Beyond Prosthetics: Zhixuan Li on The Art of Character Transformation in Mob Cops
As a leading talent in the makeup industry, Zhixuan Li has cemented her reputation for combining meticulous realism with dramatic storytelling, holding roles as both Makeup Department Head and Special Effects Makeup Artist. Her recent work on the crime drama Mob Cops, where she served as the Department Head, and the short film Anna, where she executed striking special effects, showcases her versatility and commitment to character. The Authentic Vision of Mob CopsFor the feature-length film Mob Cops, a crime drama based on real events, Li’s overall vision was rooted in authenticity and a strong sense of period accuracy. Her goal was for the characters’ appearances not only to support the narrative but also to clearly reflect the era’s social atmosphere and aesthetic. A key element of this was communicating the passage of time organically, which she achieved through subtle changes in skin texture, grooming, hair, and cleanliness across different time periods depicted in the story.To reflect the grit of the crime genre and differentiate the two central factions—police and the mob—Li employed contrast and shadow. For the mob characters, she emphasized sharper contours and higher contrast, using deeper shadows to create an aggressive, intimidating presence. Notably, for the two main “mob cops” who navigate morally gray territory, she intentionally preserved a softer visual quality. This choice allowed them to still register as law enforcement, helping the audience distinguish their identity and inner conflict. Collaborating with Established TalentLi’s process involved close collaboration with established actors, including David Arquette and Kevin Connolly. She began by sharing reference materials and real-life imagery tied to the true events behind the story. From there, the team discussed how the actors’ natural facial features could be subtly adjusted to better reflect the real individuals they were portraying. Li notes that these adjustments were never intrusive, focusing on small details such as moles, eyebrows and lip shapes, and skin texture to ground the performances in reality while keeping the actors comfortable.
The artist is particularly proud of the age progression work on Sammy Canzano (David Arquette) and Leo Benetti (Jeremy Luke). Since the film spans a long timeline, depicting a clear transformation was essential. Canzano’s character also had a medical background, which required his appearance to reflect increasing physical weakness and decline as the narrative progressed. This involved ongoing adjustments, including white hair, age spots, dark circles, sunken eyes, and a duller skin texture, to ensure the transformation felt natural and emotionally believable. Challenges and ResourcesLi identifies the biggest creative and logistical challenge as managing time and continuity. The story jumps frequently across different time periods—sometimes even within the same shooting day—on a relatively short schedule. This demanded extremely detailed record-keeping, team communication, and technical efficiency to execute rapid changes. For effects like gunshot wounds and fight injuries, tight production timelines led the team to opt for faster techniques, such as using solid blood products instead of traditional prosthetics, to maintain realism while reducing on-set application time.
To inform her character designs, Li studied classic crime films from the 1970s through the early 2000s, citing films like Chinatown and The Godfather. She also relied heavily on a forensic reference book featuring real photographs of injuries and skin conditions, finding these images invaluable for creating grounded, medically believable effects.Reflecting on her career, Li explains the major difference between a general makeup artist and a Makeup Department Head. While a general artist focuses primarily on execution, her role as Department Head expands significantly to include overseeing continuity, coordinating with other departments, assigning tasks, and managing broader communication, all while maintaining precision at a detailed level. Mob Cops marks a major career milestone: her first feature-length film in this leadership role, affirming the experience she has built over time. The Subtle Special Effects of AnnaShifting focus to the short film Anna, Li was responsible for the special effects makeup of an elderly witch character. The director sought to avoid the traditional glamorous witch archetype in favor of a character who is chaotic, unkempt, and subtly unsettling. Under low lighting, the character appears as an ordinary woman in isolation, with her true, unsettling nature only emerging under clearer lighting. This transformation was achieved through detailed work on skin texture, hair, nails, teeth, and facial features.The fantasy genre presented the unique challenge of delivering dramatic, fantasy-driven visuals while avoiding obvious prosthetics to maintain realism. Li tackled this by building effects directly onto the actor’s natural features through careful layering and textural work. Her process began with concept discussions with the director, followed by test looks to refine the direction. On set, she applied a natural base and then gradually layered textures, discoloration, and details, ensuring the effect was convincing across all lighting conditions. The materials used included blood products, body paint, special effects powders, tooth paint, artificial nails, hair color products, and Pros-Aide adhesive. Career PhilosophyLi finds aging makeup and injury effects particularly rewarding, as they require both careful observation of real physical changes and play a powerful role in visual storytelling. She ensures her makeup vision aligns with a director’s goals through prioritizing early communication, using visual references, testing makeup, and maintaining ongoing dialogue throughout production.To aspiring SFX makeup artists, Li advises: “Practice constantly, observe carefully, and always use real-life imagery as reference. Stay curious, remain open to learning, and continue expanding your skill set. Growth comes from building upon what you know—not staying in your comfort zone.”
