The Adventures of a Movie Star Hairstylist

What Erik and I love about being in the beauty industry or just being in a creative industry are the amazing people we have gotten a chance to meet and work with. We love sharing stories of people using their talent, hard work, and creativity to accomplish their life purpose and ambitions.

This year we had the opportunity to meet a talented and passionate artist. Who has worked with many of the world’s top film and TV stars. Randa Squillacote is a great inspiration and we are excited to share her story as one of our artists and innovators.

BIOGRAPHY OF RANDA SQUILLACOTE

Randa and Johnny Depp

Growing up in New Britain Ct, the daughter of a Hairdresser. I was blessed to be born with a silver comb in my hand. I have been very fortunate to work the many aspects of the Hairdressing field, from owning 2 salons, to punching hair in wax figures to achieving a life long goal and work in the Film and TV Industry.

I always dreamed of being a celebrity stylist ever since I recognized Maxx Factor as the makeup artist on The Lucy Show…(yes I’m that old). It was the first “credit” I noticed, and thought how cool to have your name roll in the credits. So in 1990, after being a salon stylist since high school, I decided to take a chance at Hollywood. But knowing that I would have been eaten up a live in LA, I choose to move to Orlando (at one time called Hollywood East) and got a job doing hair, makeup and wigs for Walt Disney World. I learned the craft of wigs and makeup for performers, dancers, characters and audioanamatronics. I learned everything from Cinderella to Miss Piggy. Contempoary to period styles. Synthetic and human hair.

While In Orlando I was the Hair Department for Ripley’s Believe it or Not! I punched hair in wax figures from the top the head to the baby finer hairs on the arm and painted life like skin textures. As interesting as this was, the ‘Dummies” I was working on had no personality, so I decided to go back to original choice…Film and TV.

I started working doing hair for Nickelodeon TV. Shows such as Kenan and Kel, All That, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Shelby Woo, Figure It Out and many of the shows that where filmed at Universal Studios Orlando

`I was recommended to do the Truman show in Seaside Fl. My job was to do the background hair in a period type style. I knew then that this was my calling. After that movie I took the chance and moved to Los Angeles to work and Hair

Randa and John Travolta

Department Head shows like Magnificent 7 (TV series), Ally Mc Beal for 3 seasons, went to Japan for The Last Samurai, The Punisher, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3, Vampire Diaries and many more. And had the chance to work along side of such great actors as Jim Carrey, John Travolta,

Danny DeVito Johnny Depp,

Randa and Lucy Liu

Lucy Lui, Katherine Keenar, Jennifer Aniston, Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd…just name dropping.

Randa and Martin Klebba

Now back to the wig training…most these actors have some kind of wig, hairpiece, and extensions for them and or their stunt doubles and photo doubles. So continuity is crucial.

Randa and Ian Somerhalder

But it is not all glamorous…. the average workweek is 65 – 70 hours. Filming in all the elements, rain, snow, freezing tempertures, 100 degrees with 100% humitity, early mornings and very late nights and when working on Vampire shows…all night long till the sun comes up….…..Living the dream……I wouldn’t trade it for the world!