Oscar Winning Hair Designer Mia Neal On The Smashing Machine

Tiffany Bartok interviews Oscar award winning hair designer Mia Neal

Tiffany Bartok: Welcome to look behind the look, the celebrated podcast that explores your favorite looks in film, television and fashion history. Through conversations with the fashion world's elite and award winning hair, makeup and costume designers on sets around the world, you will see and hear exciting tales from behind the scenes, career origin stories and tons of advice and tips. I'm your host, Tiffany Bartok. Welcome to look behind the Look. This is an amazing episode, if I do say so myself, because I had the force that is Mia Neal, the Oscar award winning hair designer, back on the show. This time m talking about the Smashing Machine. The movie is incredible. It came out, unfortunately on the same weekend as the Taylor Swift thing and, so many people missed it. So hopefully you're finding this interview after seeing it on digital or you're still catching it in the theater. I think it's still there. Mia's work on this film. When you hear about what she went through on this film, you are going to have such respect for this woman. And if you're in the industry, you're going to hear about how much you have to think on your feet. Be ready for anything, advocate for yourself. Mia has been a longtime collaborator with the Safdie brothers. This movie comes from Benny Safdie, and if you're a fan of their films, you know that it is run. And I can't imagine going through even one of the challenges that she faced, but she does it all with so much artistry and grace. And here she shares about the challenges she faced and relied on her team to come through for her and how she collaborates with the amazing Benny Safdie.

I am with Oscar award winning hair designer Mia Neal talking about Smashing Machine

I'm so lucky to be here with Mia Neal talking about the Smashing machine today. And Mia, I have to tell you why you're so special of a guest to me. so when you did Ma Rainey's black bottom, I was like, I have a feeling. I just have a feeling. I have just a feeling. And so you were my first nominee, Oscar nominee to get the Oscar. And like, I just felt like you didn't know that. I was sitting over here in my living room just like, oh my gosh. And I was fangirling and crying and so happy for you. We had had an interview like days before the Oscars and I was just like, I don't know, I think, like, I think this is. She's gonna win. So I. I am with Oscar award winning hair designer Mia Neal, who you department headed. the Smashing Machine.

You worked with the Safdie brothers on Uncut Gems and Marty Supreme

okay, let's get into it because the Safdie brothers, I know we're going to talk about hair. We're going to talk about hair, I promise.

Mia Neal: Oh, yes.

Tiffany Bartok: Safdie Brothers are my very, like, top 5 of artists. And I have to ask you a couple of things specifically to them. I know you worked on Uncut Gems, and that's how you came into their circle, and you're probably never going to leave, so. Yes. So I just wanted to ask you what. I'm sitting there watching the movie, and it's Benny, Benny, Benny, Benny, Benny. I know they are doing other projects now. And then I see Marty Supreme's, trailer at the top of it, and I'm like, talk about sibling rivalry. What is going on here? We're marketing this thing where they are making their own movies now, and I wondered how you. Do you find yourself in that situation? Are you working on both of their movies? Did you work on Marty supreme as well?

Mia Neal: No, I believe that they shot them kind of at the same time.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah. Okay, so you.

Mia Neal: Exactly. I think they shot them at the same time. So. Yeah. And I didn't know. It's so funny because, I didn't know that they weren't doing it together.

Tiffany Bartok: I just assumed when you got on Smashing Machine.

Mia Neal: Yeah, I just assumed that they were doing it together. And I was like, oh, it's just Vinnie, you know? But, yeah, I mean, listen, this way we get more movies, so.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my God, I love that.

Mia Neal: If they're working together, we go get one. If they're working separately, we get two, too. So I love it. I say don't get back together. Give us more movies. Give us create more of a catalog.

Tiffany Bartok: Divide and conquer. Yes, absolutely. Yes. That is too funny. I. Did you notice onset any. So you didn't notice, you're saying, like, really? I mean, it was the same vibe, the same energy that. That. I mean, I felt like I was watching a documentary. Of course, I always do, with their work. That's what's so incredible. this, transformation. Okay, so I watched it yesterday. I was all by myself in the theater because I saw it at, like, 11:00am and I just was riveted by. And I'm sure everybody is by the performance of Dwayne Johnson. Did you know he had it in him? Like, did. Were you ready for this performance?

Mia Neal: No. I mean, I. I mean, I was there. Right. So we're filming it and you see it. But also, Benny shoots a certain kind of way that you don't really like. You can't really watch the film while you're making it. That makes sense.

Tiffany Bartok: He's so in there, right? You can't.

Mia Neal: He's fast. He's fast. Everything is like efficient. Everything is like, you know, so. And Benny has his hands in every single pot of every single department. So it's like. Which is fantastic because when you work with him, like, there's no department there that doesn't feel important because he had conversations with you, you've had meetings with him, you have his cell phone number. He texts you in the middle of the night. Like, today was fantastic. I'm going over the footage right now and it's like unbelievable. Like, you know what I mean? For you. Throughout the whole process as well. I remember we had like, Maceo Bishop. he did a thing where he, like, I forget what it was called, where we could all share photos with each other.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh yeah. Like an album on an iPhone, like a little app.

Mia Neal: It was like people were like adding in photos like, of like what they're doing in Tokyo. And it was like I had this picture of Benny like on the floor. He's like on the floor, like a little kid, like on set, like while we're at this, at this hotel filming. And he's like, with his, you know, monitor. Exactly. It was just like. It's just so Benny. You know what I mean? Like when we did Uncut Gym, like he was doing the boom. You know, he was. I remember you saying that.

Tiffany Bartok: I couldn't believe it. Yes.

Mia Neal: And yes.

It's 110° in Dying to Giant and he sweats profusely

Tiffany Bartok: And it was. I remember you saying, like, I didn't even what was happening because we were just running.

Mia Neal: Exactly, like going. Exactly. So it's like one of those things like he's like in everything. So you. So as you're doing it, it's like, you know, I'm just. Especially with this because this project was like, how are you going to keep this wig on? It's 110°. He sweats profusely.

Tiffany Bartok: Dying to Giant. Yes.

Mia Neal: And then the makeup also sort of goes. He has like makeup over his entire body to cover the tattoos and to cover everything up. So it's like he has. So that makeup also fights against the glue that I'm using and against the double sided tape and against all the things. So I like non stop, like man maintaining and dabbing.

Dwayne Johnson's performance in "The Rock" was stunning

Tiffany Bartok: Let's talk about it.

Mia Neal: I'm not watching his performance. I'm watching that wig.

Tiffany Bartok: I get it. Yeah, I get that. I get it. Part of it, because it was impeccable. I mean, honestly, like this. Okay, so this transformation, whatever on the look, I mean, I was shocked, you know, I really, It's amazing because then, you know, when. When, Kerr comes out at the end, the real person, and I'm just like. When he opens up his mouth and talks, and I'm like, holy crap, he did it. This. This, This performance.

Mia Neal: He did it.

Tiffany Bartok: And so let's talk about it.

Mia Neal: Like, you also have to look at it, right? Because I'm like. I'm not. Like. I'm not like, okay, I have to wait. But he's his own entity, right? Like, he's his own business. All these things going. He has all of this going on. And I don't think people realize that. This was, like, the first time that he walked away from his own thing and walked into the unknown and playing a serious part. So I heard that, like, normally I've never worked with him outside of this project that he could have, like, 100 people with him.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay. Yeah.

Mia Neal: Right. Like doing other stuff that are. Making sure that nothing is written or that goes against another brand. He has, like, people around him that are watching. You know what I mean? So it's like, also all this team that protects the brand.

Tiffany Bartok: Wow.

Mia Neal: None of those people were there.

Tiffany Bartok: Wow.

Mia Neal: You know what I'm saying? So it's like, this was him. This was a few of his, like, you know, ah. People like Hiram. Was it, like. It was like, a couple. I would say he probably had five people with him. Yeah. Three of those were personal assistant, makeup artist and hair person. Amazing. so this was also walking into a situation where, like, you're working with Benny for the first time, you're playing a serious role for the first time, you're wearing prosthetics and doing a hole in a wig for. You know what I mean? Creating a whole character. So this is the most vulnerable that he probably has ever been in his life. Not only are you challenging yourself in this way, but you're doing it without the protection of these people who always look out and make sure that nothing happens to the brain. Yes. So this beautiful situation is like. So I don't think people realize that, like, they're like, no rock. It wasn't none of the rock. All right? Was Dwayne, because he didn't show up with the Rock people at all. This was walking into a situation and 100% trusting that this is going to be okay. That's the part. Right?

Tiffany Bartok: I love it.

Mia Neal: I love it. And I think you see that. I think you see the whole vulnerability. I think you see all of it 100% in the movie. And then you're introduced for the first time to this man as an actor who is being one, the vulnerable actor. Like, this is the beginning of a new career for him. I mean, right? So that's the part. And I think once it was explained to me, like. Because I was like, I don't know.

The Smashing Machine stars Emily Blunt and Benny Safdie

He comes with, like, six trailers and like a whole. You know what I mean? Like, where. Yeah, yeah. And they were like, no, no, this is like, this is not that film. This is not his production doing this. This is a 24. This is Benny. This is Benny's vision. And he has relinquished all control to him.

Tiffany Bartok: And that's really beautiful. And very scary. Very scary.

Mia Neal: Very scary. And like, who takes that type of risk at this point in their career?

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: Like, that speaks volumes. Who takes that risk? You don't have to. Yes, you don't have to. You could go do an action film right now. I mean, you're going to kill the box office. You don't need to make a turn.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You don't need to. You don't need to cry in a hospital bed and sob.

Mia Neal: I mean, with missing teeth.

Tiffany Bartok: With two hello teeth.

Mia Neal: Hello. Hello.

Tiffany Bartok: It was. I cannot say. And I mean, I was. Listen, I know I, was at the Alamo. I was a risk of getting my phone taken away from me, but I was texting during the movie. Like, you gotta see it, because, as you know, the movie came out during Taylor Swift's weekend. And, so now we gotta pretend like the opening weekend is this weekend. Everybody go see the Smashing Machine. Because you cannot believe this performance. And Emily Blunt, too.

Mia Neal: Emily. Yes.

Tiffany Bartok: I was like, oh, my God, you are. It was like a Mira Sorvino type of vibe. It was like a, She was so.

Mia Neal: Yeah.

Tiffany Bartok: Haunting.

Mia Neal: Their chemistry is like, crazy. Like, their chemistry is just incredible. Yes. Really is. I think to see it in a. From a different angle of, like this sort of, you know, crazy, wild, abusive, addictive relationship thing was like, oh, wow.

Tiffany Bartok: And they both were. I mean, they both were. Just didn't belong together, you know, They. I just wanted to be like, guys, give it up. You're not. You don't get each other.

Mia Neal: Yeah, yeah. No, like, emotions are addictive. Like, it was so many layers. You know what I mean? Like, emotions are addictive.

Tiffany Bartok: So it's like, I love that you.

Mia Neal: Get wrapped up into that and then. But, yeah, no, emotions are just as addictive as drugs. So it's like you see people always in the same situation over and over again. It's like you're addicted to the emotion that it brings. So you keep creating these situations subconsciously. Me get that again. And that's the part. Like, people don't understand that. So it's like, you watch this relationship, and you can see, like, theirs was the extreme. But we've all kind of been in something where it's like, okay, I gotta let this go, because, like, I don't think I'm in the relationship anymore. I'm just in some emotional roller coaster with you that we are now feigning for. Yeah.

Tiffany Bartok: Like, there's a dopamine rush from the fight that we know is coming.

Mia Neal: Right.

Tiffany Bartok: Wow. If I had known this at 21, like, I would have saved me.

Mia Neal: Exactly. Had we all. It was love.

Tiffany Bartok: It was. It was just raw.

Mia Neal: Oh, my God. I'm so in love.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my God. I have to fight for it.

Mia Neal: Yeah, exactly.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my goodness.

Vinnie, you transformed Emily Blunt into Dawn in the movie

So tell me about this miraculous team. Like, I picture. Here's what I picture. Like, there's a lot of smashing in the movie. Like, I was like, okay, all right, I get it. But, like, you know, I, I mean, aside from all the. This, the smashing, which I don't know how you got through, I picture, like, him going back to the ring like this, and then I picture all of you just, like, diving in on him and. And fixing it. And did. Did you have to constantly maintain. What was the process of putting him together? Did you work with Hero? I mean, with Kazu, or did you, Were you separate? You know.

Mia Neal: You know, it's funny because. So they. When I was brought on first, when I. When I spoke with Benny, I was like, vinnie, I think you're good. I don't think I need to be there, because they were telling me that, like, the Rock's look was already set, that everybody done. And I was like, well, what am I being brought on for? and then he's like, no, you're doing Emily. I need. I need Emily to transform into Dawn.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes. That's a big, big transformation. Surprisingly, it looks so effortless and, like, polished, but, like, that's not. That's not Emily Blunt.

Mia Neal: Right, exactly. So Emily needed a wig because her. You know, she's blonde.

Tiffany Bartok: Yep.

Mia Neal: I think she's brunette now, but at the time, she was blonde, so it was like, okay, what? You know, so, So I ended up building two wigs for Emily so that we could have something to play with whenever. I've never worked with an actress before. I never just show up with one thing.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay, so you don't know two of the same, Totally different.

Mia Neal: One was, like, darker, one was lighter, one had more texture to it. One was straighter one. You know what I mean? One is, like, really thick and full. Because I was like, you know, like, let's do accurate dawn and then let's do Emily Dawn. Ah, okay. like, Dawn's hair is very thick and very dark.

Tiffany Bartok: Got it.

Mia Neal: So it's like, if you want that sort of exact. This is what it looks like. Right. Here's one that sort of marries what your face and what your hair would do that sort of blends into that. But.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: So it was like we. We're creating something different, but not something dry. Right. So it doesn't look like we're creating a character.

Tiffany Bartok: I see. Yes.

Mia Neal: And then it gives us that thing to look at so that we can see what that character looks like and what a blended looks like. Okay, Right. So I always try to show up with a couple things because then it's like, oh, well, maybe it should be this, maybe it should be that. It's like, I'm going to show up with that already. So we can see where this may not be the move. Ah.

Tiffany Bartok: okay. Okay, okay.

Mia Neal: You know. You know what I mean?

Tiffany Bartok: And it might have been tempting, too, to make her, you know, with the nails and everything. It might have been tempting to go too far. You know what I mean? I feel like you really were loyal to who she really was.

Mia Neal: Probably.

Tiffany Bartok: Right.

Mia Neal: Right. Because dawn doesn't look like a character.

Tiffany Bartok: A character? Yeah.

Mia Neal: You know, she looks like a real woman. You know, she has. Her hair is really thick. You know, her nails are done. Her. This is that. Like, we had some research photos that Benny shared. And so, you know, I'm looking at the photos and I can see this woman, and we can make Emily this woman without directly copying what dawn is.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: I think that that's the thing, right?

Tiffany Bartok: Yes. Always.

Mia Neal: So that it doesn't stand out. Like you were trying to do something. It needs to blend.

Tiffany Bartok: Right, Right.

With biopics, how do you honor what was done 100 years ago

What is your philosophy on that? Like, do you. You've played, you've done a lot of people that you had to replicate. And, like, you know, with all the biopics coming out and like, you know, Maria and stuff like this, like, you can choose to just suggest another person and. Or you can really try to match it. And I. I never know which one I like better. You know what I mean? What do you take?

Mia Neal: You know what it is? And I give this credit to Amro, right. When. Because I did a lot of theater with Ann, so I started off in a theater. A lot of theater. Right. Costume design.

Tiffany Bartok: That's right.

Mia Neal: And so I used to have this thing in my head when I would do theater of like, okay, it needs to be exactly like it is. Word. It needs to go. They need to look. If they're playing something, of course, they need to look exact. And what she explained to me one time was that you want that these things existed for a reaction at that time. Right. And, let me get to the end. It'll all make sense. If you don't get the reaction from the current audience that they got from that audience, then you did it wrong.

Tiffany Bartok: You are blowing my mind.

Mia Neal: Right. So the thing with that is, like, let's say somebody does a bio, about Beyonce.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah.

Mia Neal: 100 years from now, and they duplicate her same hair and her same clothes that she wore. It might be boring because that has lost all of his shock value. Right. So how do I marry the two? I want the reaction. Right. That. That Beyonce got when she stepped out on that stage.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: But now it's, you know, 2075. We're not gonna get that from those clothes because that's been done now. After she did it, people duplicated it, did it remix it. They've done it over. They've done, you know, she's changed it. She's a. So it's like. But you need to get that. We need to understand 100 years from now why this person was important. And we need to provide the audience with that same wow factor that. How do you do that? Right. If you duplicate the same thing, it's lost its shock value. If I do something, if I show a dress that was worn in 1918, no one hears. I'm like, oh my God, that fabric. I mean, we've played with color since then. We've gone. So it's like, how do you still honor what was done? Right. But at the same time blended into today.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: And this person that's duplicating it and managed to get the same reaction. That's the part. Right. That's.

Tiffany Bartok: I love that.

Mia Neal: That's the part.

Tiffany Bartok: You know what that makes me think? That makes me think of Baz Luhrmann. And when he puts the. The pop songs, like he'll put Jay Z and the Great Gatsby. You know what I mean? People get so mad. But like. Or Hamilton, you know?

Mia Neal: Yes.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah, that's. That's very interesting.

In theater you have to do that. Because you don't have all the Elements that you have on film

Mia Neal: Yes. M. And I find that in theater you have to do that.

Tiffany Bartok: Wow.

Mia Neal: Because you don't have all the Elements that you have on film. Right? Right. And it's right now. And so you don't have all of the things that you have in film to play with it, to go back and to add this in, to do this and do. You don't have. So you got to figure out how to keep that audience in that chair. Right. For three hours sometimes, and still fascinated and fixated on what's going on on that stage. So the reaction is everything. Right. Paying attention to and. And not only like, but dictating what that reaction is going to be, having that roll over it. And that's the part. That's the part was recreating something or, doing the time, doing the period piece or doing something is that I also have to keep in mind that in honoring these things that I'm recreating, there's a reason that these things stood out. And I need the audience to feel that right now when they watch this.

Tiffany Bartok: Wow. Yeah. That's fascinating because I totally got who she was from what you did without it being what you said, a character.

Mia Neal: You know, it's Emily, so we're not. I'm not making anything that stands out like a sore thumbnail. But Emily wouldn't wear her hair like that. You know what I mean? That wasn't Emily's hair. That was a wig. And the texture of it was different from her texture. Right. So it was like a different texture of hair is thicker. The strands are thicker. It's a. You know, it's like more coarse because that's how Dawn's hair was.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah.

Mia Neal: But it's a little lighter than Dawn's hair because the jet black is gonna, you know, not. Her hair was jet black, but her hair is like a 1B. It's definitely really dark.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah.

Mia Neal: Dawn's natural. And so if I had done that on Emily, it's gonna wash her out more.

Tiffany Bartok: Ah.

Mia Neal: Than we would have had. She already got, like, a spray tan, but just enough of a tan to where you can, you know, you see this tan, but not like we're gonna go all the way to Dom's complexion. Right. Then it's a character. Do you know what I mean? Yes. What are they doing for her? So how do you do just enough to where it doesn't stand out. And, her makeup artist, Bjorn, was great with that also. I mean, he, you know, with shopping and so he found those, like, frosted colors. So he has a. She has that, like, frosted brow and like, you know, the, All of those, like, 90s colors that shimmer type of thing going on.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my gosh. Those Mac Frosts.

Mia Neal: Exactly.

Tiffany Bartok: But put it under the brow.

Mia Neal: White. Just go for the.

Tiffany Bartok: In the inner corner and you're like.

Mia Neal: Exactly. Yeah. So he did, you know, he brought all of that into it. Wow.

Tiffany Bartok: You worked with Bjorn, on Emily. And then so. And then Dwayne had Hiro. I mean, why do I. Kazu.

Mia Neal: Cause it's less.

Tiffany Bartok: Why do I keep. I know, but why do I keep calling? Oh, my God. So Kazu was there the whole time.

Mia Neal: No.

Tiffany Bartok: So he designed it, and then.

Mia Neal: Right. So he. They were designing that. And then when we did the camera test, then things didn't quite go as planned with the wig.

When I first signed on to do this, they wanted me to do both

Tiffany Bartok: Really?

Mia Neal: Yeah.

Tiffany Bartok: Tell me, tell me, tell me.

Mia Neal: Well, I think it was, like, difficulty staying on, for sure.

Tiffany Bartok: I can imagine.

Mia Neal: And, Yeah, so it was like little things, like, the lace was not, the right color. There were like. So at that point, it was like we all held a meeting and decided that I would step in and do Dwayne for. And do them both. Wow.

Tiffany Bartok: I bet that that was a crazy meeting.

Mia Neal: So I was like, you're gonna do them both. And, And I was like. I mean, I didn't have a problem with it at all because Emily wasn't really filming as much. And truth be told, when I first actually signed on to do this, they wanted me to do both of them to put. They were like, kazu's designing it all. We just need you to put the wig on. And I was like, okay. And I said, well, no, I can't do both of them because I've never worked with either one of them, and I don't want to get set up. Like, they're both. They're gonna want attention, and I don't. I haven't worked with them, so I don't know what their temperament is. So you're kind of. You would set me up.

Tiffany Bartok: Exactly.

Mia Neal: Because if I'm working on one and the other is like, well, she didn't.

Tiffany Bartok: Get to Where's Mia? where's Mia?

Mia Neal: Exactly. And then it makes it look like I'm not doing my job.

Tiffany Bartok: That's stressful.

Mia Neal: And then they lose trust. Yeah. 100 trust is lost. I mean, you don't get that back. That's a rap. Then now I'm like, you know, now they're questioning everything you look over, and they got glue and they're going at it because they're like, oh, my God. You know what I mean? Like, you don't know. It's like. Because they Do. Because then at that point, I'm out. I'm out here by myself. I gotta hand me those spins, you know? It's like, whoa. I was coming. I'm trying to get her done, and I was gonna come. I see you. So I don't know their temperaments. I was like, that's real life.

Tiffany Bartok: That's real life.

Mia Neal: That's real.

Mhm: I originally said, no, I'll do one

I'm like, no, no, no, I'm not. I'm. No. So I originally said, no, I'll do one. You gotta get somebody else to do the other. And they were like, no, I think you. And so they told me. They said, listen, Emily's not gonna film. I'm. Look, I'm oversharing everything now. Yeah. Seven weeks. All right. At least.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Okay. So I said, oh, okay. No, no, no. Then I can do them both. Because what I'll do is my assistant that I'm bringing. I will never leave him in the trailer. What I'll do is every time I go in to put Dwayne's wig on, I will bring him with me every time.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay. Okay.

Mia Neal: Every time I. Last look, I'm gonna bring him with me so that, when he sees me, he sees him. And then when Emily steps in, in seven weeks, I'm always gonna put Dwayne's wig on him. But when I send him to set, I'm gonna send my guy with him, and I'll do Emily or Vice, you know, whatever. But as long as I'm always the one putting the wigs on.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: And as long as he's always shadowing me. And every once in a while, I may go to the bathroom and let him do the last look.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: Just so. Start to establish trust. And then if I disappear, he's always there. And there's no, like. Okay, well, she's a bent. Because there's always one of us there that has eyes on you. So we'll play a little psychological game with this.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah. Yeah.

Mia Neal: Make sure that you're always covered. And it's not like I popped up with a new person. Like, he's going to watch you on set. He's been here the entire time.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah. And you know him. Yeah.

Mia Neal: So I said, as long as you all agree that we may have to hire an additional person locally to cover our trailer because he's going to be with me all the time, then I'm good to go. They agree to all of it, right? They agreed to it. Well, when I found out that they were having the camera test for, When I Found out they were doing the last camera test for. Not really a camera test, but they have been doing these like, tests, you know what I mean? Like they, they did like first the measurement of his head and they cosmic. Created this incredible mold of his head, like exact. Of Dwayne's head. That.

Tiffany Bartok: One of those 3D things. I've seen him.

Mia Neal: Yeah.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: That was my first time ever seeing one of those. I was blown away.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: and so they had this mold of his head and I think they had made like three of them and they had, And so they were. And then they, you know, did the prosthetics for him. So they were doing like their last, like run of it in la. I had requested to be there through production, not through the artist. at that point.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay, okay, okay.

Mia Neal: Any of the artists I hadn't spoken to Kazu, I was excited to work with him. Work. Right. So. So I was like, you know, I'd like to go to this test because. And I tried to explain to them that all the people who are important are, are in this room.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah.

Mia Neal: And the reason that that's important for me to be there also is because I'm going to constantly have to change how I do this wig to get it to stay on. I'm going to have to manipulate. And it's imperative that he trusts that if I come in one day and I start doing something different, that we don't have to hold and stop and call Kazu and get permission to do this thing. Whoever's in that room asking questions, making suggestions, doing things, paying attention, taking notes, whatever, those are the real players. You cannot put me in a room with him. First day on set, in his trailer, putting a wig on him. Then Kazu disappears and he trusts that I'm, an important person in this. He won't trust me.

Tiffany Bartok: Right.

Mia Neal: And then we'll make it impossible for us to swiftly work together in the time frame that we need to work together. While I'm making decisions without having to answer questions or being challenged or any of that. I said, and you can solve that major issue. That works.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

There was pushback on having you do stunt double wigs

Mia Neal: Put me in that room.

Tiffany Bartok: was there pushback on that?

Mia Neal: Beyond. Yeah, it was denied. Oh. I, didn't get to go, so. I didn't get to go. So I said, listen, I don't think I need to be the one doing this wig at all. Because Mia, I know how this plays out, believe me. He sweats because he can't help it because he has no hair to absorb the sweat. So it's gonna pour out like a bottle of water pouring on his head. There are. I have to come up with things. You are setting me up. I haven't seen this wig. I don't know what the application is. I don't know what the. I don't know anything about anything. And I'm supposed to show up to set and do him?

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: Come on, help me out. You guys been working on this for like four months. You can't do that. So I was like, I don't. Yeah, I'm not such a matt. So then it was like, okay, no problem.

Tiffany Bartok: I mean, they don't realize that it's 100% on you. Like, like the pinching, the memes, the m. You know what I mean? They don't. They don't get it. They don't get.

Mia Neal: Yeah. And also, like, I need to know what I'm up against. Yes.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: If this was a rush job, then you all would just be starting now. Why did you start 3 months ago if that time frame wasn't interesting? I'm already coming in at the tail end. Let's be fair enough to at least let me be in the. In the last creative room.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah. Yeah.

Mia Neal: Wow. That was like. No, I was like, yeah, okay. I mean, I should have gone to Benny, but it's one of those things too, where you don't want to.

Tiffany Bartok: Well, you don't know.

Mia Neal: Yeah, you don't want to, like, overstep and be like, they not letting me got this look. I don't feel comfortable. Like, I feel like I'm being set up a little bit with that. I don't feel comfortable. And so I was like, okay, no problem. And there was this one. So she like, wrote me back. She's like, no problem. the makeup artist is going to do his wig. We don't need you to do it anymore. And I said, absolutely, I get it. And then at one point I was. Got a text like, you're going to have to make the stunt double wigs.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my God.

Mia Neal: And I said, no, I'm not. Because they can't be cousins or, you know, distant relatives. They need to be identical twins.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: And is in his 50s. It's an action film. I'm sorry. The stunned, people will be making this movie. We need exact matches. Yes. Listen, this got so crazy.

Tiffany Bartok: I can believe it.

Mia Neal: So I was like, what? So then we go to,

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my God. But this advocacy is what made it so flawless. Okay. So I'm riveted.

On Thursday, we do the camera test. On Friday, we have the meeting about the job

Okay, continue.

Mia Neal: No. So then I got another text, like, don't worry, you don't have to do this. Done double weeks. We've got it all figured out. And I was like, great. Like, they need to be made by the same person.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: So when we get there for the camera test, I noticed that the. No. On, this is a Thursday. When we do the camera test on Tuesday, that is when we are supposed to shoot the first. Our first day of shooting. Because it was like a bank holiday in Canada that Monday.

Tiffany Bartok: I love that you know that it was a Thursday and a Tuesday.

Mia Neal: I'll never forget it. I'll never forget it. I'll never forget it. That Thursday we do the camera test. I noticed that the stunt doubles are not on the shot list. We're not seeing them today. We have seen them. So I go. And I'm like, hey, guys, we need to see the stunt doubles. Because that's the first thing up. Tuesday morning, before Duane is in, we're shooting with them. So they're like, oh, yeah, yeah. So they're supposed to come out and they had, gotten John Blake wigs and put fronts on them. Okay. And that was never gonna work. It couldn't be a machine. First of all, we don't shoot from the front, so there shouldn't.

Tiffany Bartok: Right, right.

Mia Neal: Putting a front on a stunt double wig is sort of. What are we doing that for? Because we're never gonna see them from the front. We're gonna see them from the back and from the sides.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: So needless to say, like, that did not fly at all. Also, we can see through Dwayne's wig. Yes.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Beautifully made, all single hairs. Gorgeous. wig. John Blake's are machine made, so they're punched right next to each other. Uh-huh. So even if you thin the hair, the knots have been punched on a different type of lace. Right. That lace isn't see through. You're never going to accomplish the same thing with this ever. Never. Right. So we could not use those wigs. It's Thursday. We shoot first thing Tuesday with the stunt double wigs. We have a meeting about what happened all these. On Friday, we have the meeting about the job.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah. Okay. Got it. Okay.

Mia Neal: This is like, what are we about to do? Like, we can't use that. His is a stand on the rocks because it was built in two different pieces. The nape and the top part.

Tiffany Bartok: Hang on.

Mia Neal: Oh.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh my gosh.

Mia Neal: She was like, what are we doing? And that's when I was like, And everybody's looking at me, I'm like, okay, let's do it. I have a friend, Crystal Shanes, who has saved me 10,012 times. She is my angel. I've been on projects with, like, Crystal. We used to build wigs together at snl.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my gosh. Yeah.

Mia Neal: That night shift when you're in there until 4 o' clock in the morning because they just got a call that they're gonna need another wig for this sketch and you can't leave. And so you separate it into four pieces and everybody has a section that they gotta finish in a couple of hours because we gotta get it back over because they got to do a rehearsal before. And this is like, oh, my God. Right?

Tiffany Bartok: So somebody got an idea. Ye.

Mia Neal: Like, this better make it to the show. Oh, my God. never does.

Tiffany Bartok: Never does.

Mia Neal: Right? So Crystal and I have bonded from long nights of building.

Tiffany Bartok: I love it.

Mia Neal: Right. And, she's just saved me on so many projects where I've called her like, can you do a wig in a day? And that was sort of this situation where it was like, I need 2st double wigs to match this.

I need these wigs and I need them back by Monday

And I'm in Vancouver. You're in North Carolina. I need to, like, send you these moles. M. I need these wigs and I need them back. And she's like, okay, well, then shipping wise, that means I have to get them out by tomorrow night by 4pm in order for you to have them for sure by Monday, which is a holiday in Canada. Oh, my God. So hopefully we would get them Tuesday morning. So it was like, okay. We end up putting someone on a plane flying. Yes. To North Carolina to be built by her. My kit had not arrived. I've been there for. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Somehow, my kid didn't make it on FedEx. Someone picked it up in a van and drove it from New York to Vancouver, which took about almost two weeks. So I was working with no kit. Oh, my God. So I. And apparently they don't sell clear nylon thread in Vancouver, so I could not sew the wig together myself. So I also sent his wig just to be sewn together.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay. Okay.

Mia Neal: Because remember, the nape was one. Yep. The rest of the wig was the rest.

Tiffany Bartok: Yep. You sent that to North Carolina.

Mia Neal: I also sent his on the plane.

Tiffany Bartok: On the plane with this PA who's like, jesus Christ, if I mess up, I'm right.

Mia Neal: We were like, you check. You don't check any of this. Right. This stays on your. In a cross body bag on yourself.

Tiffany Bartok: Like.

Mia Neal: You don't put this in the overhead. You don't slide this. The seat be in front of you. This is a cross body.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, I love it.

Mia Neal: Yeah, yeah. So everything flies to North Carolina. Oh, God. It's in North Carolina. Crystal and I texting, do a picture. Is they. She has a crew of folks working. No one sleeps. No one. You know, it's bathroom breaks only. And they are cranking out these single hair, you know, full two wigs. And perming them to match texture.

Tiffany Bartok: And perming them. Right. Of course. Oh, my God.

Mia Neal: yes. So, And she attaches that wig for me, and then it's like, okay, the things make it back on Monday. The person flies back in. I go, I get his wig. I don't have any instruction on it. I have no idea. I've never put this on him. He's never met me.

Tiffany Bartok: Remember, you didn't get to go that day. Yes.

Mia Neal: No, exactly. And it was the cameras.

Tiffany Bartok: And you told them. You told them. You told them. You said this was gonna happen.

Mia Neal: So I'm like, oh, my God. So now I have to walk into the trailer with this wig and put it on him. there were, like. You know, and I. And Crystal also made me a band. I was like, crystal, I need one of those bands that you make. She makes these bands for cancer patients. Okay. That are prosthetic bands to match their skin tone and their head shape. There's an industrial Velcro that goes at the bottom. Right. And it's, like, sort of padded so you don't feel the.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: This whole thing is super comfortable. And then there's a sheet of lace that goes across the front.

Tiffany Bartok: Wow.

Mia Neal: Believable. Yes. And then. And you can go. So then I even take some real palette, and I color it.

Mark Kerr's hair color was exact to mark her, which is amazing

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: to make sure that it's his exact color.

Tiffany Bartok: And you have no kit. You have no kit.

Mia Neal: My kid arrives.

Tiffany Bartok: Thank God. Okay.

Mia Neal: Well. Oh, no, no, no. This day, I don't have a kid this day. Okay. I do not have a kid that Tuesday. My kid arrives on Wednesday. But this gets interesting. We're not done. Oh, I love it. This gets more interesting, right?

Tiffany Bartok: I love it.

Mia Neal: So. So that, Tuesday, I go in, I put the wig on him, and I'm like, okay. So Crystal has sewn tabs in me. We've been communicating about how I'm keeping this thing going. So I'm like, I need tabs here, tabs there when I get it. I also sew in some skin tabs along the bottom. Okay. As I need that very edge to stick yes. Right. Like all of it.

Tiffany Bartok: Dear life for dear life.

Mia Neal: You can't. I can't have any. Anything.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my God. So, so nervous.

Mia Neal: Right? So I go in, introduce myself because this is our first time meeting. And I put the wig on him, put the band, do the whole thing. I have, like, my pins because I'm also, like, pinning. I preset some of the double sided tape. So I just need to flip this thing up, to pull my tabs off, lay it back down, smooth that out, then go back through underneath the band with these little short pins that I have.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: Do all of that all along the back. Right after I have cleaned his head with alcohol. And I also have put some non shine, stuff all over his head. Exactly. Do all of that glue down the side.

Tiffany Bartok: Are you shooting a fight? Are you getting ready to shoot a fight?

Mia Neal: he will be in the gym boxing and doing all of that. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. So I'm like, all right, so we do that part and I'm filming with him. And this is my first time working with the wig, so this is my first time seeing it. And I'm like, oh, no, no, no. I spoke as a kazu, and I was like, kazu, the back of this nape is really high. It doesn't screaming wig. and he said, no, that's how Mark's hairline is.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: That's how Mark's hair.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, Mark Kerr.

Mia Neal: Yeah. He's like, his sideburn is really far from his ear and the back of his nape. And I'm like, I get that part, but this is not working for him. Aha. Uh-huh.

Tiffany Bartok: What were you talking about? What we were talking about.

Mia Neal: Exactly what we were talking about. Right. Like, not going exactly. But also considering who you're putting it on and not creating something that's going to stand out like a sore thrum. So it wasn't wrong. It was exact accurate. Right? It was very accurate, but it didn't work.

Tiffany Bartok: Amazing.

Mia Neal: So I'm like, I go to Benny and I'm like, we got to reshoot this. Wow, that's. Be naive.

Tiffany Bartok: That's so. Oh, my God, that is so brave.

Mia Neal: But Benny's the type of person that you can have those conversations.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Also say that, like, he's that guy that if you see something, you better say something.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: You know what I mean? Like, and. And he creates an environment where you don't feel like everybody's gonna be like, what are you talking about?

Tiffany Bartok: Hair's being a diva. Yeah.

Mia Neal: I said, look, we could probably use some of it from the front, but from the back, we can cannot use any of it. Okay. And when they did the test before in la, that last test, and the hair color was exact to mark her, which is here is like a sort of a light brown in light.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Like it's like a brown.

I have hair I can never replace. So one thing that I always do

Like a. A very, sort of ashy brown, like color. And they had done that exact color on the rock. And he was like. Dwayne was like, I don't think I should have brown. Like, I would. It doesn't look good on me. Like my hair would be black. It would be. And I don't know if the world. If I had hair, but it was dyed black.

Tiffany Bartok: Got it.

Mia Neal: And the black was not shoe polish.

Tiffany Bartok: Shoe polish.

Mia Neal: Right. So I said the color. I gotta strip that. I have to strip that color out.

Mia Neal: And I have to build a nape extension tonight.

Tiffany Bartok: I hate the tonight part.

Mia Neal: Me too. Me too. Me too. So that's what I did. So one thing that I always do, I travel with a. I never pack my hair in my kit.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Because I have hair I can never replace. I've bought tails, I bought haircuts. Oh. It's active. That is like. So whenever I pack my suitcase, I always have one suitcase with me that is just full of hair, loose hair, some on track, some not. Some, you know, just like a ponytail. Like a different. But I have different textures. I have everything.

Tiffany Bartok: Just the tsa. The TSA girls. Like, what the heck is this?

Mia Neal: The bag. The whole bag of weave. Whose bag is. That's right. What is she going to do? Just hair. Just an entire bag of every texture. Hair. So no matter who shows up on set, I'm like, okay, we need some. Okay. Got it. Wow. Everybody. right. So I had hair that was the color and texture of the wig.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Right. I got my needles. Oh my God. I don't have thread. Oh.

Tiffany Bartok: Because they don't have the clear nylon in Canada.

Mia Neal: And now it's nighttime. So I can't even. I can't get anything from anywhere. Right.

Tiffany Bartok: Do you cry?

Mia Neal: So?

Tiffany Bartok: No. You don't cry? No.

Mia Neal: I sold it together with hair. Oh. And I was like, wow. My kid was going to be there the next day. I said, I hope so. Because this whole piece is being sewn together with hair.

Tiffany Bartok: I cannot.

Mia Neal: Yeah.

Tiffany Bartok: You are amazing.

Mia Neal: How crazy. And we videotaped it because I was like, nobody's gonna believe this.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah.

Mia Neal: So Greg was there. He was like, I'm taping this. Like, I am sewing this Nape extension with hair right now. Oh, my God. Yeah. so I sat there in my little hotel room ventilating him a new. And it's funny, though, because when I volunteered to do it, I was like, I could do an ape extension in a night. It probably take me about four or five hours. You won't take me that long because I ventilate pretty quickly.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay. Okay.

Mia Neal: Ok. Nowadays, from the, you know, from building for theater, like, I ventilate.

Most of my time spent is ventilating. Yeah, I ventilate pretty quickly

Like, majority of my time spent is ventilating. Yeah, I ventilate pretty quickly. Yeah. I got my magnifying glass, I got my glasses, I got my whole. You know what I mean? I got my cocktail. Like, I'm put together.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mia Neal: I didn't think about how big his head was. Yeah. You could ventilate a normal nape in one night that. In a normal name.

Tiffany Bartok: Like, that's one night.

Mia Neal: I was like, I don't have enough wine or time. Like, what are we doing?

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my God.

Mia Neal: What are we doing? What are we doing? Oh. Oh, my.

Tiffany Bartok: How long did it take?

Mia Neal: Assistant was there, and I was like, you need to go to sleep because one of us has to to be able to drive. I will. I said, I. God willing, I can take a shower. Because by this point, like, the sun was about to come up and I had, like, still a quarter of it left to go.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my God. And I mean, like, who can you tell about this? Like, is. Does anybody get. Are you all alone with this? Like, I mean, you just, like, when you go to work the next day and you're putting it on and you're just like, you have no idea.

Mia Neal: Yeah. No, you can't say anything because you also don't want to freak him out. Right. He knows none of this. Like, if you ever listen to this, like, wait, what? No one knows anything because. Oh, again, this is him in his most vulnerable state. His team is not there. No one is, like, checking to see. You know what I mean? so it's one of those things where you're like, I can't say anything because I can. And also, I. It would be unprofessional of me if I did that. I'm not looking for a pattern.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah.

Mia Neal: I want to solve it. And then. No, no. Did it. And we high five and keep it moving. Right?

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my God.

Mia Neal: yeah. Wow. With a nape extension, so skin tabs all along it so that I know I can. Like, we good now, you know, because before it was also resting in this spot where, you know, he has these like, you know, everybody had a little pack of sausage back there.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh yeah, yeah, of course.

Mia Neal: Oh my God. I didn't think. He also has like a muffin muscle thing. Like, I don't know, you know, lifting cars with his head, you know, I don't know. Got a muscle back. I don't know. Like I've never seen a muscle right here, but he has this muscle. And so because of that and where the wig was sitting, there was no real. You know what I mean? Like, it was, it was very difficult to get that to stay and to rest in a place that looked natural. So now we. It, drug all the way now from ear to ear along the back.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: I draped it past the rolls down to like an edge and on that muscle.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Looked more natural, but also gave me a place to rest the week, if that makes any sense.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh my God. And then, and then he has to sweat through the whole thing and, and he's working and he's completely. And you're freaking out.

Mia Neal: And then if any of the makeup gets up on the double sided tape, it immediately unlocks it.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: And all throughout the day, that's my thing. I go in for my taste and I'm ripping that off and I got my double sided tape on my hand and I'm putting the new on there and I gotta, you know, and I'm doing my little alcohol wipe on the back of his head to remove all the oil and you know, the, the sweat and the salt from the sweat and then I'm slapping that. So it's like that, you know, making sure that the. Thank God that that band doesn't move.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Right.

Tiffany Bartok: Thank God that crystal makes.

Mia Neal: Yes.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah.

Mia Neal: Wow. I. Stability.

Tiffany Bartok: Really? Okay.

The foundation lace on a wig does not accept tape. Right. So like the base of a wig will

Mia Neal: Beyond. Oh, wow. That band. That's the magic trick.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Right. And then the rest of it, you got to keep an eye on it because you got to then go in. So like the base of a wig will. You cannot put tape on it. Okay, Right. So the foundation lace on a wig, it does not accept tape. You can put it on there and only thing that is sticking to would be the hair.

Tiffany Bartok: Right.

Mia Neal: Which will just rip out. Yeah, yeah. Right. You would take the tape off and it's going to rip. But it doesn't actually stick to the foundation lace. Right. So that's why you always have to put some type of skin tab. Like a tab that's sort of a plasticky material, sew that into the wig.

Tiffany Bartok: So that's what you sewed. I see. Okay. Okay.

Mia Neal: So you need that on there. Right. And then you got to be careful because that's sewn on. If you rip it too hard, you also rip that off.

Tiffany Bartok: Got it.

Mia Neal: So it's this thing where it's like, I got to get that piece of tape off because I got a new one on. But if I rip it too hard, it's going to end. It's. It's stuck. So then you got to sometimes take some alcohol, like, something to, like, sort of wet down to get that off. and then the issue is, like, when it has. When it is still stuck really good, and the. Some makeup gets there. And so his skin part. This side of the tape is completely loose, but that side was sort of new. It's just a. It was a, it was a magic trick.

Tiffany Bartok: So you had to love it all night. You had to take. Take it. Take it back to one every night and clean and care for it and clean it. You can't leave that. That alone.

Mia Neal: Oh, no, no, no. Yeah, every night. It had to be washed every single day. So throughout the day, I'm changing tape. I'm also in there with a, marker because I have to always color correct things.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Right. So I'm taking my little alcohol markers. I'm color correcting all throughout. And, he stayed glued pretty nicely on the sideburns. Every once in a while, I had to redo that. it would get a little shiny, but it was just one of those things where it was like, if I change to a glue that doesn't, you know, this doesn't have any bit of shine to it. It's not sticking right. Some reason.

On Broadway, continuity is key. You do the same show every single night

So it was like I played the little glue game, and so I had to, like, okay, I just got arrested this. and then, Yeah, just like. And also with those pins, you know, because I was also using hair pins that I put through the wig and tuck underneath the band.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: And at some point, I sewed a piece of elastic because, you know, things start to get out, you know, stretched out. I had to sew elastic inside the wig just to give it a little snow. It's a little tough. So there's like, a little piece of elastic that's in the center of the back of his wig that would just help me grip it so that when I glued it, I knew it automatically hugged.

Tiffany Bartok: Wow. Oh, my God. And then.

Mia Neal: But it was like, all. And there's only one as we went along. So every night when I would take it off, so I would put it on very quickly. Real Fast about putting away.

Tiffany Bartok: Sure.

Mia Neal: That's Broadway. You got 30 people and you got 30 minutes, right?

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah.

Mia Neal: Got a half hour call. Everybody's gonna get in in a half an hour. So thank God I started off in that world. So I'm application. I don't second guess myself. I can memorize the same thing. Because continuity is key. On Broadway. You do the same show every single night. Your life is brown all day at the same time with the same person in the same place doing the same thing. Yes. So to do that for over 10 years, that does something to your brain. So you memorize wires. It. Right. So the continuity part is, is fine. So I go in, I put my band on. I, you know, first I alcohol him down, the band, put it on, all of that. But at the end of the night, with the wig, or the next day, while he's in prosthetics, it takes me two hours to prep his wig.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: So the prep on his wig is I need to go in, remove all the tape that's in there, I need to go and clean all of these strips that I have on the inside with alcohol. And when I do that, I also wash away all of the. That I put inside. Yeah. So I also have to go back through and color all the lace again on the inside of the wig. And then I block it down on that beautiful head that, that Cosmo made. Right. So that gives him, Thank God for that because I know it's an exact match of his head. Okay. Right. So that was also key and very helpful. So I blocked that down on his head. And I wash the wig.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: I wash it. I was on the mold. Okay. Yep, on the mold. And I style it on the mold. I was using this like, gel that was. It's called free and clear.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Ah. Because it has like nothing in it. So if you have someone that's like allergic to something. Oh. Free and clear is like, makes it look wet. Yeah. And it also. It's just a product that like, doesn't turn white because it doesn't have a bunch of chemicals in it. It won't do anything weird on you.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Right. So that's why I use it. It's not if I needed to like, really hold some hair and do something. No, but like on a wig, on a man's wig that's like, short, that I'm styling throughout the day, that I'll be working with a lot and moving it, and I gotta flip the top up. The last thing I need is for I flip this up, and that little crunchy part of the little. Yeah. Turns white or cakey or starts.

Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

Mia Neal: I can't take this thing off and him run back to the Traeger and style it. I know that Free and Clear has, like, three ingredients in it. It's doing none of that.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Right. So I use that on his wig because I'm like, I can't have this thing turn on me. I also can, like, reapply some of it, and it doesn't do anything when you put it back on top of itself. Okay. There's nothing in it, you know, so, I worked with an actress years ago that's allergic to everything. That's how you found it, and that's how I found it. It. And as I was like, this is actually great for, like, reapplying and doing things.

Tiffany Bartok: Amazing.

I started using it for wigs. Yeah. So I get them from the wig department in Europe

Mia Neal: Nothing in it. So I started using it for wigs.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: You know. Right.

Tiffany Bartok: I should get that for my son. He's got psoriasis. And, like, everything just.

Mia Neal: Oh. They make a whole line.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: Free and clear. It has nothing in it.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, I love it. Okay.

Mia Neal: Yeah. Like, if someone has an allergy to any, like, that's your perfect, nice, you know, products. Because it doesn't. No one's affected by. It's got nothing in it to be effective, honestly.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah. Yeah.

Mia Neal: And it actually does work. Yeah. Now for what you. For what you're using it for. So anyway, so I use that, and, And then I take a diffuser and I dry it.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay.

Mia Neal: And then after I dry it, I take it off, and I preset all of my tape on the inside with the tabs just slightly folded. Right. So that I can.

Tiffany Bartok: And the tabs. What material is the tabs? Because I. I don't know. Wigs as well. The. The. The material on the tabs.

Mia Neal: The tab is a, So you buy these sheets. It's like a. Okay. I don't think it's silicone, but it might be. But it's like, literally, these sheets. Okay. Like, not clear. You can't see through them, but they're almost like a flesh tone.

Tiffany Bartok: Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mia Neal: And then you can cut them to shape, whatever.

Tiffany Bartok: I know exactly what you mean.

Mia Neal: Exactly.

Tiffany Bartok: Got it.

Mia Neal: So I get them from the wig department in Europe. They have this store called the Wig Department that you can order from online. And I buy these, and. And then I just cut them, and they're just great. Especially, like, you know, Broadway. Like.

Tiffany Bartok: Yeah.

Mia Neal: men's wigs. Like, you need to get it on there. But you need that barrier between the wig and the skin. You need that thing that's gonna, you know, join both of them together.

Mia Neal: And that's the tab. And then you can color the tabs.

Tiffany Bartok: Right. Got it.

Mia Neal: With, you know, either real palette or with. I find that just gets a little cakey sometimes. So I like using the markers.

Tiffany Bartok: Got it, got it. Oh my God.

Mia Neal: And I preset my little tabs and I go in and put the wig on them. Take me like 10 minutes to put the wig on.

Tiffany Bartok: I'm so stressed out. Hearing about just one of your days.

Nobody takes hair seriously on most productions, right? It's afterthought

Mia Neal: Listen, listen. Exactly.

Tiffany Bartok: I was like, wow, wow, that's amazing. What a lesson. And how to like it's. And I always talk about this is like how something. If, if, if you don't notice it. It's like it took, you feels so effortless. And then, you know, you hear about what all went into looking so effortless. And that's just the artistry, which is just totally. I'm. It's amazing. You've worked so hard to get to this point where you can solve all of those problems. The experience is just like so important. And then, you know, you're met, on every production where they're like, well, you have to start over again. Every new production. Luckily you work with the same people a lot. But like, you'll go to a new production, they'll be like, so, like, what's it going to look like? Why do you need a team? Why? I mean, you're just in charge of. You're just in charge of Dwayne. So I don't think you need an assistant. You can do both makeup and hair.

Mia Neal: No, no, no, it's true, it's true. I feel like, especially with hair, like, yes, that with hair in particular, that it's always like this sort of afterthought. People don't think about it until it goes wrong. Do you know when it goes wrong? And people are like, oh my God, the hair. But when it's right, no one notices. Yeah, I know you. No one says a word. You know, I was talking years ago, I did this movie and I did the movie because I was like, well, I was very excited to do the movie and I'm glad I did it. But I especially did it because this person gets such a hard time about the hair on his productions.

Tiffany Bartok: What's. What's the movie?

Mia Neal: So I did a movie and everybody had on wigs and no one noticed that these people had on wigs. But it kind of Was like, a bummer because you all eat him alive for the hair on his productions.

Tiffany Bartok: Who is it? Who is it?

Mia Neal: Tyler Perry. I did Jasmine. All the ladies have on wigs, and no one said a word about the wigs. I don't think they knew that they had on wigs. But I was like, this was supposed to be the moment of, like, Tyler had good wigs.

Tiffany Bartok: My God, I love it. I love it. That is too funny. Hilarious.

Mia Neal: It's very funny amongst my friends and I.

Tiffany Bartok: I love it.

Mia Neal: Like, you did the wings, and nobody knows that. You guys always know. Oh, yeah.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my God. You were like, my. This is my chance. And then no one knows.

Mia Neal: And then they gave my credit to someone else in the. And they messed up the credits.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, the story gets worse.

Mia Neal: No credit for the wigs. Oh, I'm telling you, nobody really takes hair. There's a thing about it.

Tiffany Bartok: No, it really is.

Mia, I loved your movie. I loved it, and I'm so proud of you

I was talking to a Drew, Ali about, you know, Maria and, like, you know, to make Angelina, you know, look how she was undone in the movie. You know what I mean? And she's walking around her house and she's undone. She's. And the dress is like.

Mia Neal: I just.

Tiffany Bartok: That was so much effort. Like, yeah, Angelina has two hairs now at this point, you know? And, like, I had to put on, like, it took forever. And, like, because we don't, you know, notice it. That's the ultimate compliment. And it's also like, you're screaming, like. Yeah, exactly.

Mia Neal: Exactly. Yeah.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, my God.

Mia Neal: Yep.

Tiffany Bartok: Oh, Mia. I. Well, I could talk to you today, especially forever, because these stories are just so great, and I want to know all of them, but maybe I'll have to have you back when you're on your next movie and you'll have even more for me because I gotta let you get on with your day, regretfully, but I just love talking to you. I love this movie. I don't. People always get mad at me because they're like, you know, you get so excited about every movie, but I'm not going to have, somebody on if I didn't like the movie.

Mia Neal: I feel you. I feel you. What am I going to do? What you talk about?

Tiffany Bartok: Hey, so I didn't like your movie, but your work was great, you know, So, I mean. But I. I loved it, and I'm so proud of you, and I know you don't need that, but I just. Just, in pride for when I see you and as you grow and you're just. You're going all the way. I love it. I love it. Thanks, Mia. I'll talk to you again.

Mia Neal: Alrighty. Take care.

Tiffany Bartok: Take care.

Look behind the look is a vinyl foot production written by Tiffany Bartok

Look behind the look is a vinyl foot production written by me m your host, Tiffany Bartok. Produced by Jace Bartok Edited by Magresh Thakor. If you're interested in learning more, find our video version on the YouTube channel look behind the look podcast. There you can see rare photos and clips from our guests and please follow us on Twitter @lookbehindpod and Instagram @lookbehindthelook. If you like the show, please rate, review and subscribe and tell your friends and spread the word. You can subscribe to us on itunes or any podcatcher of your choice. Thanks for listening to look behind the Look.