Beauty, ActorsTina TurnbowJune 08, 2023Madison Thompson, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Paramount Plus, 50's glam, vintage, blonde, actor, NYC, Ozark, beauty, summer, makeup, skincare

Madison Thompson

Beauty, ActorsTina TurnbowJune 08, 2023Madison Thompson, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Paramount Plus, 50's glam, vintage, blonde, actor, NYC, Ozark, beauty, summer, makeup, skincare

We capture gorgeous Madison Thompson in one of her favorite elements amongst racks and stacks of vintage gems. You can currently catch her in one of her other favorite places rocking her latest role as Susan St. Clair in “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” streaming now on Paramount Plus. P.S. she was directed brilliantly for an episode by one of our other favorite bare beauties Jennifer Morrison. Scroll down and get some summer vintage style/beauty inspo and info on getting into her characters 50s glam, favorite products, self-care, side projects and passions. Head to our insta for some awesome BTS reels of her applying some fresh summer makeup. We are already looking forward to our next meet up with this stunner.

The Bare Magazine: can you give us a breakdown of your time in the makeup/hair trailer transforming into your character Susan St. Clair?

Madison Thompson: Oh wow! It was pretty much widely known on set that Susan spent more time in the hair and makeup trailer than any other character. Susan’s “look” is so essential to who she is as a character because of the fake perfect persona she presents to the world. I would usually start in the hair chair where we would do a full set of rollers on my entire head. Then, while those were setting, I would go to makeup. For Susan we went for a Betty Draper/Grace Kelly look. The classic white lid with a defining crease and liner with a tiny wing. My makeup artist Emilie would always make my liner short, and the wing would sit 3/4ths of the way across my lid to get a rounder eye shape. We also achieved the round eye by putting white liner in the waterline and then soft brown eyeshadow blended on the bottom. Sort of an optical illusion to give Susan big blue baby doll eyes. After I finished makeup, I would go back to hair where they would take out all my curls and brush them out. Then we would finish by styling the curls. There was a lot of teasing and backcombing that happened in the front to give it that 50s lift.

Bare: what were some of your favorite parts about playing Susan and the whole Pink Ladies experience?

MT: Playing Susan was so special because it is not often as a young female performer that I have the opportunity to take on truly nuanced characters. So many of the roles I see are one dimensional or subscribe to typical stereotypes. I love that Susan is written to be dynamic, chaotic, striking, ambitious, and accurately flawed. She is a teenage girl growing up in the 50s in a very controlling environment that set up lends itself to a lot of conflict and we get to see Susan run through it and make a total, honest mess.

Bare: in your personal style/glam what eras do you tend to gravitate towards?

It is pretty apropos that I have long sought inspiration from the 50s era style and glam and now I get to dress up in it every day at work! I love the a-line style dresses and saturated pigmentation in the clothes. Not to mention all the beautiful floral and plaid patterns. The 50s style feels like walking art. While it is always fun to show some skin, I find the structure of the dresses to be so chic and elegant. I always feel confident when wearing an a-line dress or beautiful bouncy curls.

Bare: did you enjoy reuniting again at a new vintage store - we know you’re a fan of repurposing clothing.

MT: It is going to get dangerous if we keep reuniting and doing shoots in vintage stores because I am going to spend all my time shopping and never leave. I have really gotten into vintage shopping in the last 2 years. I think it is such an incredible opportunity to find truly unique pieces and not to mention so much better for the earth! Recently I thrifted a vintage USA bomber jacket which I have been wearing nonstop. I also found an amazing pair of brown vintage Stuart Weitzman boots that seem to match with everything in my closet.

Bare: are you pretty busy with classes and other interests...especially with the current strike?

MT: Yes! This is such an interesting but important moment in our industry. Being between seasons as well as a strike happening in our industry means that I have new found free time. Nonetheless, I am always keeping busy. Currently I am working on finishing my Business Degree at the University of Southern California. This summer I am taking business analytics and excel classes and learning how to clean data in Excel. Riveting stuff right? On the creative side, I have been developing a few projects, both writing and producing. This time has allowed me to really branch out into the producing and development areas of the industry, which has always been my dream. I really look forward to sharing more about these projects soon!

Bare: can you share your favorite self-care indulgences and how you recharge?

MT: Self care for me these days sounds a lot like skin care. My nightly skin routine is a time that I really love to sit back, relax, and take care of myself… through my face. It is so therapeutic to me to go through my routine: nice warm shower, oils in my hair, wash my face, red light therapy, all of my creams and a cold roller. My favorite cream recently has been the Éminence clear skin probiotic moisturizer. It really works well with my breakout prone skin. But I’m also not afraid to switch it up and try new things!