The dark world of del Toro

Tom Hiddleston as Sir Thomas Sharpe and Mia Wasikowska as Edith Cushing in Crimson Peak. Photo / Supplied

Kiwi costume designer brings beauty to director’s gothic take on a ghost story. Leena Tailor reports

It's a heavy task entering the world of Guillermo del Toro. The Mexican director is known for his complex, exuberant and eerie, other-worldly films and his latest project, Crimson Peak, is no different - a horror-infused gothic romance, which he describes as the "ghost story equivalent" of his 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth.

The seductive thriller follows aspiring author Edith who, after marrying the charming Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), relocates to his family's secluded English mansion, where she becomes haunted by visions and ghosts.

In helping create the mysterious, turn-of-the-century world, del Toro turned to a Kiwi - costume designer Kate Hawley, whom the film's lead actors credit for giving del Toro's world added authenticity.

Del Toro first hired Hawley for The Hobbit (before Peter Jackson took over the trilogy) then took her with him to his 2013 pet project Pacific Rim, before calling on the Wellington School of Design graduate for Crimson Peak.

"Kate was my first point of contact when I signed on to the film," says Brit actor Hiddleston.

"I read the script, met Guillermo then met Kate the next day. She had this amazing collage of images of gentlemen in the 19th century and industrialism, clay-mining, engineering, aristocracy.

"It wasn't just about aesthetically how the clothes looked; it was about what that aesthetic meant in a social context.

"For the clothes that Jessica [Chastain] and I wear, for example, they reflect the idea that Thomas and Lucille Sharpe come from old money - they used to have wealth, but the money's running out so they arrive in 1901 Buffalo, New York, and their clothes are unbelievably elegant, but 30 years old so there's a little wear.

"The level of detail was just dazzling.

"I was taught at acting school that acting is being truthful in imaginary circumstances. But there's some kind of alchemy of preparation - people have done extraordinary work on Crimson Peak with set and costume design to create a world for Mia, myself, Jessica and Charlie [Hunnam] to step into."

Hawley worked closely with del Toro to build costumes that would mirror the director's elaborate visions. "His work is about layering," she says. "There are elements of a fairytale, there is history, there is poetry."

Each creation was so extensive that Hawley and her team started naming each costume. Edith's, based on a Gustav Klimt painting, was given the name "Heartbreak Dress".

Jessica Chastain as Lady Lucille Sharpe in Crimson Peak. Photo / Supplied

Hawley wasn't Crimson Peak's only New Zealand link - part of the film was inspired by del Toro's stay at the believed-to-be haunted Waitomo Caves Hotel, when he was scouting locations for The Hobbit. In a scary incident, he "heard a horrible murder being committed in the room", and the event became the seeds for a bathtub murder scene in Crimson Peak.

Blood and gore aside, Hawley played a significant role in sculpting the film's stunning aesthetics. Chastain said she made each outfit look "exquisitely beautiful".

However, the Oscar-nominated actress admits that costuming aside, the rest of her filming experience wasn't always so pleasant. Known for Tree of Life, Zero Dark Thirty and The Martian, Chastain says Crimson Peak was often not a fun project to work on. Her alter-ego's dark aura was hard to shake and many were surprised she wanted to take on the role.

The director himself assumed Chastain would lean more towards the role of Edith, which eventually went to Australian actress Mia Wasikowska.

"Guillermo sent me the script after we worked on Mama together and I loved that there were two fantastic female characters in it," says Chastain.

"When I called him I told him that I liked the role of Lucille, which surprised him a bit. I wouldn't say it was fun to play her, but you learn more about life when you challenge yourself, so I learned a lot from playing her.

"What's crazy is that I made this film the same time as The Most Violent Year, so I flew back and forth between this character who was so sensual, earthy and open, to Lucille who's the opposite of all that.

"Going from a set where I could say anything, do anything and drink too much in New York, to a set where it just felt bad to be in [Lucille's] skin and clothes [was challenging].
"Lucille isn't the most fun person to live in, so I had to do things to quickly help me find her again. I decorated the trailer with images that would be in her mind and played a lot of music."

For Hiddleston, the film marked a transition from the physical roles he has become known for in movies like Thor and Avengers Assemble to the heavy-duty emotional weight of Crimson Peak.

Ultimately, he was drawn to the idea of being involved in del Toro's take on a ghost story.
"This is not only a ghost story, but a gothic romance. When I first read the script it was chilling, spooky and reminded me of being a child.

"When I was 10 years old I had an amazing English teacher who didn't stick to the curriculum and on Friday afternoons when we had all sugar-crashed he would close the curtains and read us ghost stories by MR James. They were so restrained but very frightening and there's something about Crimson Peak that reminded me of that.