We’re talking about alterations using makeup, obviously, digital alterations are another story!
It’s no contest, it’s a lot easier to make a young actor look older, and the proof, look no further than all the older women (mostly) who are desperately trying -and failing- to look younger. Even plastic surgery doesn’t really work. The face looks artificial, the lips pulled back, or the eyes look strange because the extra sagging skin in the upper eyelid was removed…
But we’re talking makeup, not surgery. Unless those ads I keep seeing on Facebook are true, that <PERSON> is giving away thousands of vials of a magical serum that smooths away wrinkles instantly and PERMANENTLY!!! I shudder at the thought of women plastering this stuff on their face, having their skin tighten in a flash, only to sag even worse the next day, requiring more serum, get the idea?...
Right! You don’t believe it either! Good for you! So, back to our young actor who needs to look old. 861
I checked on YouTube and here’s what to do: you need to add wrinkles on your forehead, bags under the eyes, wrinkles at the corners of the eyes, jowls under your chin, lines on the either side of your mouth, thin your lips, enlarge your nose, whiten your hair. Artistically applying the makeup will do a good job.
However, actors don’t just need to look the part, they also have to PLAY the part convincingly! This demands a thorough study of the physicality of the part, how does an older person move, walk, sit, stand, hunched over, slowly, deliberately, carefully, tentatively, limpingly, peering, squinting, leaning in to hear… How does the older person FEEL?...
Conversely, how does a younger person feel, walk, look at things, ponder, run around… How does an actor convey to the audience that they ARE very young. Some actors, while looking much as they do normally, succeed in making the spectators feel that they are innocent, enthusiastic, naive, childlike.
Acting talent makes the difference, and acting is based on thorough preparation. Makeup just adds credibility. Still, it’s easier to play an older than a younger person! 862