Have you always wondered how they transformed Arnold Schwarzenegger into the menacing & chilling Mr. Freeze? Well wonder no longer, as we present you the entire make-up process Arnold underwent to become the icy villain from Gotham! In charge of the cool transformation, Jeff Dawn (identifiable in the pictures below by his brown beard), has actually worked on many of Arnold's films before Batman & Robin (including 1984's "The Terminator"!) So scroll below and witness how our favorite Hollywood superstar became a cold-hearted criminal! The Beginning To begin the transformation, Peter Tothpal slicks Arnold's hair down with a thick, water-based resin, which hardens like a piece of plastic when dried with a hair dryer. The process takes approximately 30 minutes. Once completed, Jeff and his assistant (Jim Kail) cover Arnold's face with a product that protects his skin against chemicals and glues. Going Bald The biggest problem was Arnold's hair. To make Arnold appear bald, Jeff needed to apply a very time consuming bald cap on a daily basis. This painstaking procedure could be eliminated if Arnold would agree to shave his head for the duration of the shoot. A bald shiny head would take an hour off the makeup process in the morning and another 20 minutes off at night. Although easier, Arnold had mixed feelings about terminating his hair. First Arnold agreed to shave off his hair. But every time the make-up crew set a date for the head shaving, Arnold found a reason to put it off, so finally they used the bald cap for the first day of filming (which Arnold found very tedious.) After that day Arnold finally said: "You know, putting this cap on is really a pain. Let's save time. Bring in the behind-the-scenes video crew tomorrow so they can tape my head getting shaved." The next morning the videocrew was ready but Arnold felt very uncomfortable when he saw his hairstylist, Peter Tothpal, with a razor in his hand. Arnold smiled and said "Okay Jeff, let's put the cap on." Jeff was surprised! "But we're gonna shave your head today." Arnold replied, "Oh no, you're not! You touch that razor to my head, and I'll make your life miserable for the rest of your life!" Needless to say, the crew used a bald cap for the rest of the shoot which, in the end, looked great. The Hairless Application Jeff and Jim used a foam-latex bald cap, custom made to fit Arnold's hairline and skull shape. Jim positions the appliance and Jeff glues it down with a prosthetic adhesive. "With an appliance like that, you have to be careful because any wrong tension in any direction could create terrible wrinkles that can't be covered up." Once a wrinkle appears, the cap would come off and the crew would have to start all over again. Once positioned, a putty-like product is placed on edge of the latex cap to create more of a skin textured appearance. It also makes sure you can't tell where Arnold's real skin ends and the bald cap begins. Tricky Eyebrows Once the latex bald cap has been applied, the make-up crew focuses on Schwarzenegger's eyebrows. Arnold has to lie back in his chair so they can use a medical adhesive to glue his eyebrows flat to his head. This is to give the appearance that due to Mr. Freeze's cold & horrific disfigurement, he not only lost the hair on his head (but all over his body as well.) An Icy Facial Once Schwarzenegger's eyebrows are "erased", Jeff must focus on covering Arnold's entire face and neck. First, a paint shade of silver is used as a Mr. Freeze's facial foundation, creating a sort of metallic appearance. Once the silver application is complete, Arnold's face is then repainted (airbrushed with detailed white and blue dots) for texture. An Eye For Detail It is time to concentrate on the details! Using a small technical brush, the team paint Arnold's eyes and lips making sure that all true skin colors of "The Oak" are no longer visible. Then, to create a more dimensional appearance, a darker shade of blue is used on some in some of the hollows of Arnold's face. Some Freezing Facts Contrary to popular belief, it was not an easy task to create the look of Mr. Freeze. Jeff Dawn had to do some extensive research and experimentation with color to finally come up with the perfect make-up recipe for his icy appearance. Of course, before he started with Arnold, he did preproduction experimentation with a double who was colored with various shades of blue, silver and frost-type paints (the very same frost technique that was used in "Terminator 2" when the T-1000 was covered with liquid nitrogen.) After four makeup tests, it was finally Arnold's turn to become MR. FREEZE! An Icy Stare Once the makeup process is complete, Arnold gets turned over to contact lens specialist Laurie Smith, who inserts rigid corneal opalescent lenses that give Arnold's eyes a glowing appearance. Then, Schwarzenegger is moved into the wardrobe department, where he is bolted into the heavy metal Freeze Armor that we are familiar with. Once dressed, Arnold is finally ready to face the cameras for 12 hours of filming. All in a day's work! Copyright ©2000 The ARNOLD FANS. All rights reserved.