'Grimm' cast reveals their favorite creatures ahead of episode 100
Oscar-winning makeup effects artist Barney Burman is who you call when you need a miracle -- to turn a human into a mouse, or to make a man glow from the inside.
That's the kind of magic he works on NBC's Grimm, which will air its 100th episode on Friday. He takes scripts and finds a way to bring creatures -- or Wesen, as they call them on the show -- to life.
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Over 100 episodes, he's had his share of challenges -- like the day he learned he'd be making a Volcanalis, a demon with an affinity for volcanoes.
"I remember reading that script and thinking, 'Ah well, this will be a [computer generated] character for sure.' But when they asked if we could do it as a practical makeup, I gulped," Burman recalls. "I had to swallow the little voice in my throat saying 'It’s impossible'"
Spoiler alert: It was possible.
But, of course, he had help.
There are five people on Burman's core team: someone to run the shop (who also makes all the teeth on the show), two artists, an office manager and an assistant. For bigger jobs, they'll call in freelance reinforcements -- sometimes up to 15 of them.
"It ain’t the glamorous life," Burman says, and it's "a lot of long hours and dirty work." But all that's worth it for those moments where everything really comes together.
"It might not be completely finished, but all of a sudden it works. And there’s a moment of real satisfaction and excitement in that," he says. "And all you want to do is share it with everyone and say, 'Look! Everyone look! It’s alive!' I actually get giddy over it. And that’s why we do it."
The hard work that's put into the creatures doesn't go unnoticed by the show's cast. Below, some of Grimm's stars and executive producers weigh in on a few of their favorite beasts.
David Giuntoli
El Cucuy (episode 3.05)
Bitsie Tulloch
"My favorite is the Mauvais Dentes Wesen, because it reminded me of one of my favorite YouTube videos: ninja cat." (episode 2.01)
Silas Weir Mitchell
Krampus (episode 3.08)
Sasha Roiz
"Hasenfüssige Schnecke. SFX did a tremendous job capturing the blob-fish-like Wesen, and Bob Clendenin did a fantastic job bringing him comically to life. You could practically smell the putrid odor that Wesen was emitting." (episode 5.06)
Reggie Lee
Aswang (episode 3.14)
Bree Turner
"Spinnetod. Spinnetods are awesome because they can regenerate limbs they choose to drop off. I think that could come in handy. They also are beautiful black widows who kill their recent sexual partners by barfing into their mouths. Now THAT is SEXY!" (episode 111)
Claire Coffee
"Willahara, in honor of my dearly departed Powder (1983-1984) -- and because Jim and David's Wesen explanation of rabbits' foot lore is my favorite mythology to date!" (episode 4.14)
Jim Kouf, executive producer
"Lebensauger because they’re one of the most disgusting Wesen PHYSICALLY we’ve ever created. (episode 3.19)
David Greenwalt, executive producer
"Gedachtnis Esser, because the idea of a Wesen being able to steal your memories is truly terrifying." (episode 4.01 and 4.02)
Grimm airs Fridays on NBC.
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Topics NBC
Sandra Gonzalez was a Senior Television Reporter at Mashable. A Texas native, she spent almost four years in New York City before leaving the land of superstorms for Los Angeles, where she was introduced to these terrifying things called "rolling earthquakes."Previously, she was with Entertainment Weekly, where she wrote about every show that could fit into her perfectly crafted TV schedule and anything ever touched by Shonda Rhimes.You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @theSandraG
