Leverage and Santa
Created by Mmcraytor 10 years ago
I was the Make-Up department head on the tv show Leverage when Mark was cast as Santa. We had to have him shave his beard (I believe it was the first time in thirty years he had shaved) and continue to shave every day he worked. But that, nor the irritation caused by the adhesive and the adhesive removers on his skin could get him down, he always wanted myself and Jeri, the Hair dept head to do our job. During the application and removal of both beard and wig, we had wonderful conversations. But the thing I remember the most, was when we had children on set. Mark explained to us that he didn't want to be responsible for any child not believing in Santa. So we would be very sneaky with our touch ups, our reapplications of glue to make sure that none of the kids knew that they were fake. When Mark would have a break from shooting, he would go to where the children were, in costume, and tell them stories. He so embodied Santa in spirit, it continued to be one of my favorite memories of the tv show and of my career.