Morag Ross is a legend in film. Trusted collaborator of the likes of Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, she is the award-winning make-up designer who creates the look of characters whose adventures, trials and tribulations have been at the heart of some of the most distinctive films of the past 40 years.
In this career interview, following a screening of Neil Jordan’s The Crying Game (1992), Morag Ross discusses her collaborations with directors, actors and costume designers on films such as The Room Next Door (2024), Tár (2022), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), The Aviator (2004), Lost in Translation (2003), and Caravaggio (1986). This is a remarkable opportunity to go behind the scenes with a unique artist and true original.
Morag Ross will be in conversation with Prof. Maria Delgado.
THE CRYING GAME
dir: Neil Jordan
with Stephen Rea, Jaye Davidson, Forest Whitacker, Miranda Richardson
UK/Japan | 1992 | 112 min
Irish-born Jordan’s thrilling and outstanding film centers on Jody, a British soldier taken hostage by the IRA, and the friendship he develops with Fergus, one of his captors. Fergus will get absorbed by Jody’s world, also developing a relationship with Dil, Jody’s partner.
Considered a timeless masterpiece and written skillfully by Jordan, The Crying Game is a film that took many great risks and challenged the artistic limits of its key participants.
ABOUT MORAG ROSS
Morag was born in Glasgow, where she graduated from the Glasgow School of Art, before moving to London to train at the BBC Make-Up department.
She worked there for several years before embarking on a career as a freelance makeup designer in the film industry.
Over the past 25 years she has worked with many wonderful directors and actors including Martin Scorsese, Sofia Coppola, Julie Christie, Tilda Swindon, Jude Law, Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett & Julianne Moore.
Her aesthetic eye and skill brought her many diverse projects, from Art-House to Blockbuster movies, many with beauty looks as an integral part of the film.
She has won 2 international Make-Up awards and 3 BAFTA awards for best Make-Up , as well as having been a brand ambassador for SUQQU and a close working relationship with Armani Beauty.
ABOUT PROF. MARIA DELGADO
Professor and Vice Principal (Research and Knowledge Exchange) at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (University of London), Maria is also a curator and critic, and Programme Advisor to the London Film Festival.
She has published widely on Spanish- and Catalan- language film and theatre, with her work translated into numerous languages. She writes on film for Sight & Sound and comments on film for a range of film outlets including BBC’s Front Row and Free Thinking.