All eyes were on Ezra Miller at the 2019 Met Gala on Monday.
The actor — who stars in the “Fantastic Beasts” series — stunned viewers with a surrealist makeup look that made it appear as if he had two sets of eyes, and another three eyeballs gazing out from his forehead. Wearing a custom pinstriped Burberry suit and a crystal-studded cage corset, Miller also carried a handheld mask, used to cover — and then reveal — his dizzyingly strange appearance.
The look was a perfect embodiment of Miller’s original vision, said makeup artist Mimi Choi, who worked with the nonbinary actor to execute it.
“Ezra interpreted the theme ‘camp’ as being the transformations that we as individuals experience throughout our lives,” Choi, who lives in Vancouver, told Page Six Style. “The depth and layers of a person were represented by the multiple eyes.”
Choi, who specializes in trompe l’eoil looks and has one million followers on Instagram, said she started working on Miller at 4 a.m. on Monday, carefully deciding where to apply the multiple features to create the most impact. She says the whole process took about five and a half hours.
“Many of my signature looks include the painting of realistic eyes, so I’ve had a lot of practice,” she explained, adding that she used a number of products — including her own Mimi Choi Illusion Palette by Mehron ($69.95) and MAC’s famous Ruby Woo red lipstick ($18.50) — on the actor’s face.
But the most important element, she noted, were the lashes, which stuck out for an another three-dimensional flourish. “I prefer to use false lashes as they provide shadows and are visible from all angles,” she said. She likes the ones from Velour and House of Lashes.
Choi admitted that while Miller loved the makeup, it took a few seconds for the actor to adjust. “Ezra’s initial reaction was like most others’ when they see it for the first time … [it had] a dizzying effect.”