As it turns out, metamorphosing into a giant worm for Halloween is no budget affair.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Heidi Klum and Mike Marino, owner of Prosthetic Renaissance, the special effects company that created her eye-popping costume, shed light on the intricacies of transforming into an oversized invertebrate.
It took four months of planning, 12 hours of application and, according to Marino, “It costs a lot more than anyone would think.”
“We started at 11 a.m. and I probably made it to the carpet around 11 p.m.,” Klum said of getting into the “claustrophobic” full-body get-up.
When Klum first described her vision to Marino, she told THR, his initial reaction was that he didn’t think it was possible.
“I wasn’t confident about pulling it off,” he said.
But Klum insisted they forge ahead, leading, ultimately, to the masterpiece (or monstrosity, depending on how you look at it) that sent social media into a tailspin. Klum, unable to move besides hopping ― or, at one point, writhing on the ground ― was accompanied to the bash in New York City by her husband, Tom Kaulitz, who was dressed as the fisherman who hooked her.
Klum said she had started thinking about her costume many months ago, after having to cancel her annual Halloween celebration two years in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she wanted to return this year with something “different and unexpected.”
The final product required 3D scans of Klum’s body and face. A foam suit lined with spandex and plastic tubes was coated in foam latex to create the extremely gross but realistic skin. Once Klum was zipped into the suit, her face and “facial appliances” were glued on and painted.
As for the other burning question many onlookers had: Klum said she had no option for relieving herself while suited up, so she “made sure not to drink anything hours before getting into costume.” She later slipped out of the suit to party the night away in the glittery bodysuit she wore beneath it, but she kept her worm face intact.