CR 012: Debi Young on Bringing Kindness, Authenticity, and Artistry to Every Project

The award-winning makeup artist discusses her work on "The Wire," her proudest career moment, and why she always aims to lead with love.

Photo courtesy of Debi Young

There are a couple of things you should know about Debi Young.

First, you know her work, even if you may not recognize her name. She’s provided the makeup for some of the most notable film and television projects of the past 30 years: The Wire, Mare of Easttown, Treme, The Wiz Live!, Jackie, Fences, Queen Sugar, Castle Rock, True Detective, Watchmen, Leave the World Behind, and Shirley—just to name a few. Her work has earned her an NAACP Image Award for We Own This City, as well as four Emmy Award nominations. She’s been profiled in Vanity Fair, has worked with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, and is Mahershala Ali’s go-to makeup artist.

Second, once you meet Debi Young, you realize that all the bona fides and accolades—as deserved as they are—are the least impressive things about her. She has a calmness that puts whomever she is speaking with at ease. Interviewing her is less of a question-and-answer session and more like connecting with a longtime friend, even if you’ve only just met moments before. When discussing her work, it’s obvious she’s proud of her accomplishments but is just as interested in the connection she establishes with others on set. “It’s a spiritual thing for me,” she says. “I know I’m always there for more than makeup.”

Wendell Pierce, who starred in The Wire and Treme, vouched for this aspect of Debi’s personality when I profiled her last year for Shondaland. “I can’t remember the last conversation I had with Debi about makeup,” he told me, laughing. “Our conversations are always so much more deep, and so much more loving. She cared for us on and off screen. She was like a den mother on The Wire. And then she became a New Orleanian when she was in New Orleans for Treme. She becomes a part of the culture. To this day, she is more than just a colleague, she is family.”

Debi takes this aspect of her job seriously and tells me she doesn’t take one moment for granted. “I want for others what I want for myself and my family,” she says. “I just try to stay in the divine flow. I try to do the right thing. I don’t care what your higher power is; if you know that it’s something greater than you leading you in the right direction, I want you to stay in that flow. Make sure that you use your gifts to add value or elevation to somebody else’s life because that’s where your blessings are going to come from.”

Having recently wrapped up work on an upcoming, star-studded Pharrell Williams musical, Debi is now taking some time off to visit with family and tend to her garden. She recently chatted with me over a lengthy Zoom call about her influences, her proudest achievements, and some of the more gruesome scenes from The Wire.

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SANDRA EBEJER: I was looking over your IMDb credits, and the first project listed is Serial Mom, which was released 30 years ago. When you think back to those early days of your career, what comes to mind?

DEBI YOUNG: Well, my actual first feature film was The Meteor Man with Robert Townsend, and there was this excitement because [I was] doing a movie. We were working six days a week, all night. That was the film schedule, and we were so excited to be there. When they were wrapping us to go home, we really didn’t want to leave, because it was just so exciting. By today’s standards, they would say that it was not a good work environment, working six days a week and all nights, but we had a ball.

Photo courtesy of Debi Young

Do you still feel that sense of excitement when you go to work?

I do. You know why? I know I’m going to do makeup, but I always know there may be something more that I’m there for. And every job is different. Every single project is different. And my objective is to get the words off the pages onto the screen. That’s very exciting for me.

I want to ask about some specific moments from your career. One of the most crucial plot points in The Wire is Brandon’s murder. His death, which is so gruesome, really sets the stage for all that happens after. What do you remember about that moment, in terms of the makeup?