Men in Black Star Celebrates 25th Anniversary by Praising Makeup Artist
Vincent D'Onofrio has celebrated the 25th anniversary of the theatrical release of Men in Black by taking to Twitter to praise the film's special effects makeup artist Rick Baker and director Barry Sonnenfeld. Released in 1997, the original Men in Black film was loosely based on Lowell Cunningham's and Sandy Carruthers' comic of the same name. The film starred Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as Agents J and K, two members of a clandestine government organization that monitors alien lifeforms on Earth. The film would later go on to spawn two direct sequels, a spin-off film Men in Black: International, and an animated series.
Throughout the film, D'Onofrio played Edgar, a farmer who is killed by an extra-terrestrial bug and has his skin worn as a disguise. The role was initially offered to The Evil Dead's Bruce Campbell and The Batman's John Turturro; however, both actors had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts. D'Onofrio's makeup was designed by multiple Academy Award-winning special effects makeup artist Baker whose prior film credits included An American Werewolf in London and The Nutty Professor. The year following Men in Black's release Baker was nominated and won the Academy Award for his work on the film, marking his fifth Oscar win.
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D'Onofrio took to Twitter to share a photo of himself as Edgar, saying he owed «a lot to Rick Baker for the incredible job he did» and for Sonnenfeld for his direction and trust 25 years ago. When one fan asked how long it took to have the makeup applied, D'Onofrio replied "some days 9 hours". Check out his original Tweets below:
I guess I donned this makeup & wig in MIB exactly 25 yrs ago today
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