One of the most common questions I get is about the disguise I wore on Average Joe:Hawaii (NBC 2004). In this particular episode I became my “Mother”. Now mind you, my mother is beautiful and this disguise was intended to get reaction because most guys look at a girl’s mom to see what she might look like down the road. I’ll set up the premise in part 2 since this would be a really long entry in one sitting.
The company who created my costume was Michael Burnett Productions, whom also created award winning work for the Star Trek: Enterprise. (May Dad will be proud.) The images were found here:The Makeup Gallery.
The first day I went to get my face covered in slime yet, I felt like I was a kid in a candy store. As an artist myself, I was looking around at all kinds of heads hanging on the walls thinking it was like some kind of hunter went to Mars and came back with a bunch of trophies. It was one of the coolest places I’d ever seen in my life!
The first step in the process was to wrap my head in a plastic cap, and smear Vaseline on my lashes and eyebrows so they wouldn’t be painfully ripped off in the process. Next, my head was covered in a thick layer of plaster and bandages to form the mold. The mold was then filled with a substance called algiform, which is made from allege and warms as it hardens… I played with it in a college art class and was fascinated.
This form was then filled with some kind of silicone and is stuffed with foam to create an exact replica of my head , minus the hair. Gee, I always wondered what I would look like bald – not bad actually…
This is now my souvenir and sits on top of my computer desk. You can see the images in more detail below by clicking on the thumbnails.
GALLERY 1
Entry Filed under: Personal
7 Comments
1. Fullman… | July 26th, 2006 at 1:24 am
Oh yeah, that’s going on your wallpaper at work. :)
2. larissa… | July 29th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Thanks Chris… Don’t worry, I’ll tag you back soon…
3. Ron… | July 29th, 2006 at 7:14 pm
Larissa,
The Michael Burnett link is fantastic. Being a science fiction fan, I spent a ton of time going through the actors section. It was really fun to see the before and after photos. We get so used to the high quality of special effects that we do not appreciate all of the work to make them possible.
Ron
4. Lawrence Neal… | November 20th, 2006 at 1:50 am
I’m an American, retired from the Army. I live in Pattaya, Thailand. I just saw the finale of Average Joe yesterday, on a satellite service from South Africa, M-Series. Sounds odd, but that’s Thailand. I’m not sure how real these ‘choose a guy/gal’ programs are. I can’t see why someone as beautiful and intelligent as yourself would need a reality show to find a companion. And, it’s beyond me why the guy you chose would reject you over someone in your past. I know who Fabio is, don’t know much about him except he would seem to me to be attractive to women and has great hair. We are all, in part, who we are because of the people we have interacted with.
Best of luck with all your endeavors,
Lawrence
5. Chuck… | March 4th, 2007 at 12:53 am
Hi, Larissa. Cool lifecast. Sounded like you had fun making it, despite the fact that you had to scratch your nose during the process. Cool looking end result. Would you ever do that again?
6. keithics… | June 18th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Hello Larissa!
I just read the article and it really makes me smile. You really are different.. I thought beauty and brains are not compatible..
Well, after seeing these.. i think i have to change me mind..
Btw, great article there in thinkvitamin.com!
~keithics
7. Larissa Meek » The … | August 9th, 2007 at 1:45 am
[...] If you recall the scene when the boat exploded, it was a hoax. A producer reached into our boat and opened a hatch which let the water in. Also, there was some pretty creative editing including voice-overs and mixing and matching footage. And the time I was made up to look like my mom part one and part two. [...]