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Craftspeople rarely get the spotlight that actors and directors get. However, Donald Mowat is not like most craftspeople. Over the past ten years, Mowat’s career put him at the center of some of Hollywood’s very best movies. After working onDune,Blade Runner 2049, andNightcrawler, Mowat kept his options open.
A long-time collaboration with Jake Gyllenhaal led toPresumed Innocent, allowing Mowat to dive into unique makeup effects with an all-star cast. The resulting series highlights much of what Mowat has to offer, and the Oscar-nominated makeup designer takes full advantage over the series. With the finale this week, Mowat sat down with FandomWire to discuss his work. This interview was completed prior to the announcement thatPresumed Innocentwill have a second season.Check out our review of the season here.
Presumed Innocent Review — A Brilliantly Constructed and Thrilling Series
How Donald Mowat and Jake Gyllenhaal started working together
It’s common for stars to bring their personal makeup artists onto a project. Mowat once contributed to careers like Mark Wahlberg and Daniel Craig, helping them as their makeup designer on several projects. After joining them on big-budget movies likeThe FighterandSkyfall, he worked with them across several follow-ups. “I never set out to work as an exclusive personal makeup artist. I like being the designer. I like being in charge of the overall makeup and the prosthetics. I think you have a kind of creative freedom and a contribution to the company. “
By 2013, Mowat’s career had offered him this chance. OnPrisonersandNightcrawler,he contributed as a makeup department head. This also happened to bring him and Jake Gyllenhaal together. “I was coming on as the makeup designer, prosthetics everything for Denis Villeneuve. I think Jake was actually going to come in with his own person. I was already working with Melissa Leo, Terrence Howard, and Maria Bello.” Suddenly the plans shifted. “I don’t know what happened. It was a smaller movie. They said, ‘Hey, do you think you look after Jake as well? He’d like to meet you.”
Since then, Mowat and Gyllenhaal have collaborated more than ten times, includingSpider-Man: Far From Home,Stronger, and now,Presumed Innocent. “Subsequently, we did Nightcrawler, which was an amazing experience, and so many other projects. I’ve got to say, the last 10 years were the best 10 years of my career.”
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Presumed Innocentand Mowat’s Shift to TV
Just beforePresumed Innocent, Mowat took on an unusual TV project. OnMoon Knight, he led the makeup department, which meant he had to worry about different aspects of the film world. “When I had to do stuff on Ethan Hawke or Oscar Isaac, you have sensors and people saying, can we get away with that? Transitioning into television from film, you have to be a little bit more guarded.” It gave him insight into how to approachPresumed Innocent.
“Presumed Innocentwas so exciting.I knew the film, of course, and I was a big fan. When Jake mentioned it to me, I read it and thought, ‘Well, this has got a lot of makeup elements.’ Plus, there’s the characters. You’ve got the complex women, the man at the center, and his family. It sounded great to me.”
In the process,Presumed Innocenthelped Mowat work with an incredible crew. “I love working with new people, whether it’s kids or getting to work with Renata Reinsve. She’s Norway’s greatest export since what Liv Ullman. And Ruth Negga! I mean, come on. I’ve got two award-winning actresses that I get to make up. It’s incredible. Plus Jake, Bill Camp, and Peter Saarsgard. It’s a win-win for me.” Mowat quickly took to the project and began designing some of the more complex visuals in the story.
Presumed Innocentand Gore on TV
At the center ofPresumed Innocentis a bloody murder. The violence on display meant that Mowat had to touch on some of his previous experiences. “Velvet Buzzsawwas a little tongue-in-cheek. And there’s aspects of it, you know, creating that one character. But I think moreNightcrawler.” One of the actresses had to get a lot of gore effects completed to achieve the shocking effect. “Because it’s adult TV, you do have some license. And with Renata getting all that makeup, it was very exciting.”
They did not stop there, adding another unusual Cronenberg-like element into episode 5 (“Pregame”). Expecting an effect likeVideodromeorScannersinPresumed Innocentcaught some people off-guard. However, Mowat is a veteran of the Canadian film industry and worked with Cronenberg early in his career. “I had the great good fortune and great, great good pleasure of working for Mr. Cronenberg when I was very young, onThe Fly.”
This providedPresumed Innocentwith a unique opportunity. “When the director brought it up to me, I told him I know exactly what you’re talking about.” Even better, Mowat had the connections to help pull off the gag. “There’s only two people in Los Angeles who can do that anymore, who could make that. It’s a very expensive thing, and it’s a practical makeup. I called up old friends of mine at Autonomous FX – Jason Collins and Vincent Van Dyke.”
Even better, actor Bill Camp got involved in the process. “Bill was excited. And, you know, we had to scan him, and it was great fun.” We asked what you do with an effect like that after it’s been used up. Laughing, Mowat tells us that he still has the gag in his office. “It’s sitting in here, just in the corner here. I’ve got it. I said, Bill, do you want to take it home for Elizabeth? No dolls. Too creepy.”
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Mowat discusses working with David E. Kelly
With the gags set up, TV offers one other difference from the world of movies. “It’s very intimidating. When you come from a world of films, it’s run differently. When you’re around a feature film the director’s very much in charge. You come over to prestige limited series television, and the showrunner is very much in charge.” Of course,Presumed Innocentboasts one of the very best TV creators of all time.
David E. Kelly helmed series likeBig Little Lies,The Practice, andBoston Legal, making him a veteran of the genre. Mowat knew that from day one. “We worked with J.J. Abrams, Bad Robot, and David E Kelly. Boy, do they know what they’re doing in their world. You just have to kind of marry your film and TV experience. I think we bring something very special to it.”
Mowat is proud of his work onPresumed Innocent, not only for the showy effects, but the subtle ones. “I think the work is meticulous, and I think we bring we bring a certain savvy to the small screen that we gave on the big screen.” This allowed Mowat to differentiatePresumed Innocentfrom other courtroom shows and even the 1990 movie.
“I thought we would do subtle work, where less is more. We did not want it looking like network, where the makeup and hair can be less organic. We could be more thoughtful about the lighting. Our directors (Greg Yaitanes & Anne Sewitsky) wanted to have the feel of those Scandinavian shows that we’ve all seen.” The result is a series that feels grounded in the struggles of its characters and still brings shocking moments.
Behind the scenes, the show also brought together a unique team. “I put together the whole hair and makeup team on this, and I was really proud of them. We brought in a really great group of people who were representative of the world we’re in today. Carolyn James and Stacy Gold let me do what I do.”Presumed Innocentalso provided freedom that had not always been available to Mowat. “We’re in a business now that people do not always stay in their lanes. They allowed me to come into a new world, into Apple TV and Warner Brothers TV, and run it.”
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Tron: Areslooms in the future for Mowat
With the finale releasing on July 24, Mowat could not tell us anything about the impending conclusion. However, we did get to speak about his future projectTron: Ares. “I’m so excited. I feel like it’s an embarrassment of riches, to have hadPresumed Innocentwith Ruth, Renata, and Jake, and then getting to revisit people like Jared Leto.”
Mowat says it’s going to be an exciting movie, but they’re keeping things under wraps for now. Additionally, Leto has become an excellent collaborator for Mowat in recent years. “I really like him so much. This is my third film with him (Morbius,The Little Things). I’m also getting to work with Joachim [Rønning], Disney, Greta Lee, Jodi Turner-Smith, and Evan Peters. I even get to reteam with our DP fromThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Jeff Cronenweth. What an incredible year.” We cannot wait to speak with him whenTron: Aresreleases. It’s sure to be another showcase for the Oscar nominee.
Presumed Innocentairs on Apple TV+. All eight episodes are now available to stream.
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Alan French
Film/TV Critic
Articles Published :280
Alan French began writing about television and film by covering the Emmys and Oscar beats in 2016. Since then, he has written hundreds of reviews on TV and movies. He attends film festivals regularly. He is a Rotten Tomato-approved critic and is on the committee for the Critics Association of Central Florida.
