Suicide Squad hair and make-up squad's goal: An Oscar
Prestige picture material? Hardly.
Yet, despite reviews that saw critics mercilessly tearing it apart, last year's supervillain flick Suicide Squad is vying for an Oscar at the upcoming Academy Awards on Feb 26.
The movie, starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot, is up against A Man Called Ove and Star Trek Beyond in the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category.
Will it be a surprise Oscar victory for the David Ayer-directed film?
Italian make-up and hair designer Alessandro Bertolazzi, US effects make-up artist Christopher Nelson and Italian wig supervisor Giorgio Gregorini, who worked their magic on the cast members, are certainly keeping their fingers crossed.
SURPRISE
On the surprise nomination, Mr Bertolazzi told The New Paper via the phone from Los Angeles: "I am Italian and winning an Oscar is always a joke you make when someone works in film.
"It is really crazy. I feel like I am flying. Even if we don't win, the Oscar nominee label will continue to stick and that is incredible."
He added, tongue in cheek: "The three of us deserve to win, no?"
The trio went to great lengths to achieve the looks they wanted for the DC Comics characters, paying attention to even the tiniest of details.
One of his biggest challenges, said Mr Bertolazzi, was transforming Robbie into Harley Quinn.
"She is too beautiful and for the character, we wanted to destroy the beauty.
"But she ended up becoming more and more beautiful even after all that make-up.
"It was a while before Margot Robbie disappeared and Harley Quinn appeared," he said.
For Mr Nelson, 48, working most closely with Killer Croc - played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje - was an all-in-one job.
He told TNP in the same interview: "The actor was covered in rubber head-to-toe for long hours, and it can be hard on his physical and emotional state.
"You're also there to talk to him through the rough times.
"On top of that, he had an allergic reaction to a glue I would normally use for prosthetics, so we had to find something that would not irritate his skin.
"It is a difficult process, so I am not only a make-up artist, but a doctor, father and psychiatrist all rolled into one."
When pressed on the rumoured Harley Quinn big-screen spin-off, reportedly titled Gotham City Sirens, Mr Nelson said he does not know the details.
"But if Ayer is involved and he would like to have me back, I would love to do it," he said.
The 89th Annual Academy Awards will be broadcast live on HBO (StarHub Ch 601) on Monday (Feb 27), starting with the Oscars red carpet show live at 8am and the awards ceremony at 9.30am. The same-day encore telecast starts at 7pm.
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