When Kazu Hiro first started experimenting with makeup as a teenager in the 1980s, one face leapt out at him from books and magazines he saw in shops: legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein. Four decades later, the two-time Oscar winner has come full circle with Maestro, in which he transformed Bradley Cooper into the towering musical great. And the makeup effects artist has another Academy Award in his sights.
(Also read: Maestro review: Carey Mulligan delivers the performance of her career in Leonard Bernstein biopic ) Japanese-US makeup artist Kazu Hiro attends the Oscar Nominees Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on February 12, 2024. (Photo by Valerie MACON / AFP)(AFP) "Leonard Bernstein was a big inspiration when I was a kid," Hiro told AFP in an interview. "Every time I create a human face, I need a reference photograph.
And at that time, there was no internet," the 54-year-old explained. “So I had to go to a bookstore.” And the face he saw over and over was Bernstein's.
In the 1980s, the internationally acclaimed conductor had a packed concert schedule, along with teaching and composing. Shortly after that, the Kyoto native saw Bernstein in a documentary on Japanese television. Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.
On inspiration from Leonard Bernstein "I was really inspired by what he was talking about," Hiro said. “I thought, you know, 'Someday, I want to work on a film about Leonard Bernstein.'” Then in .
