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Extreme Makeovers
The Advocate
28 February 2006
By Michael Glitz
How'd they do it? That's the question moviegoers may have pondered after seeing some of the best movies of the year. How did the outsize Philip Seymour Hoffman convince us he was the elfin Truman Capote? How did Cillian Murphy embody such a pretty transvestite in Breakfast on Pluto? And how did the sexy Felicity Huffman become a stolid transgender woman in Transamerica?
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The slim, waifish body of Cillian Murphy, on the other hand, suited his character perfectly. He played Kitten in Breakfast on Pluto, a decades-spanning tale of a lad who loves feminine fashion—everything from glam rock to sensible frocks. Costumer Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh spent most of her time having a ball and being annoyed at how easily Murphy slipped into his wardrobe."We tried trousers on him," explains Mhaoldomhnaigh, "a women's cut in the '70s style, which is very high-waisted, with a flared leg and a little bit of padding in the bum. And he just looked drop-dead gorgeous." She laughs. "We were all so jealous."
Pluto director Neil Jordan kept using the word "gentle" to describe the character of Kitten, who stumbles through IRA bombings and vicious personal betrayals, delicately refusing to pay any attention. So Mhaoldomhnaigh found a white fur jacket "that was really soft and fluffy against his skin." And since Murphy has hairy, manly arms, keeping them covered up was key. The shoes, however, were no problem, thanks to the wide platforms of the '70s. "If they had been stilettos, it might have been more awkward," she says.
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