In Walter Mosley’s haunting psychological thriller, The Man in My Basement, the road between actuality and creativeness blurs inside a claustrophobic Sag Harbor dwelling. Bringing these layered characters to life meant grounding them in a visible language that feels each period-accurate and emotionally resonant.
Costume designer Lynn Ollie took on the problem of rooting the story within the Nineties whereas weaving in delicate particulars that replicate class, id, and transformation.
She explains, “Charles (Corey Hawkins) begins out because the odd man out, a splash of grunge, and probably dwelling out of a pile of garments on his flooring. As he begins to come back again to life, he experiments with a extra put-together look and even tries a few of his father’s outdated fits. That was written within the e book, and it’s such an effective way to see Charles strive to determine being a person once more.”
Within the dialog under, Ollie breaks down her inventive course of, from her early inspirations to collaborating with director Nadia Latif, and divulges how wardrobe grew to become an invisible but very important power in shaping the movie’s unsettling ambiance.
The Man in My Basement is now streaming on Hulu.
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No Movie College: What prompted you to change into a dressing up designer? What was the primary movie the place you actually seen the wardrobe?
Lynn Ollie: I studied style design in class, and I’ve at all times been occupied with clothes as a method of self-expression. I moved from style design to being an assistant stylist at VH-1. I met a make-up artist there who knew a dressing up designer in search of an assistant, and issues took off from there. The primary time costumes actually made an impression on me was in all probability The Wiz. Michael Jackson’s costume in that was so unimaginable, and there’s this excellent scene the place all of the individuals in OZ’s garments change shade as a result of the Wiz modified his thoughts.
NFS: How did you change into concerned with The Man in My Basement, and what excited you in regards to the undertaking from a dressing up design perspective?
LO: I’m an enormous Walter Mosley fan, and I used to be thrilled on the alternative to design a movie based mostly on one in every of his books. From a dressing up design perspective, designing a undertaking set within the ’90s was an thrilling problem. How can we promote the interval whereas retaining the characters grounded and feeling actual?
Lynn Ollie on the set. Credit score: Projection PR
NFS: What had been your first conversations with director Nadia Latif like in regards to the total look and tone of the costumes?
LO: Nadia is such an clever girl, and he or she has an unimaginable visible vocabulary. I began with reference photos for the principle characters. We had a good time discussing all the references and creating these individuals. Nadia gave me nice course when it comes to the tone and even how the movie can be shot, so we may be certain that the colours of the costumes would work.
NFS: The movie has sturdy psychological and horror components. Did you method the costumes with style in thoughts, or had been you extra centered on character realism?
LO: I used to be actually centered on realism. I felt strongly that with a narrative that’s type of unbelievable and performs together with your creativeness, making the characters really feel as actual as attainable would assist maintain the viewers in our world.
Costume Design BTS Credit score: Projection PR
NFS: How did you employ costume to replicate the principle character’s internal transformation over the course of the story?
LO: Charles begins out because the odd man out, a splash of grunge and probably dwelling out of a pile of garments on his flooring. As he begins to come back again to life, he experiments with a extra put-together look and even tries a few of his father’s outdated fits. That was written within the e book, and it’s such an effective way to see Charles strive to determine being a person once more. By the top, he’s nonetheless Charles, however a lighter model of himself.
NFS: Have been there particular wardrobe selections that symbolized themes of sophistication, energy, or id within the movie?
LO: Sure, for Anniston, Willem Dafoe’s character, I used strong wealthy tones and virtually no sample, which is a distinction to Charles‘ layers and patterns. Narciss’s love of historical past is represented by classic components like her patchwork jacket and ’70s-style wrap clothes.
NFS: The story is rooted in claustrophobia and unease. Did you deliberately design clothes to boost that rigidity—like proscribing motion, texture, or shade?
LO: I went with a really naturalistic method, so I didn’t play with proscribing motion very a lot. For Charles, I feel the best way I communicated a few of that unease was in his shade palette, which was all types of ‘off’ colours that had a muddy really feel to them, like mustard, rusty reds, and olive.
NFS: How a lot did location—the basement itself—affect your costume selections?
LO: The basement was a complete character! Kathrin, our Manufacturing Designer, Ula, our Director of Pictures, and Nadia, our director, created this actually layered area with a number of shadows and creepy darkish corners. I used to be very aware of what the costumes wanted to be down there for every scene. The primary time the boys are there collectively, they’re a bit in sync, after which we play with how they relate to at least one one other and the area from there.
Lynn Ollie Credit score: Projection PR
NFS: Was there a selected costume that was particularly difficult to design or supply?
LO: I used to be really blessed by the costume Gods on this one. I had an unimaginable crew that helped me purchase and hire costumes from throughout, a few of which I introduced with me from Los Angeles to Wales. I additionally introduced the material for Willem’s ‘pajamas’ with me, and once more, because of an unimaginable crew, was in a position to make these in Wales.
NFS: Are there delicate costume particulars that audiences won’t consciously discover however play into the movie’s ambiance?
LO: Every character has their particular touches. For instance, Charles has items that talk to his roots, like his outdated work jacket and fisherman’s sweater (a nod to Sag Harbor’s maritime historical past). Ricky has probably the most hip-hop flavored items like Timberland boots and a Kangol cap as a result of he can be the one which goes clubbing within the metropolis. Irene has some items which have an Asian and an African aptitude to indicate that she is worldly and well-traveled. Anniston’s look is traditional and costly, however virtually nameless as a result of he has no roots and no historical past.
