Even before the new season of “Abbott Elementary” begins, showrunner, creator and star Quinta Brunson sits down with the show’s head of hair, Moira Frazier, to discuss the various hair changes that will help elevate the characters.
Branson explains, “It’s important to show the passage of time, and that’s something I think is important in television shows. You want your characters to continue to look the same. You don’t want them to come out looking completely different.” She continued, “People should be able to draw the silhouette of the character, and they know who the character is, and that includes the hair. So Moira makes the modifications.”
As part of his preparation, Frasier creates mood boards at the beginning of each season with ideas for each character. “I can say ‘yes or no’ and that puts them on the right path,” Branson said. Their collaborative process is key to enhancing the look of each character.
Branson says, “The fun part about being an Abbott is sitting in Moira’s chair and getting her hair done in the morning, and we have meetings there and talk about the looks of the other characters.”
Janine’s look has been consistent this season. “She’s in a relationship, so her curls and hair patterns are consistent,” Frazier explains.
Branson notes that in one episode, Janine is seen rocking a ponytail. “For Janine, going out is a different look. She believes that her teacher look is one way: hair down. And going out means a ponytail. That’s what’s funny, because for other people it might be the exact opposite.”
Branson returns to the writers’ room for Season 6, and he and Frasier look back at the highlights of Season 5.
Barbara’s wet photo day look
Frasier explained, “I put on the wig, and in my head I remembered that Barbara’s character had a hair relaxer. I didn’t want her hair to get wet and end up with an afro, so I chose a wavy pattern. To achieve that, I wet her hair and added a gel mixed with water to give her a ‘just-got-out-of-the-rain’ look.”
Branson added, “The gel part is interesting because on screen it looks like her hair just got wet, but that’s the magic of television. Moira used the gel to keep her look consistent through multiple takes of multiple scenes. We had conversations like, ‘When will it be less wet?'” She emphasized how important it was for Frasier to track the progress of the episode because the scenes were not shot in sequence.
Eva’s Halloween look
This season’s Halloween episode was filmed outdoors during a camping trip with children, rather than on a Warner Bros. soundstage. When Eva unmasked Darth Maul, the wig underneath needed to look the same as the character’s normal appearance. However, Frasier had to use two wigs to achieve this effect.
Branson says, “The makeup team decided not to paint Janelle James’ face. Because we were portraying a character that was a combination of a Disney character and Darth Maul, we needed an approved Disney look and an approved Darth Maul mask. The mask had horns.” “Moira’s job was even more difficult because the wig had to fit over the corners of the mask, and the hair also had to match the character ‘Mar’,” Frasier recalled of behind-the-scenes testing, adding, “The mask was huge and extended quite far back. That meant the bangs had to be long enough, so we actually made two different wigs: one that was short enough to fit Mar, and one that covered the mask while still maintaining the Darth Maul effect.”
Melissa’s April O’Neil style
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Branson explains that Eva is “very good at dressing up for Halloween, but other people aren’t so good at it.” Melissa’s April O’Neal costume doesn’t have to be 100% accurate. “Moira drew different looks for April O’Neil, but we chose the one that best matched Melissa’s era. And it was important that it looked nice but not too nice. It needed to feel like a makeshift Halloween costume. The hair had to look great, but not perfect, because no one does it as perfectly as Eva does,” says Branson.
Frasier admits, “It’s always hard to say that Quinta can’t perfect a costume. For Melissa’s look, we had to break down the hair and tangle it to get the desired effect.”
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Imax screen with Gregory and Janine as Ryan Coogler
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“That was Tyler’s braided wig,” Frasier says of Gregory, played by Tyler James Williams.
Branson continued, “We wanted it to look like a store-bought wig that Janine knitted, and not look exactly like Ryan Coogler’s real hair. The same principle applied to the mustache that fell under the makeup. I told them, ‘We don’t want it to look too polished. We want it to look like a store-bought mustache was slapped on his face.'” Details like that are important. ”
Melissa’s 80’s style
Lisa Ann Walter brought an ’80s reference to Melissa’s look. Branson explains, “Melissa, as a character, already has curly, big hair, but it’s not straight. So to achieve her ’80s look, we needed to make her hair big, but not overdo it.”
Frazier said he came up with the idea of using crimp. “If the hair got too big, she would look like ‘Grease.'” She added that at one point, she didn’t know what Melissa’s outfit looked like. “When we moved from teasing hair to crimping it, that’s what made the ’80s style what it was.”
Exterior of Eva’s Mall
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This was one of Frasier’s favorite looks. “We get to see Eva’s new relationship. She doesn’t come out with a flashy hairstyle or color like she did in season 1. She’s calm, cool, and collected this season. That particular color choice and the overall vibe of her look was perfect for Eva,” says Frasier.
Branson says, “Eva is the character with the most diversity in hairstyles, but we still want the audience to recognize her immediately. She can play with hair color, light crimps, and different parts. I’m always excited to see Eva’s hairstyles. There’s never been a time when I said, ‘I don’t like it.'”
