Emmy Rossum sure does distance herself from nine seasons as Fiona Gallagher on Shameless with her followup, Angelyne. However, it’s probably a good thing that this labor of love is only a limited series (on Peacock) because, boy, Emmy went through some hell when it came to transforming into a buxom and bewigged billboard babe. That’s not too surprising, considering that Lily James also went through a lot for her Pam & Tommy role, but man, that’s a lot of time (and discomfort) spent in the pursuit of looking unrecognizable for art.
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter (which also received an intriguing anecdote about an Axl Rose-bathtub from Rossum), Emmy described how difficult it was to wear a heavy breastplate, which weighed three pounds and gave her, uh, blisters. Yikes. And that was only the beginning:
Skepticism for the project, or at least Rossum’s ability to capture its subject, dissipated as soon as the first set photos leaked. Her temporary alterations were not without sacrifice. Rossum got blisters from the fake breasts and suffered tear duct issues from wearing two pairs of contact lenses and from the oppressive eye makeup during the shoot. She often spent four or five hours in the makeup chair every morning before most of her colleagues even arrived on set.
Rossum’s husband, Sam Esmail, chimed in to say that there were moments when he didn’t even “recognize her” during the shoot, which is wild as well as “eerie,” according to him. And Rossum goes on to explain how she felt “heavy” in her new Angelyne body (due mostly to the breastplate, no doubt) but needed to exude a lightness about the way she moved and operated. Soon enough, the world will see the billboard queen in action.
Peacock’s Angelyne streams on May 19.
(Via Hollywood Reporter)