When head makeup artist of the Oscars, Bruce Grayson, arrives to work on the day of the Academy Awards, he needs to make sure his kit is packed with solutions for any conceivable cosmetic emergency. “The security is equal to that of a presidential appearance,” he tells Allure. “Once we’re in the theater, it’s locked down for four blocks in every direction, so God forbid you forget something, you’re going to have to trek at least a half mile out of the perimeter.”
Tucked deep behind that strict security perimeter—past the crowded red carpet and bustling auditorium, beyond the cramped wings of the stage—is Grayson’s domain, the backstage hair and makeup room. It’s a place of quiet and cosmetics amidst the commotion, where Hollywood’s biggest names stop in to relax, hide out, and have their hair and makeup touched up before going on stage to present, whether that’s a rogue false lash or a smudge of lipstick on a tuxedo collar. (His solution for the latter? Your basic latex makeup wedges, dampened and rubbed against the stain. “It will take out 85-90% of the color,” he says.)
Grayson describes the hair and makeup room as a safe and sacred space: “In the green room, people are socializing and applauding when a winner enters. It’s a lot of energy. When you walk into hair and makeup, it’s very zen. It’s the kind of place where people want to go to [collect] their thoughts before they present.” He says he’s seen nervous stars’ backs relax while sitting in his chair. “It can be such a stressful night, and freshening up their makeup sometimes just puts them at ease.”
To prepare, Grayson starts packing his kit weeks in advance, placing large orders for disposable applicators, including sponges, mascara wands, and fuzzy doe-foots for lip gloss and balm. He attends every rehearsal and dress rehearsal and knows the schedule for the night like the back of his hand. “We know every person who is going to be presenting each award, and it’s a very coordinated effort,” he says. “They do the red carpet and, if they’re sitting in the audience, they’re pulled several acts before. They go backstage and we see who needs help. We offer it to them, and sometimes they want it, sometimes they don’t.”
Sometimes, stars like to come backstage and freshen themselves up. “For certain presenters, and certain actors in general, makeup is a part of what gets them on stage; it’s an old theater thing,” says Grayson. “You don’t want to mess with that process; so in those cases it’s about standing here in front of them and handing [products] to them.”
Not unlike a beauty salon, the Oscars hair and makeup room typically sits three makeup chairs, three hair chairs, and one chair left open… for Meryl Streep. “She’s been to the Oscars so many times, and she likes watching the show from our vantage point rather than from the green room.” The three-time Academy Award winner (and 21-time nominee) enjoys the quiet environment, according to Grayson. “It’s so endearing to me that every year that she comes to the show, we have an empty seat there and she hangs out with us.”
Makeup artists from Grayson’s team are also positioned in the wings, armed with blotting papers (Tatcha Aburatorigami papers are his go-to) and cotton buds, waiting to catch a presenter who skipped the makeup room or an actor who just won an award. The cramped quarters of the theater, however, mean that one has to be incredibly aware of their surroundings, something Grayson was reminded of when Julia Roberts won her best actress award in 2001 for Erin Brockovich. “I was called to stage left to catch up with Julia because she needed powder and a lip, and as I turned the corner, I stepped on the back of a woman’s dress, which was attached to the neckline,” Grayson recalls. “I saw this person’s head jerk back and heard them say, ‘Whoa!’ only to realize it was Julia. Luckily, she was cool about it, but I was so embarrassed because I try to be so careful about watching for dress trains.”
