The ‘Method Makeup’ of ‘Matlock’
[Editor's note: This story contains spoilers for the first episode of CBS 's " Matlock ."]
Viewers who tuned in to the September 22 premiere of "Matlock" on CBS got a shocker of a twist at the end of the first episode: Matty Matlock (played by Kathy Bates ) is not quite the broke, chatty older woman she seems to be upon talking her way into a job at a prestigious Manhattan law firm. In fact, Matty is Madeline Kingston, who lives in a fabulous mansion with her husband and grandson.
Turns out, Madeline is undercover as the harmless Matty to find out who among the senior partners might have hidden documents that could have ended the opioid epidemic a decade earlier and saved hundreds of lives — including that of her daughter. And that makes Bates' performance a little bit of a matroskya doll, one that necessitates two different makeup designs.
"So there's Madeline Kingston, and there's Matty Matlock," Bates' makeup designer Kim Greene told IndieWire. "Madeline Kingston is the actual human. And Matty Matlock is a character that she's created. And they are completely different human beings."
From the scripts, Greene knew that Madeline was wealthy and had a happy home life (and a career as an attorney long before she became Matty). And Matty needed to be a believably harried single grandmother allegedly raising her grandson alone and financially struggling while appearing invisible to the majority of the population, an aspect of ageism that Madeline is willing to take advantage of to further her cause.
"She gets away with stuff because nobody sees her coming," Greene said. "But when I was thinking about her makeup, I was like, 'Yeah, but she's going to a law firm to try to get a job. So she can't be so invisible [while] trying to get a job at this prestigious law firm. So we did a couple of tests. One where she didn't have enough makeup on because I was trying to go light, and it just wasn't quite enough. Then I sort of went professional lawyer, but soft and like rose-toned lips and cool-toned raspberry cheeks, things that would also go with her gray hair."
Where she and Bates landed was on a warmer tone for Madeline Kingston at home ("She's peaches and creams and neutral lips and a softer eye and no eyeliner") and a more "business look" for Matty, one that's understated and sophisticated.
"There's two different palettes," Greene said. "Again, really subtle. You'll notice now because I'm telling you, but honestly, I don't know if the regular viewer would notice. They'll know it's different. They'll feel differently about her, but they won't necessarily know why."
That may also be how Bates feels in the makeup chair, getting into character and subconsciously registering what Greene has on her station.
"This is so method makeup, get ready," Greene said with a laugh. "I thought it was really important that the makeup I used, although it was on Matty, who didn't have a lot of money, it was Madeline who was applying it in the morning. OK? So all the makeup that Kathy is wearing is expensive, higher-end department store items that Madeline Kingston would actually own. So we have La Mer, Christian Dior, Guerlain, it's all on my station. And I didn't talk to Kathy about this. It's sort of subliminal, but also makes my job so fun. There's art imitating life, imitating art going on in my chair while she's seeing Madeline's makeup and I'm putting it on her."
Even the rest of the crew got the subliminal message. "There are scenes at [Madeline's] dressing table, and the props department caught on to the theme," Greene said. "They have La Mer on that station. They borrowed Kathy's little Guerlain because, you know, that's the highest of the highest end. We didn't even talk!"
Following a special preview on September 22, "Matlock" will premiere October 17 on CBS.
