About the Production...

Scotland’s very own Craig Ferguson, who is currently starring in the hit television series "The Drew Carey Show," was casting about for feature script ideas with his friend Sacha Gervasi.

"The idea came over lunch," explains Ferguson. "I wanted to make a film that was different from the other films that have recently come out of Scotland—‘Braveheart,’ ‘Trainspotting,’ ‘Shallow Grave.’ None of them really dealt with the soft, gentle but sometimes outrageous Scottish sense of humor, nor the regions of the country that I knew."

Gervasi continues, "We were talking about England and the people we used to know. Craig brought up someone that he used to share an apartment with in Edinburgh, and as soon as he did an impersonation of this guy—it was immediately and obviously a movie to us. So we sat down to lunch and we came up with the story…‘what if he’s a hairdresser?’ what if there’s a competition?’ what if…?’ And the whole movie came together very quickly."

Ferguson continues, "We created Crawford to be the finest tease-master of his generation. He is the scissors, the razor, the crimping iron and the blow dryer all in one. A sort of comedy coiffeuring genius."

The two began to collaborate on the script, and three months later, it was making the rounds in Hollywood, culminating in a five-day bidding war with Warner Bros. the victor. (Warners was the only major studio willing to provide an immediate green light to allow Ferguson to film while "Drew Carey" was on summer hiatus. Ferguson says, of working with the supportive executives, "There were no notes like, ‘Could this guy be Swedish and from Chicago?’")

When it came time to engage a director, Ferguson and Gervasi dispatched a script to Kevin Allen (they were familiar with his work in the U.K.). Allen read it on a plane bound for the site of his latest project and fell in love with the quirky and sweet story; he started assembling the deal immediately (with Ferguson, Gervasi and Allen eventually executive producing). Producer Philip Rose was also brought aboard.

Rose remembers, "I met Craig several years ago on a plane to New York—I sat down next to this guy, fashionably disheveled, either a Calvin Klein model or an actor. We started talking and hit it off, and we became friends over the years. Then a few months ago, he told me about this film he was working on, and he sent me the script. I was on the set of another film, and I practically drove the crew mad, because every time I read a funny bit, I’d insist on reading it aloud to them. Good thing it was funny or they could have killed me."

Director Kevin Allen says, "People in Hollywood have this gut reaction whenever you begin with, ‘I read this great script.’ You know, sort of eye-rolling, disbelief. But when Craig and Sacha sent me ‘The Big Tease,’ that’s exactly what it was. It’s a gem, really. A great fish out of water tale. When Crawford leaves Glasgow to go to Los Angeles, his friend says, ‘Beware, Crawford, it’s shark-infested waters over there.’ But the great thing about Crawford, as Craig plays him, is that he is swimming with sharks, but he’s blissful, slightly naïve—nothing phases him. In a way, he embodies that American stick-to-it spirit, but he happens to be Scottish."

The film was to be shot with a mock-documentary feel, as Crawford, sure of his place in the hairdressing world and confident in his winning the competition, engages a British film crew to follow and document his sure-to-be-victorious trip to the championships.
Allen explains, "We had to step out of the documentary format and be as cinematic as we could. We wanted to cross over that documentary line, because it isn’t a documentary, it’s a comedy with mock-documentary flourishes. It’s the use of hand-held cameras that gives it that feel."

Filling the Roles

Craig Ferguson created the role of Crawford and as co-scriptwriter, he knew the character better than anyone. Then the filmmakers set about finding actors to play the cavalcade of other characters in the script.

Frances Fisher read the script and found it "funny, and clever…I laughed out loud the first time through. I was originally to read for the part of Monique, the president of W.H.I.F. But the role that really appealed to me was Candy, the powerful publicist to the stars. After our first meeting, I pulled Kevin aside and talked to him. I told him how I really related to her, that I knew her. I guess I convinced him, because that’s who I wound up playing."
The part of Monique went to Mary McCormack, star of "Private Parts" and the David E. Kelley feature "Mystery, Alaska." McCormack says, "You have no idea how nice it is for an actor to open a script, supposedly a comedy, and for it to actually be funny. Fabulous writing. And the story, it’s just shameless. It’s about hair."

Even though McCormack’s character is in charge of the final hair competition, she was not immune from receiving that special ‘do’ for the final scenes. She laughs, "During the big ‘hair-off,’ I get all dressed up, and my hair…well, I end up looking like a cross between a deadly blowfish and a cocktail."

When David Rasche received his script, he knew where to go for advice on his part of premiere international stylist, all-around creep and reigning Platinum Scissors Champion, Stig Ludwiggssen. "I went to my barber and had him really ‘do’ my hair—it ended up in this weird style. And I studied the Norwegian accent. I heard that the casting people had said that I look like a lawyer, so I wanted to go in there looking like…a champion hairstylist."

Of his character, Rasche explains, "He is originally from Norway, but he’s been in the U.S. for so long that he really doesn’t have an accent—so he puts one on when he needs one. And it’s not really Norwegian, it’s sort of German/Baltic/Swedish. He’s so self-involved he doesn’t think anyone will notice."

Filmmakers contacted fellow British actor Chris Langham to play the part of Martin, the documentary interviewer. Langham recalls, "They rang me up and asked if I’d like to come to Los Angeles and play myself. I mean, sort of a really erudite but hapless interviewer version of myself. How could I pass that up?"

Of the screenwriters, Langham muses, "Craig and Sacha, they’re both friends of mine who traveled 8,000 miles to meet up again and produce a wonderful script about a guy from Scotland. I mean, only in America, right?"

It took the casting director about five weeks to fill all of the 70 roles in Gervasi’s and Ferguson’s script. In addition to the principals, actual celebrities, hairstylists and models were enlisted to play themselves. (Among those who appear in cameo roles are David Hasselhoff, Drew Carey and Cathy Lee Crosby, hairstylists Jose Eber and John Paul DeJoria—aka John Paul Mitchell—and supermodels Veronica Webb, Kylie Bax, Contrelle Pinkney and Kimora Lee.)

Costumes and Hair, Hair, Hair

In the world of W.H.I.F., it’s not just the clothes that make the man, it’s also the hair that the man styles. Filmmakers knew that Crawford would need to be stylish and his creation in the competition (as well as his competitors’ float-like hair-do’s) would require the combined talents of the costume, hair and make-up crews.

Ferguson attended classes at a hairdressing institute, but, he bemoans, "They wouldn’t let me cut hair on a live person, something about requiring so many hours of study or something, and of course, I’m not actually allowed to go near a pair of scissors."

Overseen by production designer Joseph Hodges and art director Mark A. Thomsen, key hair stylist Jeri Baker worked with make-up artist Erwin H. Kupitz to create the headpieces worn by the four models in the Platinum Scissors competition. The pieces were constructed from human hair pieces (as opposed to the less expensive acrylic, which tends to photograph as plastic). Each final creation weighed about four pounds and, notes supermodel Kylie Bax, who sports Stig’s creation, "It’s like having somebody sit on your head, like a baby or something. It’s really heavy."

Costume designer Julie Miller-Bennett (who had worked previously with producer Philip Rose) prepared extensive sketches on each colorful character in "The Big Tease," and says "Craig Ferguson’s willingness to participate was very important and he became Crawford quite easily. There was so much he could wear. Crawford’s Scottish heritage makes him different than the typical American/Beverly Hills hairdresser."

Miller-Bennett went on a "very gratifying, creative holiday" while shopping for fabrics and existing clothes for the characters. She concludes, "I think I visited every kitschy shop in Los Angeles."

The entirety of "The Big Tease" was shot on location in Los Angeles and Glasgow. Select Beverly Hills salons and Rodeo Drive shops stood in for…exclusive salons and tony shops. ("Why re-create glamour that already exists?" queries Hodges.) Other sites utilized were John Paul DeJoria’s Malibu mansion, a family theme park and the landmark L.A. Theater.

"I think that a lot of people can relate to this story," reflects Gervasi. "In your life, you have these big ambitions to do these wonderful things. And sometimes it feels very much like you’re alone against the world. I think people can identify with Crawford and the fact that the world’s against him—that’s very inspiring and reassuring, in a way."

"It’s just amazing how everyone really embraced this story," concludes director Kevin Allen. "I mean, it’s universal—the little engine that could—but in this case, it’s the Scottish hairdresser that thinks he can."

Warner Bros. Presents, A Crawford P. Inc. Production, In Association with I Should Coco Films, A Kevin Allen Film: Craig Ferguson, Frances Fisher and Mary McCormack in "The Big Tease," with David Rasche and Chris Langham. The music is by Mark Thomas. The film editor is Chris Peppe; production designer is Joseph Hodges; and director of photography is Seamus McGarvey, B.S.C. The executive producers are Sacha Gervasi, Craig Ferguson and Kevin Allen. It is written by Sacha Gervasi & Craig Ferguson. "The Big Tease" is produced by Philip Rose and directed by Kevin Allen. Distributed by Warner Bros., A Time Warner Entertainment Company.