Today we’d like to introduce you to Yolanda Toussieng.
Yolanda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I first got into the film industry because my father and uncle Joe and Ernie Prado were very adamant about getting me an interview. They would try daily during their lunches and got me an interview in 1977. I finally started working for Universal in 1978. They started me in the wig room since they saw I had previous experience in a wig shop. My first head job in the hair department was in 1981 for the movie The Toy. I would say my first few years in the wig department and learning under other hairdressers and wig makers in Universal’s TV shows is what helped me get the boost and niche in my career.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say it was never really a hard road, challenging maybe, but never rough. I loved learning new techniques and mastered them very fast, so I never really had a tough time getting to where I am today. Once I got into the industry it wasn’t hard for me to move up, I was able to prove myself, so my work carried me through.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a department head hairstylist. I work with directors and actors to build characters visually in movies and TV. As a hairstylist in the movie industry, you’re not getting paid to make people look better; you’re getting paid to make actors look like the characters they’re playing. There are a lot of hairdressing skills I use that we don’t do in a salon. I use wigs and hair pieces, I might use a hair color palate to add gray to age an actor, or I might add roots to create a character that can’t afford to go to the salon. Some of my favorite work I’ve done in my career is the work I’ve done with Tim Burton. I’m a huge fan of his, and I feel honored to have been part of the Tim Burton world. Also, in some of the work I did on the Batman Movies, the character Poison Ivy ended up being one of my favorite characters to work on. It’s funny because one Halloween, I saw people dressed up as four of my characters: Poison Ivy, Beetlejuice, The Riddler, and Edward Scissorhands. To stand on the street and watch these characters walk by in a Halloween parade made me realize how satisfied I was with that part of my work. What am I most proud of? I would say the work I did on Mrs. Doubtfire, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Batman, Ed Wood, and this might be something nobody really knows, but I created the look and handmade hairpieces for the ladies and dogs in Edward Scissorhands and Quadlings and Emerald City residents in Oz the Great and Powerful. I am also proud to be the Oscar winner of the first and second-ever Oscars dedicated to hair. Hair wasn’t a category until my work on Edward Scissorhands sparked so much attention. Luckily, I worked on Mrs. Doubtfire after, so that ended up being my first Oscar, followed by Ed Wood. I was nominated two other times for Oscars on Master and Commander and The Way Back. I have a few other nominations an Emmy, and a lifetime achievement award. What sets me apart from others is my first years of experience in Universal Studios. I saw and worked on so many different types of looks, and it molded me into who I became. My background is in art, so I’ve always had a creative aspect to myself I just applied my artistic ideas to my work.
What’s next?
I actually have a few plans for the future. Not many people know this, but I have a full display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures that shows some of my work, an interview with them, and even some of the wigs used in some of my big movies! I am going to be a guest teacher in a wig-wrapping class for my local union 706. I also plan on making a book about my work life, my career, what I’ve seen, and where I’ve been in my time in the film industry.
Contact Info:
Popular
-
What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
-
Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
-
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
-
What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
-
Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
-
What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
