'JEDI' AT 40: THE 'MAJOR DOMO' MEETS THE DROIDS!

The scary visage of Bib Fortuna arrives to, at first, make a friendly interrogation of the newly arrived droids.

At first playful with Artoo, then aggressive with the little droid's clear stubbornness to talk, Bib Fortuna leads the droid pair through the dark passages of the palace towards Jabba's Throne Room.

Fresh from gory make-up work on such British horror films as American Werewolf in London and the eventually released Michael Mann cult classic The Keep, young actor Michael Carter was cast to play Jabba's unique 'Major Domo', his head encased within a challenging prosthetic that would be brought to life by the very young and talented make-up technician Nick Dudman at Elstree Studios.

For the next five weeks of mid-January onwards filming (also quoted in some sources as being eight weeks), Michael Carter would be in the make-up room daily to become Bib Fortuna. The actor’s routine would be to go into the studio early, have a cup of coffee, have his eyes examined by the studio’s resident optician (who, funnily enough, was called Richard Glass!) prior to his wearing red

contact lenses over his eyeballs. Then, a lengthy sit in a dentist's chair whilst Nick Dudman starts to apply the make-up. The period it takes to put on the appliances would be timed every day. By the last day of the shoot, Dudman had streamlined the make up appliances process down to 58 minutes. Removing the make-up takes a further 25 minutes. 

With the make-up and costume, Carter recalled the transformation into an alien to Star Wars Insider: “Once I got it all on and looked in the mirror it had an immediate effect. Those red, glowing eyes. It had a feminine look, I think. I would wait until the make-up was on and then kind of meditate for a moment. The make-up dictates your performance.” To help himself develop a precise style for Fortuna, Michael actually found it useful to try to actually think like the character. “I don’t think Bib Fortuna was particularly evil. I felt he was someone who knew that he could never be number one, but was very attracted to the idea of power. He obeyed Jabba the Hutt and felt a kindred spirit with the great slug.”

 

Fortuna is soon angry with Artoo's stubbornness to deliver his message to Jabba personally.

Recalling his first days of filming, Carter would tell EMPIRE film magazine: “The first line (in the Huttese language created for the film) I had was, “Die wanna wanga.” But I had my contact lenses in, so they nailed a piece of wood to the floor-when my foot hit it, I knew I was in the right position. But I hit it too hard and so as I fell I shouted, “Te wanna wangaaaa!”

Various behind the scenes images.
 

A very Ray Harryhausen-esque early full length maquette idea for Fortuna, and the familiar figure we'd soon see onscreen.

The approved maquette for Fortuna.

Late 1981 at London's Elstree Studio, and Nick Dudman creates a head sculpt based on the approved ILM maquette of Bib Fortuna.

Michael Carter in 1981.

Putting the heavy head and protuberances on Michael Carter first.

As seen in The Making of The Return of the Jedi book from 1984. Image: via Star Wars Archives website.

A long time in the make-up chair.

Putting on the facial layerings.

Nearing the final look.

January 1982 on set posed make-up/costume reference images.

Continuity Polaroid by Pamela Mann.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD!

Despite the serious nature of the scene and its important revelations about the Skywalker lineage, Mark Hamill still finds time to clown around for the on set photographers during filming of 'the cave' sequence. Though Graham Freeborn's face cast of Hamill had been filmed, it was barely seen on screen for a second or two, with the production team deciding to go with a more straight forward effect of filming Hamill's own face through the mask, the actor underneath the set, for the main reveal.

Hamill happily undergoes a face mask appliance session with Graham Freeborn at Elstree.

A half body cast of Hamill was also created for filming, but seemingly unused?

The ultimately unconvincing head as seen on film. Only the barest moment of it is seen before the use of Hamill's face in the mask.

EPISODE IX: SOMETHING WICKED...

The Emperor- back from the dead!

His consciousness prior transferred to a temporarily weak clone body after the events of Return of the Jedi, Emperor Palpatine's designs on eternal control of the galaxy, decades in the making, are about to be unleashed across the galaxy, as Ian McDiarmid makes a welcome and deliciously evil (as ever) return to the Star Wars universe, witnessed in these great behind the scenes images from The Rise of Skywalker.

The facts on the Emperor's 'return'...

On set and rehearsal prior to make-up and filming, and always attracting attention! Note costume designer Michael Kaplan (far left).

In new/old make-up

And gaining a brand new blood red layered costume for his later fully resurrected scenes.

And looking as handsome as ever!

For more background info on the return of Palpatine and the new Sith, check out New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson's hugely enjoyable 'Expanded Edition' adaptation of the film, out now in UK hardback, from Century.

Get it here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-Skywalker-Expanded-Star-Wars-ebook/dp/B07YJZRNDG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rise+of+skywalker+novel&qid=1585075538&sr=8-1

THE 'PHANTOM' AT TWENTY: THE HUTT RETINUE!

When it comes to star power in launching the Boonta Eve Classic, there's surely no one greater or more powerful on Tatooine than the Hutt clan, and especially their main planetary resident, the repulsive Jabba, seen here with his 'Major Domo' in Bib Fortuna, clearly enjoying the crowd adulation whilst the female Gardulla the Hutt lurks in the background. As with his cameo appearance in the 1997 Special Edition of A New Hope, Jabba would be CGI rendered for his few scenes in EPISODE I, though looking much better here thanks to technological improvements in ILM creature-making several years on.

A longer view of Jabba's retinue, which includes several well known ILM staffers in the background.

CGI render of Jabba with snack!

Resident Lucasfilm employee Matthew Wood, a sound designer who started off as a games tester for the company, played Fortuna for this sequence, shot at ILM. Originally, Fortuna was played by Alan Ruscoe in UK scenes linked to the later set in the film Republic senate, but those never made the final cut and Fortuna instead returned to Jabba on Tatooine.

Danny Wagner and colleague go to work on Wood's transformation at ILM. Note the earlier British made facial appliance of Alan Ruscoe's face mould as Fortuna in the right corner.

Wood hams it up in this fun behind the scenes image.

Matthew Wood Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Wb9lHDSgw

THE 'PHANTOM' AT TWENTY: MAUL'S OTHER MASTER!

Ray Park as Maul, on a corridor set recreation of Caserta Palace in London, having fun with make-up supremo Paul Engelen.

Specially chosen by Stunt Coordinator Nick Gillard, Scottish gymnast and martial artist Ray Park would prove a formidable physical opponent onscreen as the double lightsaber wielding Darth Maul, whose hellish visage would be rendered viscerally even more scary in his role as Sith Lord Assassin by the stellar make-up brought to life by UK talent Paul Engelen, as seen in these great behind the scenes images. Maul was always to have been a humanoid villain, originally conceived as having a ghostly, putrified visage akin to a heroin junkie. This visage ultimately changed, using a design originally conceived by Iain McCaig for one of the Republic senators on Coruscant. The locked down make-up design also clearly has deliberate echoes to the distinctive and fearsome make-up worn by African Masai Warriors.

Paul Engelen (1949-2024) - Renowned make-up artist Paul Engelen who worked with three James Bond actors has died - James Bond 007 :: MI6 - The Home Of James Bond

"I have not seen anything that looks remotely like the Darth Maul character. And that's fascinating."

Paul Engelen - 1999

Ray Park gets a head shave and sees the drawing for which he will be transformed.

Iain McCaig's design was originally for a generic Republic senator.

The contact lenses are applied just before filming begins, and a chilling visage approaches completion.

Reference and publicity images for the final make-up.

Including the later application of the spiked horns prosthetics.

BEHIND THE SCENES: NEW ADVENTURE, NEW WOOKIEE!

At his magical make-up emporium at Elstree Studios in early 1982, the legendary and mush-missed Stuart Freeborn continues his dedicated work for RETURN OF THE JEDI, his production slate ambitious enough with all-new characters like Jabba and the Ewoks, but always making sure he kept his key input into the continued crafting and developing of previously established favourites, as seen here, where he's putting fine detail to the latest wookiee mask for the beloved Chewbacca.