Makeup artist Ken Diaz’s life is worthy of its own Hollywood story — or better yet, a Chicano epic.
At 16, Diaz was caught sneaking into the Paramount sound stage, just to see where they shot the “Brady Bunch.” Years later, he swept the floors of Universal Studios before wrangling ostriches and chasing lions on the set of the 1981 film “Roar.” The wild animals mauled and injured multiple cast members; in one instance, Diaz had to stop director Noel Marshall from internally bleeding.
This was his first gig as a professional makeup artist.
Now, Diaz is nominated for his third Academy Award in makeup and hairstyling for his role as makeup department head in Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” alongside Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry, making him the most nominated Latino in the category since the category’s establishment in 1982.
Born in East L.A. and raised in Pico Rivera, Diaz grew up a shy, dyslexic kid with artistic inclination that often didn’t align with traditional schooling, resulting in harsh beatings by his father. At one point in his teenage years, Diaz was publicly humiliated by the football team who forcefully shaved his curly hair.
“With tears coming down my eyes, I was staring at the bark pattern of a small sycamore tree and I went into this hypnotic state,” he says. “I just came out with this resolve that I was gonna accomplish big things in my life,” he says.
For Diaz, that vision has come to life in his 45-year Hollywood career as a makeup artist with over 80 credits. In 1989, he earned his first Oscar nomination in makeup and hairstyling alongside Dick Smith and Greg Nelson for the comedy-drama “Dad,” where he aged a then 62-year-old Jack Lemmon by 20 years.
He’s also played a crucial role shaping Chicano filmography with his work for popular Chicano films like “Zoot Suit” (1981), “American Me” (1992), “Blood In, Blood Out” (1993) and “Mi Familia” (1995), for which he received a second Academy Award nomination alongside Mark Sanchez.
The Academy Awards ceremony is set to take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Still, Diaz doesn’t miss a beat to test out a bloody eye on Erik Gavica, who is working on a pilot titled “Californio: Tiburcio Vásquez” about the 1850s chivalrous bandit who rebelled against the conquest of California.
When people ask Diaz, a passionate storyteller, to write an autobiography, he says: “I’m still living through the final chapter.”
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What was your introduction to Hollywood? I was 10 weeks into a makeup program when I realized I could probably do this makeup thing for a living. I needed to find a way to get into a movie studio to get a job as a makeup artist. I applied for a job at Universal Studios and got hired as a laborer sweeping floors for the construction crew for “Airport ’77.” At lunchtime I’d go over to the makeup department and talk to the makeup department head, Nick Marcellino. I gave him my portfolio, my resume. I would go in every Friday just to say hi.
After I did a movie called “Roar” working with lions, I was able to get in the Union and Nick hired me at Universal Studios as a makeup artist. There were three Black hairstylists, one Latino costume designer and myself.
I read that you got shot in the leg. How did the incident shape your life and career? When I was in high school, I got a job painting a strip mall. It looked great and really improved the neighborhood, but some kids would come and spray-paint graffiti on it. I was always trying to catch these kids in the act and never did. That was in 1971.
In 1991, I was working on the movie, “The Doors.” I had just done a makeup test on Crispin Glover to make him look like Andy Warhol. I was going down Vermont towards the 10 Freeway, and I saw kids spray-painting graffiti under the bridge. Finally, I caught somebody. So I whipped across two lanes, jumped out and started yelling at these kids: “There are better ways to express your creative ability, this kind of stuff holds us back!” They looked like they wanted to fight me, I said, “I’ll take on both you little punks!”
I heard a pop. They took off running. I reached out and touched my pant leg. It was soaked with blood.
A friend of mine was praying for me and he led me to Jesus Christ. I started attending a church in Pico Rivera and saw a skit by former gang members. I found out it was based on a lot of true stories they had showing the attraction and pitfalls of gang life. So I worked with them for nine months on this [project] and it was a big hit.
I had gone from wanting to beat these kids, who were defacing my artwork, to having a deeper understanding of them and realizing the humanity of the hurt, damaged people just need loving and need guidance.
Is this around the same time that you started to learn more about tattoos? When I got the call to do “Blood In, Blood Out,” I had met a lot of formerly incarcerated people, former gang members, so I started recruiting people, utilizing their expertise. It’s the same thing for “American Me.” It really led us to having the reputation of authenticity in these types of gang and prison movies, including “Training Day.”
For “Blood in, Blood Out,” I went to San Quentin by myself and went through all their files. I got escorted into the yard. I’m making sure we have the authenticity of the time period. Research has always been such an important first step.
You’ve been part of so many Chicano films. What was it like for you to step on sets with more Latinos? In 1980 I got called for “Zoot Suit” and I went, “Wow, here’s all the Latinos, Latinas.” I made some lifelong friends.
For “Blood In, Blood Out,” I did a lot of prep work. We were working on the tattoo stuff, the [Vatos Locos] chest carving. Miklo lost his leg, so we took an impression from a young man who lost his leg and created Damian Chapa’s leg. I was supposed to be the department head but they moved up production.
Edward James Olmos came to my house with a pot of menudo on Sunday morning and asked if I could do his movie “American Me.” I didn’t realize they had been in the same movie at one time, split up and were both racing to film at the same time.
I felt like a conduit to get more Latinos into the industry. I’m always trying to bring up the next generation.
The work you did for “Sinners” involved a lot of blood, gashes, stab wounds and vampires! Can you walk me through your experience on set? I came on as a replacement department head. Filming had already been done, preliminary research had already been done. I got there and I reunited with Ryan Coogler and costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who I worked with on “Black Panther.” We had some amazing, memorable characters, particularly Okoye’s (Danai Gurira) head tattoo in “Black Panther.” That was a career high so the opportunity to reunite with Ryan and Ruth again was the deciding factor in me taking “Sinners” on very short notice.
I met up with Ruth about the surreal montage sequence. She took me through rows of costumes with potential choices for each of these 24 spirit ancestors and future descendants. I continued some additional research to make sure we honored the cultures with respect, including the Peking Chinese water sleeve dancer and the Monkey King from Chinese Opera.
For the spirit ancestors, I wanted to give them a look that separated them from the other patrons of the juke, so I incorporated some gold iridescent colors into their face and body makeup. It’s really noticeable when the club is on fire and through the fire light you can see that shimmer pop. It was a very important part. We were true to the culture and we treated it with respect.
Authenticity seems to be a through line in your work. Absolutely. Now when I came on, I got notes from two producers that Ryan wasn’t happy with the blood they’d been filming with. It was very dark in color, very translucent and would slide off the skin very rapidly. Ryan said, “I want it to look bloody. It has to be really bloody.”
I met with Mike Fontaine, the prosthetic designer, and Kevin Wasner, from “The Walking Dead,” to tell them we need bright bloods with different degrees of drying so it will pop on low light and dark skin.
We made those corrections and when we were doing the “Rocky Road to Dublin” scene and I’m pumping these colors up, somebody comes behind me and grabs hold of me. I turn around and it’s Ryan and he’s pointing at the makeup and going, “Yes, yes, yes, that’s it!”
What does it mean for you to be nominated for an Academy Award, now for the third time? I have never set my sights on awards.
When I was doing “My Bloody Valentine” with Tom Savini, a master of gore, it was superior to anything happening at the time. But when the movie came out, they cut everything. They said, “You guys are sick, you took it too far.”
I went home and beat on a heavy bag for 20 minutes. My knuckles were bleeding. After that I learned a lesson: Don’t ever get so attached to your work. Once you’re happy with a take, you know you did the best you could. That’s the gratification I have, ‘cause after that, it’s outta your hands.
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