Charlize Theron and Gary Oldman both coaxed coveted make-up artist Kazu Hiro out of his retirement, winning him an Oscar both times.

SUMMARY

Charilize Theron and Gary Oldman are both amazing actors but that is not what ties them together.
They both once made Kazu Hiro, the coveted Japanese-American make-up and visual artist to quit retirement.
Both the times, Hiro’s work for their (Bombshell and Darkest Hour) films landed him an Academy Award.

Charlize Theron and Gary Oldman are both exceptional actors with numerous accolades to their names. Both have shown their impressive acting abilities in the many roles they have undertaken, however, their being extraordinary in their crafts is not what ties them together.

Oscar winning artist Kazu Hiro (image via his Instagram)
Even though they have never worked together, they are tied together by a coincidence that is extremely rare to take place. In the rarest of coincidences, both Theron and Oldman coaxed Hollywood’s most famous hyperrealistic prosthetist, Kazu Hiro out of retirement for their roles in Bombshell and Darkest Hour, respectively. Their decision coincidently later landed the legend two of his only Oscar wins for Best Makeup & Hairstyling.

When Charlize Theron Insisted Upon Working With Kazu Hiro

Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly in Bombshell

Kazu Hiro, born Kazuhiro Tsuji, is a Japanese-American special make-up effects and visual artist known for his revered works in movies like Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Born and brought up in Japan, the esteemed artist’s story from a small-town boy to the most wanted special make-up artist in Hollywood is worth making a movie of its own.

Despite lack of opportunities, which made him seek American citizenship, the artist has felt working in Hollywood too taxing (via Voice of America). This led him to seek retirement two times (both times being unsuccessful) and eventually made him too picky when choosing projects.

Back in 2018-19, the artist was contacted by Charlize Theron, who insisted upon having him on board for the film Bombshell, despite the director not feeling like she needed prosthetics to portray Megyn Kelly (via New Yorker). The experience was an amazing one for him, and he thoroughly enjoyed working with her (via Elle).

And their time bore fruit, for he went on to earn his second Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling in 2020, along with other artists, while Theron got an Oscar nomination for her role. Hiro even got a bit emotional as he thanked Charlize Theron for the opportunity during his Oscar acceptance speech (via Entertainment Weekly) and later through an Instagram post.

When Gary Oldman Refused To Play Winston Churchill
Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour as Winston Churchill
Gary Oldman portrayed Winston Churchill in the film Darkest Hour and looked completely unrecognizable in the role. Despite the later praise that he received, Oldman was initially hesitant for the role as he needed to undergo extreme physical transformation. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actor recalled his time with artist Kazu Hiro, when he had worked with him on Planet of the Apes, and revealed how he knew that the artist was the only one who could carry him out of this dilemma.

“I know there was one man on the planet, and I mean this literally, one man on the planet who could have done it. His work is absolutely extraordinary and he has retired from the movie business. He does sculptures and… it looks like they’re breathing. I knew he was the guy. And we got him.”
And so Oldman convinced Hiro to come back out of retirement in 2015 and transform him into Churchill. Meanwhile, Hiro in a recent interview with the New Yorker, stated,
“I wanted to work with Gary. And Gary told me if I don’t do this job he would turn down the job—almost threatening me.”
Unsurprisingly, Kazu Hiro, after two previous Oscar nominations, won his first Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for the Darkest Hour, becoming the first Japanese to recieve the prestigious accolade (via Japan Forward). Meanwhile, Oldman himself secured the Best Actor Oscar win.

And now Kazu Hiro is yet again in line to potentially win his third Academy Award after being nominated in the category for Maestro.