Today we’d like to introduce you to Hanna Watts.
Hanna, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hi, my name is Hanna Watts, and I’m a Hair and Makeup artist in the film industry. I was born in the desert of Scottsdale, Arizona.. Both my parents work in the medical field with jobs that required the family to move a lot. We moved to Washington state for a short period of time, then a year later, landed in a small town an hour south of Chicago. When we first moved there, I was around eight years old and had just been enrolled in my first dance classes. I had always loved playing dress up, so the dance recitals were my favorite part. Going over to my neighbor’s house to get my put into French braids to race home for my mom to place the finishing touches on the makeup. I loved every detail of sitting on the bathroom counter while my mom gently placed blue eyeshadow on my tiny lids and painted my lips red. Carefully making sure to blot the excess lipstick from my lips to not smudge because it had to last through snacks and other performances. Fast forward a few years later, I’m now twelve, living in Nashville, Tennessee. This was my first exposure to the entertainment industry. I was lucky enough to witness the Country Music Awards rehearsals and the behind-the-scenes of some Music Videos. I knew the film production space was one I wanted to exist in, but no idea what department. I was also attending Franklin High School, where I became really invested in Choir and Theatre. When I was a freshman, I was cast in my first musical, Beauty and the Beast, as a plate, and I then found myself again in a bathroom, getting my makeup done by my friend Ashley Nite. I traded in the single blue shade for a more stage-friendly and dynamic look of her brilliant mind. I remember sitting there in amusement, hoping one day I could paint faces just like Ashley did. I continued acting on stage for Franklin High under the direction of Cindy Fehrman and Mark Saltalamachia. I fell in love with the internal world-building that goes into creating characters, but I wanted to take those skills to build worlds from the outside and into the characters’ internal worlds. I then moved back to Arizona for my senior year of high school and continued my education at Scottsdale Community College, majoring in technical theatre with an emphasis on Costume, Makeup, and Wig design. With in my second semester, I was already designing as lead of costume for the springs black box production and then the next spring’s main stage under the direction of E.E. Moe. I was then asked to help a friend with their short film and fell in love with taking the big world of theatre and shrinking it down to a monitor. From SCC, I moved on to Arizona State University and felt the burnout of working in theater, going to school, and working part-time. During this time, I changed my mind, no longer wanted to work in theatre, and was looking into any degree that felt “normal.” During this time of self-exploration, I reluctantly worked on a small film project with some fellow peers. I ended up dropping out of ASU. I started teaching full-time and working at an axe-throwing bar at night. But on the weekends, I would continue getting calls to help on the ASU student capstones. That’s where I really fell in love with film makeup and truly just dedicated my time to the craft. I started getting calls from small local studios for their corporate shoots and then later commercials. In 2020, when the world shut down, I was still teaching while also getting my foot in the door in the Arizona Commercial scene. By April 2021, I was able to start working full-time as a freelance makeup artist. I then was called to assist in makeup for my first feature under Micah Hanson and under the Direction of Shari Rigby. By working on that one film, it has opened so many doors and allowed me to work in states like Georgia and New York. In July of this past year, I decided to move to The Valley from Arizona with dreams of working in a more narrative space. I’m truly just so grateful to every person I have worked with and excited to see who I will work with next.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest challenge that I have faced in my career thus far is one that a lot of artist struggle with. The work-life balance. I’ve had to learn what it’s like to be my own boss at such a young age. I struggled with saying “no”. I would cross state lines in the middle of the night wrapping off one gig to be present in the morning for the next one. I worked very hard for the first couple years of working in the industry and lost what felt like a lot of connection to the real world. It wasn’t until recently that I was able to really slow down to connect with my old friends and experience what a normal twenty-something-year-old feels like. I’m so grateful that I had the drive to disconnect as hard as I did for so long. But equally as grateful for the opportunity to celebrate people’s birthdays and weddings. At one point I didn’t think that was possible to do. I thought I would have to grind that hard forever. Glad I learned the power of not only “yes” but also “no.”
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work plays a huge part in my life’s journey this far. I feel incredibly grateful for the stories I have told and the stories I’ve heard along the way. When people ask me what my favorite part of my job, I often reply with being nice to everyone and being small cog in the big machine. I truly believe that it’s a miracle that anything actually comes together in film. Through the years, I’ve had to teach myself and others the importance of makeup in film and why my position matters. This past January I had the opportunity to work on my third feature film, but my first as Head of Department. I have worked on more than 20 plus short films as makeup and quite a bit of commercial work in Arizona.
What were you like growing up?
One of my earliest childhood memories was sneaking into my parents’ bathroom, opening my mom’s makeup drawer, and carefully examining her lipsticks and putting them on. I would then quickly rub the lipstick off on the back of my hand and keep layering them on until the back of my hands were stained. I also remember spending time at my Grandma Gayles’s house, where she would give me her old makeup to play in and put on my dolls. She would watch me dress up in her old clothes and help me put on the makeup for my fantasy fashion shows. Since I moved so much, I would find myself spending hours playing with my doll’s hair and outfits. As I got older, I really fell in love with Saturday Night Live. My best friend and I would recreate skits from Weekend Update and Throw the Rock Mitch. We would add our own kiddish flare and giggle at each other for hours. I would then start participating in theatre and joined the improv troupe in my senior year of high school. I loved acting as a kid, but just kind of grew out of it and really wanted to lean into my beauty roots. Let’s just say growing up; all the signs were there of what direction I was going in for a career and my dreams.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hannawatts.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannawattsmua/?hl=en
Image Credits
Hayley Nishida
Jen Stroman
Michael Carter
Caroline Cunningham
