This year might actually signal the turning point in the use of digital technology to de-age actors. Previously, we’ve seen high-profile uses of de-aging technology, but 2019 has taken it to a whole different level with films such as “Captain Marvel,” “Gemini Man,” and “The Irishman,” which all use de-aging (or an evolution of the idea) for lead characters. And for Martin Scorsese, who helmed the latter film, the technology they’re developing in Hollywood right now could also lead to the end of conventional aging makeup.
Scorsese talked about this idea while in an interview with Sight and Sound. Obviously, one of the biggest discussions surrounding “The Irishman” is the massive budget for the film, which is said to be the result of extensive CGI used to de-age its three main stars. And according to the filmmaker, the technology is reaching a point where we could see digital effects taking place of traditional prosthetic makeup for certain instances.
“In a way, I look at it as… well, there’s the convention in cinema of the use of make-up,” Scorsese said. “If you look at an older film, there was an acceptance by the audience where the hair is powdered, or you know that that’s make-up and that the mustache is fake. But you went with the illusion…But I know that’s make-up, so as a viewer I go with the illusion. I give you something back so I can get something from the world that you’re trying to depict for me and the characters.”
He continued, “It’s another level of that, I think. And ultimately, it might be superior in the long run, to creating an illusion. Rather than having to apply prosthetics and that sort of thing. Mind you, we did a great deal of make-up on the film too.”
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The filmmaker does admit that the cost of the technology is prohibitive right now, but with anything, once it becomes commonplace, directors will have access to the same sort of techniques that he used for “The Irishman” in whatever film they want to make.
“The Irishman” arrives in theaters on November 1 before hitting Netflix on November 27.