“I am in somebody’s face, quite literally, for anywhere from 15 minutes to 4 hours depending on what the makeup is,” explains makeup department head David Williams about the bond between makeup artist and actor, particularly on a show like “Welcome to Chippendales.” For our recent webchat he adds, “You do develop a rapport with that person and an understanding. You get to know their likes and dislikes on a personal level and on a professional level,” he says. “We spend so much time together, they do become an extension of our families.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

SEE Exclusive Video Interview: Quentin Plair (‘Welcome to Chippendales’)

“Welcome to Chippendales” was created by Robert Siegel (“Pam & Tommy”), inspired by the book “Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders” by K. Scot Macdonald and Patrick MontesDeOca. It stars Oscar and Emmy nominee Kumail Nanjiani as Steve Banerjee, who founded the famed Chippendales stripper troupe. The Hulu limited series charts his rise from an ambitious immigrant gas station attendant to entrepreneur and his fall from grace as he masterminds the murder of his business partner and ultimate rival, Emmy-winning choreographer Nick De Noia, portrayed by Emmy winner Bartlett (“The White Lotus”). The glitzy and tawdry semi-autobiographical drama also co-stars Oscar and Emmy nominee Juliette Lewis (“Cape Fear,” “Hysterical Blindness”), Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford (“You Can’t Take it With You”), Tony nominees Andrew Rannells (“The Book of Mormon,” “Falsettos”) and Robin de Jesús (“In the Heights,” “La Cage aux Folles,” “The Boys in the Band”), as well as breakthrough performer Quentin Plair (“Tiny Beautiful Things”).

“I love it,” Williams says when asked what it means to him when he hears an actor talk about how his work is essential in transforming them into the character that they portray on screen. “I think we’re all part of the process. The writers give us the words to describe what it is we’re doing and then we get to take that and have discussions with directors and producers, who give us a direction of where they want to go with the show. But the real collaboration does come in when we get to discuss it with the actor, and that dialogue back and forth of what we are looking to present and what they are looking to reveal of the person, and how the character comes to life.”

PREDICT the 2023 Emmy nominees through July 12

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