Collection Close-Up: Rick Baker

Oscar-winning makeup artist Rick Baker (The Nutty Professor, Men in Black, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas) takes you inside his studio for a behind-the-scenes look at his collection. Find out how the Academy Museum in Los Angeles is helping to preserve Rick Baker’s work and legacy.

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Closed Caption:

Baker:
MY DREAM FROM THE TIME I WAS --
EVEN BEFORE I WAS
10 YEARS OLD --
WAS TO BE A MAKEUP ARTIST
AND TO WORK IN FILMS.
IT WAS A PRETTY CRAZY DREAM TO
HAVE, ESPECIALLY AT THAT TIME.
YOU KNOW,
THERE WEREN'T MAKEUP SCHOOLS.
THE INFORMATION
WASN'T OUT THERE.
I DIDN'T DO A LOT OF THINGS
THAT NORMAL KIDS DID.
I WAS IN MY BEDROOM
MAKING MONSTERS.
I JUST FEEL SO FORTUNATE
THAT I MANAGED TO MAKE IT MY JOB
AND GET PAID FOR IT.
OKAY, WE'RE HERE IN MY STUDIO,
WHICH I'VE HAD
FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS.
I SET THIS UP JUST BECAUSE
THE STUDIO I HAD BEFORE
WAS JUST TOO SMALL FOR THE WAY
FILMS WERE STARTING TO BECOME.
IT'S BIG ENOUGH TO DO ALL THESE
FILMS THAT WERE COMING ALONG,
AND AT THE TIME,
IT REALLY WAS WORTH IT.
I MEAN, WHEN I DID
"PLANET OF THE APES"
OR WHEN I DID "THE GRINCH,"
WHEN I MADE 500 APES,
AND I HAD
ALL THESE MULTIPLE PIECES
FOR THE WHOS AND FOR THE GRINCH,
AND I HAD 100-PLUS EMPLOYEES,
THIS PLACE WAS GREAT.
THE BUSINESS HAS CHANGED.
I MEAN, SO MUCH OF OUR WORK
HAS GONE TO THE DIGITAL REALM.
NOW, 20 YEARS LATER,
MY STUDIO IS TOO BIG
FOR WHAT FILMS HAVE BECOME,
SO I'M IN THE PROCESS
OF STARTING TO GET RID
OF A LOT OF STUFF.
I WANTED TO DO A STUDIO THAT WAS
UNLIKE ANYBODY ELSE HAD,
SO I DECORATED IT
WITH MY OWN BIZARRE TASTE,
WHICH YOU CAN SEE HERE.
WE'VE GOT FLYING MONKEYS
AND MONKEY HEADS
ALL OVER THE PLACE.
YOU CAN SEE ALL ALONG THE TOP
OF THE ROOM HERE,
WE HAVE LIFE CASTS OF OLD
MOVIE ACTORS THAT I REALLY LIKE.
THIS WAS MY VERY FIRST LIFE CAST
OF ME WHEN I WAS 13 YEARS OLD.
THIS IS ME WHEN I WAS LIKE 16.
WHEN YOU MAKE SOMETHING
AND YOU SPEND SO MUCH TIME
CREATING SOMETHING,
YOU BECOME ATTACHED TO IT,
AND SO I'VE MANAGED TO COLLECT
A LOT OF JUNK OVER THE YEARS.
YOU KNOW, TO ME, STILL,
THE MOLDS AREN'T PRETTY
TO LOOK AT,
AND THEY'RE A PAIN TO STORE,
BUT IT'S WHAT THE THING
CAME OUT OF
AND WHAT I COULD CAST
ANOTHER VERSION OUT OF
IF I EVER WANTED TO,
AND IT'S PART
OF A MOVIE'S HISTORY,
AND SO IT'S HARD FOR ME TO
ACTUALLY THROW THOSE THINGS OUT.
I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT
TO KEEP AND PRESERVE
SOME OF THESE ITEMS.
IT JUST SEEMED A SHAME TO ME
FOR SOMETHING
THAT SOMEBODY WOULD TREASURE
TO JUST BE ROTTING IN A BASEMENT
WHERE NOBODY'S
EVER GONNA SEE IT.
I AM HOPING TO FIND
A NICE HOME FOR IT.
I WOULD LIKE THE ACADEMY MUSEUM
TO GET SOME OF THESE ITEMS.
I WOULD LIKE FOR THESE THINGS
TO LIVE ON PAST MY LIFETIME
AND FOR SOMEBODY TO BE ABLE
TO COME AND SEE
SOMETHING THAT I MADE
AND BE IMPRESSED BY IT STILL,
LONG AFTER I'M GONE,
SO I THINK THE ACADEMY MUSEUM
WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE FOR THAT.