Angelina Jolie has taken on the extraordinary challenge of portraying opera legend Maria Callas in the latest biopic directed by Pablo Larraín, titled Maria. This film delves deep not just the celebrated soprano's achievements but also her personal tribulations during the last week of her life, giving viewers unprecedented insight.
Jolie’s transformation was the result of hard work by her personal makeup and hair team, Adruitha Lee and Pamela Goldammer. They focused on capturing the essence of Callas, who was known for her impeccable appearance both on and off stage. “You do have to look at the whole of [Callas] to understand her, or how she was adapting,” Jolie noted, highlighting the attention to detail needed for the transformation.
Callas was rarely seen without expertly applied makeup and perfectly styled hair. Lee remembers one photo of Callas—hunched over, wearing large glasses—that particularly inspired her. “You can see her hair, she has her big glasses on, and she looks like she was caught,” said Jolie. It was this insight, along with Callas' thick glasses, which became focal points for creating her look.
Lee gathered numerous photographs to inform her hairstyling, especially Callas' natural wave. Traditional styling methods proved inadequate, leading Lee to improvise. “I made rollers out of paper towels and rolled it up at nighttime, and we took it down the next day,” she explained, illustrating her creative approach to achieving Callas' signature style.
Goldammer faced her own set of challenges, primarily the need to navigate multiple makeup changes throughout the day. With the film featuring sequences from different decades and events, she sometimes had to build seven distinct looks all within a single day. “We were jumping between decades, stage looks, glamor and opera looks,” Goldammer described, emphasizing the diversity required for the project.
The task was not merely cosmetic but also included the use of prosthetics. A custom prosthetic nose was made for Jolie by Oscar-nominated makeup artist Arjen Tuiten, who previously collaborated with Jolie on Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Goldammer highlighted the complexity of this process: “I had to apply a prosthetic nose in 17 minutes, and beauty makeup in 30.” The pressures for precision were evident, especially during intense days of filming.
The black-and-white sequences, depicting Callas' interactions with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, presented another challenge. To find the right makeup shades to suit the monochrome styling, extensive camera tests were conducted. “We tested 20 or 30 different lipsticks, and we stuck to specific shades,” Goldammer revealed. She described how precise art and design had to blend seamlessly with the actor’s features to maintain accuracy.
Lee, on her end, also faced the challenge of ensuring Callas’ hair looked naturally stunning on screen. “I didn’t want it to look solid, so there were different shades in the wig, so it looked like it was one color, but it really wasn’t,” she disclosed, showcasing the artistry involved behind the scenes.
Directed by Larraín, Maria captures the essence of Callas' life and challenges without delving too deeply, focusing instead on key moments of emotional intensity. The film chronicles her final days, where she grapples with health issues, the aftereffects of past relationships, and her continuing desire for artistic recognition.
Throughout this abbreviated portrayal, viewers are treated to flashbacks: glimpses of her tumultuous youth during World War II and her significant but painful relationship with Onassis, who later left her for Jackie Kennedy. These narratives are woven together with snippets of Callas’ famous performances from operas like Verdi’s Otello and Bizet’s Carmen.
Critics have noted Jolie's performance as perhaps her best to date. While the film uses both her voice and Callas' own recordings, Jolie embodies the opera singer's spirit, presenting both vulnerability and strength. The film culminates powerfully as Callas, alone and reflective, sings the poignant aria “Vissi d'Arte” from Puccini's Tosca. The scene builds to an emotional climax with onlookers outside her apartment, showcasing her unyielding longing for respect and reverence.
The film, available for streaming on Netflix, adds to Larraín’s thematic exploration of complex women through the lens of history. Following previous successful works like Jackie and Spencer, Maria marks the director's continued fascination with capturing the essence of women facing life’s most challenging moments.
Audiences may leave with more than just the remembrance of Callas as a music icon; they might also reflect on the personal battles faced by women who sparkle brightly on the world stage yet struggle significantly behind the scenes.