from working on Abbott Elementary?
CF: Every day is a blast. We’re always laughing. We’re always joking around. I can’t come to one thing because literally every day, we are laughing at each other. That’s how we keep going. There can be certain days when it’s a scene that’s serious. Everyone’s quiet at one point. But as soon as it’s over, we’re back to laughing and joking because we’ve become a family. We’re with each other more than we are with our own families.
MF: It’s just fun to go to work. We come stress-free. Depending on whatever you may be dealing with, we leave that at the door and come there to work, do our jobs and go home. That’s what makes it such a functional set. We do like to keep it very light-hearted. In the morning time, we listen to music in our trailer to set the day for us and also our talent. We keep it light, cute and sweet. When it’s time to put out a fire, we put out a fire. It’s a vibe.
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Favorite Styles
LR: Of the styles you’ve been doing, do you have a favorite one? Do you enjoy getting it ready and seeing it onscreen?
MF: I don’t think there’s just one. Every hairstyle that comes across that screen is a work of art. Every hairstyle that I or my key hairstylist Dustin [Osborne] have to prep, or even my other hairstylist on my team, Christina Joseph. It’s enjoyable, and when you work from that standpoint, there’s not just one favorite thing. I love everything I’ve made. I love everything my team puts together under my direction.
CF: Same as Moira, I have an amazing team. We all work very well together — Jenn Bennett, Naima Jamal and Patrick Johnson. Everything we put out, we’re all one-upping ourselves. We’re like, “Oh, we did that!” Then, when we collab with hair, and the whole look comes together, and we’re like, “Oh, she looks good.” Then, you turn up and do something else and you’re like, “Oh, maybe that’s the look.”
Each time we do something, we’re like, “Okay, that was it.” Every week, it gets better and better. So, it’s the team. We all support each other. We all go up to each other and be like, “Oh, you did that.” It’s having that camaraderie. You put out your best work.
Abbott Elementary Seasons 1 through 3 are now streaming on Hulu.
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