He is the man responsible for making Ryan Gosling and Jake Gyllenhaal look good on screen. At 53, Donald Mowat is one of the industry's most sought-after make-up artists. This year he is up for a BAFTA for his work on Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi sequel Blade Runner 2049.

Here, he tells Sky News how he propped Gosling to look like Jack Nicholson and helped create a giant, pink character which became the film's most iconic scene.

It is one of my favourite scenes. Where the character Joi, played by Ana de Armas, is seen projected as a giant pink hologram. But it was also a huge source of anxiety.


The original Blade Runner is one of my favourite films. I grew up studying it, I used it in many references - I was inspired by it.

I also worked with the director Denis Villeneuve on some of his previous films like Prisoners and Sicario so, when he asked me to do a sequel to Blade Runner, I was terrified.

Because it is so daunting. The great Marvin Westmore created the make-up for Ridley Scott's 1982 classic, and I didn't believe I could do it justice.

I doubted myself. I felt like it wasn't my genre or my style.

But then I realised 'wait a minute, they want me! There's a reason for why they want me', so I did it.

Image: The scene shows a giant Joi connecting with Gosling's character

One of the most demanding scenes of the film turned out to be one of its most iconic.

It started out with me looking at a concept art from Villeneuve, and trying to figure out what sort of pink he wanted because, on paper, Joi looked a bit red.

Denis knew it had to be pink, but that was it. No idea what kind of pink he wanted.

And there was also the challenge of actually taking that concept art and putting it on a human being.

When we cast the beautiful Ana de Armas, I realised that her skin tone made the process of choosing the right pink difficult.

I ended up going to the cinematographer, the great Roger Deakins, and asking him what kind of pink he thought worked. He responded: "Bubblegum pink."

It was a concept I could grasp, but making it work is easier said than done. When you have someone of Ana's complexion, it tends to go purple. And getting the right colour to really get that scene right was essential.

So as I left LA for Budapest, I went and bought everything. I would play with all kinds of traditional body makeups and in the end, we got it.

But then there was Ryan, with the bloody and the bandaged face, looking at Joi's giant projection, reflecting what he was seeing.

Image: With Ryan Gosling's Chinatown face, it all started with a mood board

This reflection is very much a Roger Deakins technique so, if you look closely, the hue of pink is also on Ryan. I thought it looked incredible.

Ryan Gosling worked every single day in that film. No one else came close.

Ana and Sylvia Hoeks worked a lot but nobody worked 100 days. They did 30 days, maybe 40.

And there was Ryan, every day. Even Harrison only came in for the last five weeks. So Ryan really tells the story.

And we're shooting out of sequence, which makes it hard for me to work with continuity.

So he had to look like he had been through something but it can't be corny, can't be over-the-top - it has to be based in reality.

Ryan was extremely collaborative, and Denis trusted me. At one point he just told me: "You do what you think is right."

It took a lot of thought to do that make-up and a lot of people wouldn't realise that.

Image: Jared Leto was the most specific with what he wanted on set

With Gosling's "Chinatown face", it all started with a sort of mood board.

I usually pull a lot of pictures for Denis that I feel I can maybe put to life or borrow elements from.

So at one point, discussing Ryan's face, Denis tells me: "Donald why do you always keep it neutral?"

I never want the audience to wonder where the blood is coming from, or where the character is cut.

So he said: "Can you put a bandage and we'll use it for that one sequence and then it'll disappear?"

And right away I had a picture up on the wall of Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

When he said it I felt that it was serendipity because it was already in the mix.

Jared Leto, who plays Wallace, was probably the most specific one on set regarding his makeup.

Image: Denis thought Dave Bautista looked too young for the part

With Wallace it was interesting because, if you look closely, underneath the eyes he has these sort of wrinkly scars which Denis suggested and I thought would be interesting.

I usually think it's worthwhile. I'm picky too. So I think they recognised that I'm very perfectionist so Jared was unbelievably co-operative because he had his own ideas.

This is all done very last minute because, when actors come in, they usually get right to it.

The only one I saw early in advance was Dave Bautista.

Because Denis thought he looked too young, and told me that, if I could guarantee I could make him look older, they would cast him.

I'm very proud of that because he is such a lovely guy.

The trick here is I never want to hear anyone mention make-up.

Some people think it should be noticed, I don't. I like to just be there and everything works.

Then I know I've done my part of the storytelling.