by JOHN WATERS
Van worked hard on experimenting with with the ultimate ´ ´ Divine look´ ´ and got so carried away that he ented up making Divine look like a demented version of Clarabelle.
Van Smith arrived in town with sketches for all the mind-boggling costumes that Variety would later say ´made Frederick´s of Hollywood look like Sears Roebuck´ .
Once my films have been cast, I turn the ´ talent´ over to Van Smith. He gives them a once-over and mentally plans how to bring out their worst features. I like to keep Van on his toes by hiring ugly people to play beauties and vice versa. He totally understands the look of ´ inner-rot´ I demand and could come up with the perfect look for each charater without my ever having to say a word. Van claims : ´ I like to start with a freshly scrubbed face. First, I apply pimples made out of eyelash glue, and if they have any natural glow, I throw dirt on their face as a good base. I then draw on blackheads, pencil in any age lines, shadow severe bags under their eyes, and crack their entire complexion by letting egg white dry on their skin. If the script calls for it, I can whip up some snot to cake in their nostrils or apply scars made out of latex, Whenever I know they have a close-up, I ´ll smear small dabs of paint on their teeth to give an overly decayed appearance and recommend they eat a bag of potato chips so they´ll have plaque. It helps if you film them in direct sunligh.´ Van´s only beauty hints are a lack of sleep, alcoholism, or drug addiction, and he stresses, ´ Most importantly it helps if the actor has embraced misery as a lifestyle´