International Makeup Artists Day Q&A With IATSE Local 798 President Angela L. Johnson
June 24 is International Makeup Artists Day! To celebrate, we spoke to IATSE Local 798 President Angela L. Johnson about navigating more than 35 years in the industry and the advice she has for aspiring makeup artists.
Angela L. Johnson | Makeup Artist and IATSE Local 798 President
Angela L. Johnson is an entertainment industry veteran who leads with expertise and compassion. An industry makeup artist for over 35 years, Angela is in her second term as President of Makeup Artists and Hair Stylists Union Local 798 IATSE, which represents workers in 23 states.
As a member and the leader of Local 798, she has worked tirelessly to organize in order to help crew members earn better wages, secure retirement plans, and benefit from fair contracts that provide healthcare contributions, safer working conditions, and respect for every entertainment worker.
At 18, Angela began her career at Lord & Taylor, eventually finding her passion working in NYC indie film and Broadway. Her theater work includes Beauty & the Beast, Shrek, The Lion King, and M Butterfly. Her TV and film credits include “Jesus Christ Superstar Live on NBC”, Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story”, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s "Tick Tick Boom.“ Johnson received an Emmy for her work on “Mathnet” (PBS).
Angela inspires even the most accomplished makeup artists and hairstylists in the business, and encourages workers everywhere to get involved in organizing and strengthening their union locals through volunteerism, teamwork, and staying informed. “Solidarity, professionalism, and participation are everything.”
Q&A
HC: What's one of the biggest differences between doing makeup in a department store or salon setting and doing it backstage at a Broadway show like The Lion King or Beauty & the Beast?
Angela: Hmm, well, I never had to put anyone in a salon into prosthetics or paint them green, such as in “Shrek” or the Green Goblin in “Spiderman: Turn off the Dark,” both on Broadway.
Working in a salon or department store is very different from working either in film/TV or in the theater. Having experience with the public can be helpful, as it can hone the craft and speed, and build the ability to deal with people of many personalities. Other than that, no comparison can really be made. I will say that having a cosmetology or esthetics license is one of the best foundations to build on.
HC: Is there one project that pushed your creative skills the most, or that you're proudest of?
Angela: That is a really hard question to answer. Each project has its challenges, but I would say that figuring out quick changes in the theater that work with the show's timing and having the actor appear quickly and correctly is incredibly satisfying.
Some examples are Fiona in “Shrek” becoming an Ogre at the end of the show, and the quick change of Song Liling in “M Butterfly” in and out of the Madam Butterfly Chinese Opera makeup. Also, switching the character from female to male and adding bruises and blood to portray a jailhouse beating.
I am incredibly proud of the network of friends and colleagues I have had the privilege of working with and for. There is no one piece of work that I can call my achievement alone, and I am proud of that.
HC: You've spent decades both behind the chair and now leading Local 798 — what made you realize you wanted not only to do the work but also to advocate for the folks who do it?
Angela: Haha, actually, as a make-up artist in front of the chair. I have so loved my time in this industry, not just doing make-up but supporting the actors I worked with and helping them prepare for their roles or scenes on any given day. Being a part of telling the story.
The day I received my union card was life-changing. Going from having no health insurance to even having the possibility of health insurance was huge. I learned early on the value of having a retirement someday and that having a union advocating for us as workers was by far better than being out here on my own.
After a short while in the union, I began volunteering for bargaining committees and found that doing that sort of work was also incredibly fulfilling and spoke to me on a different level. As a way of giving back to an organization I owed so much to. It's because of that I sought out mentors not only in my craft but also in union leadership, which led me to seek greater knowledge, soaking up every class the IATSE education department had and sending me back to school to earn a certificate in Labor Relations from CUNY School of Labor
HC: You say that "solidarity, professionalism, and participation are everything" — what's one thing a young makeup artist or hairstylist could do today to start living that out in their own career?
Angela: “You are only as good as your crew.” I have always lived by this. There is no world where one artist can do anything alone and take complete credit for anything in this industry. To quote Tom Hanks on advice he received, “Show up on time, know the text, and have an idea”. That resonates with me.
So my advice is to find mentors, take their notes, learn to pivot, always be flexible, and build your core team(s). When you join the union, keep doing that work as a team, lean on others, and allow others to lean on you.
About IATSE LOCAL 798
Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Local 798 is a chartered local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE). Local 798 represents Make-up Artists and Hairstylists in the Entertainment Industry in Motion Picture/Film, Television, Commercials, and Live Theatrical Events throughout the Local's jurisdiction (please see Local 798 Jurisdiction)
Click here to learn more.
About the Hollywood Commission
Led by board members Anita Hill, Chair and President; Cindy Holland; Alan Jenkins; Kathleen Kennedy; John Landgraf; and Nina Shaw, The Hollywood Commission brings together 26 companies, unions, guilds, academies, and talent agencies to end harassment, discrimination, bullying, and abuse in the entertainment industry.
Click here to learn more.