Paul Tazewell on Designing Costumes for the 'Wicked' Movie

The Journey of a Costume Designer

• 💡 Paul Tazewell's passion for costume design began at age nine when he learned to sew from his mother, evolving from making shirts to designing for high school productions.
• 🎓 He pursued costume design in college, honing his skills in draping, tailoring, and understanding historical silhouettes.
• 🎭 After teaching at Carnegie Mellon, Tazewell returned to freelancing, leading to his Broadway debut with 'Bringing in the Noise, Bringing in the Funk'.

Crafting the World of Oz

• 🎬 Designing for film differs from stage by focusing on close-up details and the overall environment, including background characters and set integration.
• 🌎 For 'Wicked,' Tazewell aimed to create a new vision of Oz, balancing familiar elements from the 1939 film and the Broadway musical with fresh interpretations.
• 🎨 Inspiration for Oz's aesthetic came from the themes of the original 'Wizard of Oz,' the novel by Gregory Maguire, and the Broadway production, while collaborating with the production designer and lighting director.

Character-Specific Design Choices

• 💚 The design for Elphaba's green skin, played by Cynthia Erivo, was deeply influenced by Erivo's identity as a person of color, adding a powerful layer of resonance.
• 👓 Elphaba's iconic spiral glasses were inspired by the golden spiral, a symbol of creation in nature, and organic textures found in mushrooms and bark.
• 🎩 Elphaba's witch hat, a recognizable symbol, was designed with texture reflecting organic elements and a silhouette referencing the 1939 Wicked Witch of the West, while also incorporating a narrative of it being a gifted, collapsible item.

The Art of Costume Design

• 👂 A key skill honed by Tazewell is active listening, crucial for understanding directors' visions and actors' interpretations of characters during fittings.
• 🎨 He emphasizes the importance of personal feeling in his designs, believing that if he connects with a costume, a significant portion of the audience will too.
• 🏆 Tazewell made history as the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Costume Design for his work on the 'Wicked' movie.