Outlander star Sam Heughan often finds himself sitting in the makeup chair for hours on set. Playing Scottish Highlander Jamie Fraser requires a ton of time and attention from his personal hair and makeup person, Wendy Kemp Forbes, for everything from changing hairstyles to battle scars. The one thing that is most time-consuming, though, is the prosthetic scars on his back.
Jamie’s scars were revealed in the first season of ‘Outlander’
The first six seasons of Outlander have featured numerous scenes with a naked or topless Jamie. And when those scenes are in the script, both Heughan and Forbes know they’ve got a lot of work to do to prepare.
It was revealed in the very first season that Jamie had deep scars on his back after being flogged multiple times. In one instance, he received 200 lashes and nearly died when he defended his sister from being assaulted by Black Jack Randall and his men.
Forbes’ only job is to prepare Heughan’s hair, makeup, and back scars on the set of the Starz time-traveling drama. And one of her main responsibilities is updating Heughan’s back prosthetics as the character of Jamie ages. They must look faded, but still horrific.
“It’s not normal that you get to do hair, makeup, and prosthetics on a job,” the Scotland-born Forbes pointed out. “I’m really lucky that my job is so diverse.”
Wendy Kemp Forbes once shared exactly how she ages star Sam Heughan’s prosthetic back scars
Back in 2019, Forbes gave her nearly 10,000 Instagram followers some insight on how she handles Heughan’s prosthetic back scars along with the hashtag #lovemyjob. She told Entertainment Weekly that she created two silicone molds for Heughan’s back when the series began, which she has continued to use because the scars don’t change. What does change, though, is the shading.
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“There was talk about changing the shape of the scars after 20 years, but we decided against that,” Forbes revealed. “We just keep coloring it lighter so the scars don’t look as red as they were 20 years previously. I know people get obsessed that it’s different. But they are all still there. It’s the same run of pieces since season 1.”
How long does it take to do Sam Heughan’s hair and makeup on ‘Outlander’?
“The mold comes to me already scarred. Then I color up,” Forbes added. “This year I made it a bit lighter. Then I add a water-based paint. All the scars on his chest are hand-painted. I didn’t want to use too many mediums.”
Forbes also revealed that it takes nearly two-and-a-half hours for her to do Heughan’s hair, makeup, and back scars. She noted that he is a “lovely man,” but no one is patient in that chair and they don’t want to be there longer than necessary. The first part she does with Heughan lying down so he can sleep because it usually takes place at “half past 4 in the morning.”
The process is completed with Heughan standing so Forbes can smooth out the back pieces. When she’s finished, she says the Outlander star always tells her, “Wendy, you are the best.”
Outlander Seasons 1 through 6 are now playing on the Starz app.
