In the world of cinema, where visual storytelling transcends words, makeup plays a pivotal role in bringing characters to life. We’ve recently had a chat with Ashleigh Chavis, a talented makeup artist whose journey from an unexpected start to a celebrated career in film makeup is as fascinating as the transformations she crafts. From early inspirations to remarkable cinema experiences, her path has been shaped by a love for storytelling and a great ability to translate character nuances through makeup. As the Makeup Department Head and Makeup Designer for the recently released film “The Bikeriders” by Jeff Nichols, she shares her experiences, challenges, and creative processes, offering a glimpse into the meticulous world of cinematic makeup design.

What’s your first beauty memory? And what’s your first cinema memory?

My first beauty memory was probably my cousin, Angel. She’s about 10 years older than me and was the quintessential mid-80s teenager. Her makeup and clothes were so stylish and she would do mine and my sister’s makeup for us for fun when we were little kids. I just remember thinking she was the coolest person in the world.

My very first cinema memory was going to see the movie “Labyrinth” in the theater when I was about 5 years old.

Why makeup as a career choice? More specifically, why become a cinema makeup artist?

Having makeup as my career choice is just as baffling to me as it is to anyone. I’ve never been a big makeup wearer myself, but as a career choice, I always say that makeup found me, not the other way around. It was an art form that, once I had kind of fallen into, I absolutely loved.

As far as being a cinema makeup artist specifically, I’ve always been in love with the art of storytelling. I’ve written stories and screenplays of my own just for fun since I was about 10 years old. I was already working as a Production Assistant in the television/film industry for a few years before discovering makeup, so combining my love for makeup as an art form with my love for storytelling, it just seemed like a very organic and natural fit.

How did you get involved with “The Bikeriders”? What drew you to this project?

My involvement really started in 2019 when I worked on the movie “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” with Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield. I was hired as Key Makeup Artist by Jessica’s personal Makeup Artist, Linda Dowds. Then, in 2022, Linda called me in for the series “George and Tammy” that Jessica was doing along with actor Michael Shannon. On that project, I worked as Michael’s Personal Makeup Artist and got to know him on that show. That summer Michael called me about being the Makeup Department Head for his directorial debut for the feature film, “Eric Larue” with Judy Greer and Alexander Skarsgård. On that film, I met Producer Sarah Green, who was also one of the lead producers on “The Bikeriders”. When Sarah first approached me about “The Bikeriders” she thought it might be good for me to be the personal makeup artist to lead actor, Jodie Comer. But shortly after that, I was asked if I’d be interested in being the Makeup Department Head and Makeup Designer as well.

I was drawn to the project first and foremost because Jeff Nichols was the director. I didn’t even know what the movie was about, but once I knew that he had written and was directing it I was in. Also, it was an opportunity to work on another project with Michael Shannon and Sarah Green again, which was a huge honor for me.

Then, once I read the script, I just fell in love with it all and couldn’t wait to start designing looks for the characters that were in this gritty, beautiful story that Jeff Nichols was going to tell.

Jeff Nichols’s vision for the film is heavily inspired by Danny Lyon’s 1967 photo book. How did you approach translating those iconic images into the makeup designs for the film?

The photo book was our compass, our guide for this world that we were going to be creating. I looked at every photo in Danny Lyon’s book as well as every single photo online of images of bikers during that time period about a hundred times a day. I tried to put myself in their shoes and embrace the ever-present grease and grime that living in that world would involve and make sure there was never a scene without it. Even when these guys were at their so-called “cleanest”, they were never completely clean. I wanted the viewers to almost smell the gasoline, grease and body odor coming out of their pores whenever they were on the screen.

The film is set in the 1960s, a rebellious and pivotal time in America’s history. How did the era influence your makeup design choices?

I researched a lot of album covers, as well as newspaper articles about social and political issues going on in our country at that time. I really wanted to get an idea of the strain and stresses of not just this particular group of people, but as an entire society in an effort to understand more about why these bike clubs were appealing in the first place.  Understanding that it was a place for “outcasts” and “rebels” to congregate, not just to cause trouble, but to be understood and accepted by a community of people just like them.

Each member of The Vandals has a distinctive look. What was the process of creating the unique makeup styles for characters like Benny and Kathy?

I was able to look at the costumes of each character beforehand. Costume designer Erin Benach created such incredible and individualized looks for each cast member and I was able to work off of that to continue carrying out those individual styles throughout their makeup. Knowing each actor that had been cast for each role beforehand really helped me map out which kind of tattoos, facial hair, and sideburns would work best. For Kathy, she’s one of our only feminine elements in the entire story. I knew I wanted that femininity to shine through while also making sure she wasn’t too girly. She needed to be resilient and a little rough around the edges. She’s running around all the time trying to keep up with these guys and I wanted to make sure she looked tough enough to hold her own. Jodie Comer is so naturally beautiful, and she can look glamorous very quickly. So, I had to play down her beauty a little, which is tough to do because she’s so stunning. For Benny, I knew that he just needed to look as cool as possible.

Just grimy enough to be tough and manly, but dreamy enough to catch someone like Kathy’s eye.

“I wanted the viewers to almost smell the gasoline, grease and body odor coming out of their pores whenever they were on the screen”

What was the most challenging moment or character to conceive, makeup-wise?

The most challenging character was probably Funny Sonny, who was played by Norman Reedus. Norman was in Paris during the time we were prepping for “The Bikeriders”. I had to get his fake teeth and beard made and molded while he was in Europe, so working with Paris and London local times, and trying to organize all of that between my schedule, his schedule and the time differences was just a little tricky. But we did it and he looked incredible.

How did you balance the need for historically accurate looks with the necessity of making each character visually compelling on screen?

My main goal was to make Jeff Nichols happy. This whole story and vision were his from the start, so if any tweaks or changes, or adjustments needed to be made on our end I just made sure he was happy with it. Luckily the entire cast was so open to transforming as closely as possible to the characters that they were playing from the photo book that we didn’t have to make too many adjustments that were too far off from the actual photos. The biggest thing that had to be changed, in keeping everything historically accurate, were the tattoos. A lot of our cast came in with very current and modern-day tattoos. Therefore, we had to cover everyone’s tattoos and replace them with historically accurate ones. Any tattoos that we could make out from the real photos I made sure to duplicate, and anything that needed to be customized we added for additional ink. Thanks to the Hollywood tattoo master Christien Tinsley, I was able to customize tattoos to match up to each character. I would send him ideas and drawings and he would create the most incredible pieces for me. I really couldn’t have done that part without him.   

The film involves a lot of action and scenes of violence. What were some of the challenges you faced in creating realistic and, most of all, durable makeup for these sequences?

Each actor’s skin is different – so just trying out a few prosthetic pieces to see which fits best, testing out which adhesive works best on each of them, standing close by so that you can make your adjustments and resets as quickly as possible between takes, and not getting too stressed out if something is not working exactly the way you want.

Sometimes the way you want it to go just isn’t working for some reason, so being willing to have multiple plans of action helps keep everything looking realistic and true to the story without trying to force anything.

Can you share any memorable moments/anecdotes from the set where your makeup skills were put to the test?

It was very, very cold every day on set so your fingers didn’t always want to work properly. Trying to do makeup with numb fingers is pretty impossible so hand warmers and heated gloves were a must.

Looking back at your work on “The Bikeriders”, what are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of the hard work and dedication that the entire makeup department had to this project. It was a ton of work, it was really cold and we had a lot of very late, long nights. And yet, every single day we all had so much fun together. We laughed every day, we encouraged one another, and we all fell in love with these characters. We all put our hearts into this film, and I couldn’t’ be any more proud of us for that.

“And yet, every single day we all had so much fun together”

Speaking of your career, so far, as you said, you’ve been involved in a wide range of brilliant projects, from “George & Tammy” to “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”, which earned you a Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Award nomination. How do these achievements influence your work and approach to it?

My approach hasn’t changed in that I have always been honored and felt very blessed to get to do what I love for a living. I am always open to new projects and what I get to learn about not only other people, but about myself as well when working on each and every project I have done.

Generally speaking, when you are filming, do you have a routine or something that helps you stay focused and healthy?

I’m a music lover, so listening to music is a big part of my creative process. Anything that suits the decade or mood in the makeup trailer to help me dip further into the story.

How do you live makeup in your everyday life?

Personally, I really focus on skincare. If my skin looks nice and fresh, and my brows are filled in then I feel great.   For me, it’s nice to do a full face only occasionally, that way when you do get all dolled up you really have that WOW factor.

What’s the last movie you watched and loved?

”Rocky”.  I’ve probably seen it 30 times but I always watch it when it’s on TV. I like all of them, but the very first one is definitely my favorite. I love an underdog story.

As a makeup artist, is there a beauty trick that you could share with us?

Don’t drink alcohol or use tobacco products. It sounds boring, but it’s true. Alcohol and tobacco really take a toll on your skin. No matter what kind of makeup you use, if the canvas you’re applying it on has not been taken care of, it can never look its best.

Healthy-looking skin is my absolute favorite beauty trend.

What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?

Having my son, Gabriel, when I was 21 years old. At the time I wasn’t married, I didn’t have a career, I’d never gone to college, and had no money in the bank. But for some reason, I really thought that I could do it, and I knew I was willing to do whatever I needed to make sure that he and I would be ok. It’s been really tough at times, but once he came along, I was really inspired to get my act together and work hard for the things I wanted in life.

What was your latest act of rebellion?

I wish I had something really fun and exciting to say for this one, but I’m a pretty big rule follower these days.

What’s your biggest fear?

Elevators. I absolutely hate them. I’m always afraid they’re going to get stuck while I’m inside.

What does feeling comfortable in your own skin mean to you?

Being confident that I am in control of my boundaries.

What’s your happy place?

Being with my family. My two kids and my husband, Matt. They’re all hilarious and so smart. I learn new things from them all the time.