Janet's Star Trek Voyager Site
TURN ME INTO A TALAXIAN

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Ethan Phillips on first wearing make-up as Neelix

Ethan Phillips: "I have many fond memories of my time on Voyager, but one that sticks out was the very first time my makeup went on. During the process of applying it, I was without my glasses and I'm near blind. I had no idea what it would look like! After everything was done, all that remained were the yellow contact lens, which are made for my prescription. I put them on and looked in the mirror and Neelix was staring back at me. He looked beautiful and alien and brand new. The illusion just blew me away! This was a guy I was gonna have fun with."

Creating the Talaxian look

Michael Westmore, the show's make-up head of department: "Neelix was the last character look designed for [Star Trek Voyager], saved for the very end because the studio believed that Neelix would be one of the most merchandiseable characters in the series because of his looks. The producers wanted an alien who was very likeable, very toy-like, ultimately almost huggable. At the time Neelix was designed 'The Lion King' was playing in film theatres and as I watched the animated feature I became enthralled with the look of the animals, especially the colorings. I thought that description of Neelix that we'd gotten from the producers could be enhanced with the look of a friendly cartoon animal. So we took the aspect of the animals and adapted them to the look of the Talaxians. I designed him the way I would a 'Westmore alien' in that I gave him a rough rowdiness by designing a wig for him out of goat hair and spiky meerkat eyebrows. Then I gave him a cutesy non-Trekkie look by rounding out his face so he would be completely non-threatening. In direct contrast to the pointed Klingon, meat-eating, flesh-tearing fangs, I rounded off Neelix's teeth and flattened out the chewing surfaces so he'd look like a leaf-eater. Pointy teeth are scary, rounded teeth are friendly; at least that's how humans perceive aniumals. We added the spots to give him an alien look while the wig and the muttonchops come from the warthog character."

 

Applying the Neelix make-up : Introduction

Ethan Phillips, being transformed into a Talaxian by make-up artist Scott Wheeler. The process, which takes almost three hours, may require the actor to report for make-up as early as 4.00 a.m.

Ethan Phillips: "What Michael Westmore does is nothing less than make corporeal the writers' imaginations. Without his contribution, the show wouldn't matter. Mike is both my torturer and my transformer. Torturer, because who really wants their head vacuum-packed in rubber for fifteen hours at a time? Transformer, Scott Wheeler - who applies my make-up - takes Mike's designs and changes me into something all the method acting in the world couldn't accomplish: an alien from outer space."

After the latex-moulded appliances have been cemented to Phillip's head and face, a flesh-coloured base and powder are applied to make the appliances blend in with the actor's natural skin tones.

Letting the base coat dry for a few minutes, before the next step. Note Roxann Dawson in the background, getting her Klingon make-up applied.

Neelix's distinctive spots are applied with an airbrush. The elaborate latex pieces can be used only once. At the end of the day, the appliances are removed and discarded.


It can really hurt, getting the prosthetic appliance on and off.
"Here come the blenders," says Ethan Phillips

Ethan Phillips admits the long hours in make-up can take a toll on him: "If the episode features my character it can get hard. I can be there for a long, long time, and my face takes a beating because of the make-up. I think it's surgical glue they use, and they remove it with a pretty intense thing too, but my make-up guy is so good. But still, after five days of that I get very raw and very sleepy. It takes about two and a half hours to get on, an hour and a half to get off and probably another hour and a half during the day to maintain it. The longer the day lasts, the harder it is to keep it all together. You pass a threshold after ten hours' work where you want to rip it off. If I did, all I would have underneath is a skull. René (Auberjonois, who plays Odo in [DS9]) and Armin (Shimerman, who plays Quark in [DS9] and briefly appeared in [#1 and #2 Caretaker]) both told me about some tricks with the make-up and acting behind the mask and face care that were very helpful."

Applying the Neelix make-up: Ethan Phillips speaks

3.30 in the morning, and it's very early and I'm now going into my trailer. I'm going to go in and come back out. Very early in the morning. I'm very tired! Give me a second.

The make-up artist says: "Now the head is going on. There's no graceful way to do this."

 

The page background is 'red lava' by Paint Shop Pro.

Sources: (1) Poe, with pictures by Robbie Robinson (2) STN, with screenshots taken by me (3) ST A&A (4) G&A (5) TOSTW

Next page: a day in the life of Ethan Phillips with emphasis on make-up

 

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