Face off against 17 sci-fi actors made ancient by old-age makeup
Applying makeup so a performer appears older is particularly tricky in sci-fi. After all, if someone is all wrinkly-faced in a serious drama, it's a good bet they're supposed to be old. But in sci-fi, they could be old, or melting, or phasing in and out of our dimension, or growing gills, or shedding their human skin, or any number of other freaky things.
So tonight's contestants on Syfy's Face Off (at 10/9C) face a challenge with unique difficulties, as they must use makeup to age a set of triplets. To prove aging makeup is not as simple as "put wax on their face and hold a lighter under it," here are 17 examples of sci-fi characters played by actors in old-age makeup.
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Dax
Apparently, the Star Trek universe has mastered perfect hair, but still can't kick crow's feet.
Captain Janeway
Personally, we would have gone with the "Picard" look, but this makeup job is still excellent.
Roger Linus
Season six of LOST had an alternate timeline with a gentle relationship between the nefarious Ben Linus and his father. Thus proving it's never too late to make peace with someone, even after you've murdered them.
Benjamin Button
What if you aged backwards, and you had to wait fifty years to find out you were the sexiest man on Earth?
Marty McFly
In Back to the Future II, Marty must cavort around time to save his future, old self. Yet he does nothing to warn the past of the impending subprime lending crisis.
Lorraine McFly
We used to think going to the future and stopping the few guys who control all of the money would fix everything. Turns out, in the U.S., a few guys always control all of the money.
Biff Tannen
This is useful if the actor ever goes missing for 30 years. Then they have the perfect photo for posters.
Myka Bering
Actress Joann Kelly got into the makeup chair to play an aging version of her Warehouse 13 character. While premature aging is far-too-common on soap operas, it still makes an enthralling science fiction plot.
Harry Potter
It looks like Daniel Radcliffe needed more work done on his hairline than on his face.
Amy Pond
In the Doctor Who episode, "The Girl Who Waited," Karen Gillian's character must be rescued from decades into her future. Our past selves are always trying to do this, but we still end up as Blastr article writers no matter what.
Sally Jupiter
This Watchmen heroine grows old, which makes it hard to maintain a relationship with an ageless boyfriend (who is also kinda superficial).
Carol Kane
Playing a witch named Valerie in The Princess Bride, she uses her power to bring Westley back to life. She went on to star in a Broadway production of Wicked, which just goes to show what can happen when someone embraces their hag side.
Freema Agyeman
Amy Pond isn't the only aging woman in the Doctor Who universe. Agyeman plays Martha Jones, who ages rapidly after being attacked by a "resurrection gauntlet." We assume "resurrection gauntlet" is code for "face burning fire."
Michael Newman
Adam Sandler's character in Click uses a remote control to glimpse his future. If only he'd used it before deciding to make Click.
Dale Cooper
This Twin Peaks protagonist finds himself in the Dark Lodge in a dream where he is 25 years older. It might not make sense, but at least it makes more sense than the rest of the Laura Palmer case.
Embeth Davidtz
Davidtz character plays several members of her lineage over the extremely long lifespan of a robot. "Extremely long" is also a good adage for how this movie felt to watch.
Winona Rider
Kim Boggs from Edward Scissorhands tells of her lost love with the title character. Rider still looks better here than in her mugshot.
