EastEnders star Diane Parish explains devastating Denise hair loss scene
She described the process as "painstaking, lengthy, and highly technical".
EastEnders‘ Diane Parish has broken down Denise Fox’s emotional hair loss scene. Her character has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), an aggressive form of blood cancer.
As she undergoes chemotherapy, Denise allowed her sister Kim to remove her signature weave, revealing her natural hair before the treatment takes it. Later scenes saw Denise supported by her medical team as she removed her head wrap for the first time to see how chemotherapy had caused her to lose her hair.
Diane shared a series of pictures from set that showed the prosthetic process to create the hair loss effect, explaining the “painstaking, lengthy, highly technical process”.
She wrote: “Denise Fox losing her hair was a painstaking, lengthy and highly technical process. Not just a case of ‘putting a cap on your head’.
“Thankfully nowadays you don’t sit with just a straw to breathe through while the prosthetic skull cap cast is built around your head (I’m super claustrophobic) now 3D scanner technology is used so you go away while that is done over a number of weeks in your absence, on a super realistic bust of your head then begins the process in the chair on the day of shooting.”
She continued: “We had two days to film two scenes, one each day, at different stages of hair loss, and each day, there was 4-5 HOURS in the makeup chair. I’m like a ferret in the chair so I really had to tap into my zen to sit still!
“We had an incredible team led by the Oscar-winning Mark Coulier, creative director of makeup effects company Coulier Creatures FX (whose work includes Harry Potter and Game of Thrones to name but a few) and the wonderful @chloemp_mua who expertly fitted my cap and listened to me babble on for hours. The patience of a saint! 😅”
Diane went on to explain the process she went through each day to transform her character, saying it was “massively important” to treat the gravity of the story with respect.
“Here’s how each day went: 1.My own hair washed, blow dried and flat ironed to get my hair as close to my head as possible.
“2.Our brilliant makeup team @renee_bakergorton and @carolinemaricond then literally glued my hair flat to my head through the miracle of got2b glue gel (my hair wasn’t happy)
“3.First under cap is then stretched over my head and blended in.
“4.Bald prosthetic cap, with intricately inserted hair strands applied prior to this, is then fitted to my head by Chloe and painted in to exactly match my skin tone and blend to the rest of my face using a range of fascinating expert makeup techniques.
“5.Shoot the scene.”
“It was massively important to @bbceastenders and myself to do this justice and be as realistic and accurate as possible to honour and respect the seriousness of the cancer journey,” Diane added.
“I am forever grateful to Caroline and Renee and Ben Wadey for seeing me through this sometimes quite harsh and emotional process with sensitivity and care. Top of their game pros.”
