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Behind the Scenes in Hollywood: Michelle Ceglia

Today in “Behind the Scenes in Hollywood,” we’re talking to hair stylist to the stars, Michelle Ceglia. From the salons of New York City, to the backlots of Hollywood, Ceglia has had some pretty big names in her chair. Read on to hear her thoughts on lesbian hairstyles, trying to tame Kate Moennig‘s coif, and what’s wrong with Justin Bieber. How much time ya got?

Michelle Ceglia, Hair Department Head

AfterEllen.com: Why are you so awesome?

Michelle Ceglia: I’m east coast. New York, New Jersey. Like you.

AE: I think your Jersey accent is stronger than mine.

MC: They make fun of me [on the set] for saying, “Geh-head.” [instead of, “Go ahead.”]

AE: Me, too! Karman likes to imitate me sometimes, but I swear, I thought everyone said that. It sounds so normal to me.

MC: Me, too!

AE: You’re in the hair department on Dexter. Whose hair do you do there?

MC: This past summer, I’ve had Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Jennifer Carpenter (Debra Morgan), Julia Stiles (Lumen Ann Pierce), Desmond Harrington (Joey Quinn), James Remar (Harry Morgan), Peter Weller (Stan Liddy). I’m sort of on everybody.

AE: That’s a lot of heads.

MC: I’ve had a huge workload this year! In general, I’m with Michael, 24/7, and then I’m kind of running around between the other actors.

AE: Do people fall asleep in the chair?

MC: Yes, absolutely. With the early call-times and long hours, it’s very tiring. I always said I don’t know how they all go through hair and makeup, which is very relaxing, and then to have to wake up and work. It all usually starts at 5AM. I don’t understand it.

AE: How long does it take to do Michael C. Hall’s hair?

MC: Between 20 and 30 minutes.

AE: Is that a standard amount of time for a male actor?

MC: It is. A lot of people think, “Oh it’s just a guy. They don’t need as much attention. You throw some stuff on their heads and they walk out the door.” But you have to create the character, so it takes time.

AE: How much input do you have regarding what the character will look like?

MC: In my experience, the actor and I will discuss it and collaborate. Sometimes, producers feel something should be completely opposite of what we’re thinking, I’m made aware and we all come to that decision together.

AE: Have you ever given an actor a style they liked so much, they adopted it for their everyday look?

MC: Well, Julia Stiles has extremely curly hair, but I turned her onto wearing it straight. For Season 5 of Dexter, we decided on a straighter, more relaxed look for her character. And she liked it so much, she tries to keep that look now. She didn’t even own a blow dryer until –

AE: She got Ceglia’d.

MC: [laughs]

AE: Sounds as if the hair department has a certain amount of discretion when creating a style for a character. Anything you personally try to avoid?

MC: There’s something about braids that never feels glamorous, unless you’re incorporating it into something [for a character.] Julie [Benz] and I would get into Tweet wars about her braids.

She would tweet, “@michelleceglia won’t give me a braid.” And I would tweet, “There shall never be a braid on Dexter.”

And her fans would write back, and say how they felt about seeing her in braids. It was all in fun. And then, my girlfriend at the time would chime in. Julie pushed her phone in my face, “Your own girlfriend just said to give me a braid.” Oh. My. God.

So, I gave [her character,] Rita a side pony with a three-quarter braid. I was like, “Fine. There you go. That’s yours. Wear it well, have fun. You’re not getting it again.” Then she would come in requesting anything and everything Rita would never have – beehive, afro, whatever she could think of. Julie is a lot of fun.

AE: There’s so fun to be had with the women’s hair. What about the guys, though? They have different needs. Do you have tricks you use for thinness, balding, receding hairlines, and stuff?

MC: There are a few products and techniques I use. It depends on what the situation is but most of the time I use powders, that are like fibers and chopped hair they adhere to their own hair. But there’s also a product that I love, even for guys who are not thinning. It makes the hair thicker and you can style it a million different ways without any shine or finish to it.

AE: Sounds like something some lesbians might like, too. What is it?

MC: It’s called Schwarzkopf Dust It. It’s powdered clay that’s the craziest thing, ever. You can use it on women, to lift up their roots for more volume. When Kate guest starred this year I introduced her to it.

AE: Kate?

MC: Kate Moennig. Because of the way she wears her hair, she can mess it up, and it doesn’t ever look heavy, greasy or shiny.

AE: What was it like touching Kate’s hair? During The L Word, her hair was almost a character in its own right.

MC: Kate is, first of all, really sweet and super cool, totally corporative. Her hair? Her hair has a mind of its own. She told me that, and I didn’t believe her.

At first, I was like, “No. I’m going to make it do exactly what I want. But then, “Oh my god.” [laughs]

Her hair is a force to be reckoned with. I’m not going to lie. I wanted to make it less like everyone has seen her —not too Shane-like. I feel like in the end, I won, with her help and patience.

AE: You’ve also worked on other very famous, beautiful heads of hair for a certain network show.

MC: I’ve worked on a lot of shows but I know what you’re digging around for. You mean Grey’s Anatomy?

AE: No, Michelle. SpongeBob Square Pants. Yes, Grey’s Anatomy!

MC: All I can say is that they’re all a ton of fun. On Grey’s, there’s laughter all the time, people cracking jokes. It’s super light-hearted but professional. They’re all fantastic people.

AE: Thank you for confirming what I’ve heard. Now. Let’s talk about lesbian hair. Over two years ago, I interviewed the lesbian winner of Shear Genius. Even back then, she said the faux hawk was “over.” And yet, it won’t die. What other lesbian hair trends need to be put out to pasture?

MC: I feel like, it’s just so – this is hard for me because we have friends, you know what I mean? This is off the record. I’m talking to you as a friend.

AE: Oh hell no. This could be a much needed public service announcement.

MC: [laughs] OK, OK. One thing, is the exaggerated short shag. It’s not attractive on anyone.

AE: What does that look like? Who has one?

MC: Choppy hair with the flippy spikes that are over-exaggerated, all with the idea that it’s going to make you look a little more femme. It’s like a flippy shag.

AE: Hey! Are you talking about me? Who are you calling out here?

MC: [laughs] Jackie Warner had it, but grew it out. Others have sported that hair as well, but Jackie exemplifies the cut.

And with faux hawks, I feel like it depends on how faux-hawky it is. When it’s all around the same length, but a little longer on top, that’s good. But when it’s really cut into it, that’s another story. There’s a fine line.

AE: Justin Bieber hair. Yay or nay?

MC: I f—ing hate it. I f—ing hate it.

AE: But how do you really feel?

MC: I don’t like hair pushed forwarded. It’s just so literal. Not many faces need that much hair framing it.

AE: The lesbians who look like Justin Bieber aren’t going to like hearing that.

MC: From a professional perspective, it’s way too solid around the face. It makes you look fatter, chunkier. It’s the modern version of the bowl cut, but in this case, the bowl was put on the back of the head, instead of on top of it.

AE: That’s it! You just articulated what I’ve tried to say for years. But you know, it’s not enough to identify a problem. What is your lesbian hair solution?

MC: One solution would be a cut that’s wider and softer on top, with no follow through in the back. More like a Morrissey pomp. It’s strong and cool, but way more classic.

AE: Maybe Beiberbowls are good for children, and the Morrissey is good for grownie-ups. Or rockers. Or celebrities. After working on so many stars over the years, do you still get star-struck?

MC: Yes, but it’s different now. My “starstruck” is more like I’m just really psyched to meet and work with everyone. Back in the day, though, the ones [who made me starstruck] were Sharon Stone, Alanis Morissette and, OK, kind of Kate. And with Kate, [while shooting Dexter,] that was the first time in years where I was like, “Ack!”

AE: I think Sharon Stone could either be a scary fun or just really scary. But it’s adorkable that you were star-struck.

MC: Those are the people I want to go back to and say, “I swear, I’m really cool. Really.”

AE: You are cool, Michelle.

MC: Thanks!

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