Cornmeal used to replicate AIDS rash
Matthew McConaughey encouraged his makeup artist to smother his face with cornmeal to recreate a rash common in AIDS suffers.
THE Oscar-winning actor encouraged his make-up artist, Robin Mathews, to smother his face with the porridge-like mixture in order to replicate the skin condition while he was playing AIDS victim Ron Woodroof in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’.
Speaking backstage at the Academy Awards last Sunday Mathews said: “[I said] I can’t put cornmeal and grits on your face, dude,’ and Matthew [McConaughey] said, ‘you have to do this’. I’m really glad it worked out. I thought it might be the end of my career.”
Jared Leto – who picked up Best Supporting Male for his role as a HIV positive transvestite Rayon in the drama – praised Mathews and hairstylist, Adruitha Lee, on their win for Best Make-up and Hairstyling despite the stringent budget they had for costumes. He said: “They literally had a budget of $250 and they worked the hardest. They are the first to set. They show up at the crack of dawn and they leave at the crack of dawn.”
Meanwhile, Mathews claims Leto and McConaughey’s dedication to portraying the characters perfectly encouraged them to provide the best make-up they could. She added: “Everybody knows they [the lead actors] lost almost 50 pounds, [it was a] labour of love. [We thought] they are bringing their A game – we have to do it for them.”
