EXCLUSIVE: Kim Kimble On The #BlackGirlMagic Behind ‘A Wrinkle In Time’

The celebrity stylist shares what it was like bringing Ava Duvernay's vision to life.

Dec 4, 2017
Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

We still have several months until A Wrinkle In Time hits theaters but we have been freaking out ever since we saw the first trailer.

Kim Kimble is the woman behind the fabulous and futuristic hairstyles that helped bring these incredible characters to life.

We caught up with the celebrity stylist to find out what it was like to head the hair department on such a huge project and found out she’s just as amazed by all of the #BlackGirlMagic this movie is serving as we are.

Ava DuVernay is at the helm of the film based on the 2003 novel by Madeline L’Engle and features an all-star cast including Oprah Winfrey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mindy Kaling, and Storm Reid, among others.

When Kimble got the call from DuVernay (who used to be a client) asking her to head the film’s hair department, she didn’t hesitate.

“Ava wanted me to work on it because she knows how much I love to do creative projects. The hair was such a huge component for the look of the film and I knew right away I was going to do it,” she says. “I love a challenge and I knew this was going to be a huge production.”

“Huge” may be an understatement for the film that was shot on location in New Zealand and required more than 50 custom-made wigs.

“Ava’s work is incredible. She’s the visionary behind this film and it was astounding to watch her take on this epic task. For an African-American woman to lead such a big-budget film from a powerhouse studio like Disney was awesome,” she says.

“From the top down, there was so much black girl magic in the room at all times, it was really exciting and pushed me to do my best. To work with this level of talent every day made the long hours so worth it.”

Although Kimble is used to having her hands on the most famous heads in the business including Beyonce and Mary J. Blige, she admits she was floored by the names on her call-sheet. The fact that the film would star Oprah Winfrey didn’t hurt, either.

“Oprah doesn’t even know that she has been my mentor from afar. Watching her as a businesswoman, I knew there was something special and wonderful about her but actually working with her opened my eyes. It was an amazing experience,” she says.

“I was just mesmerized to hear her talking. I would hang on her every word and she gave really great advice. You can’t pay for that. It was amazing.”

When it came to collaborating on Winfrey’s look, Kimble says she was ready to take big risks for her character.

“I love how professional she was and how open to the changes she was. She had the most drastic change out of everyone in the movie. To go from dark hair to platinum blonde was intense,” she explains. “She was really into it and really wanted to go there.”

While Kimble was thoroughly impressed with Winfrey’s transformation, she was even more impressed by her kindness.

“You see the success but to see how she actually interacts with people and how gentle she was and how giving she was with her knowledge was incredible. She’s a billionaire and of course she has that presence but she conducts herself like any other professional,” she says. “She speaks to everyone. She was just wonderful in every way.”

Winfrey wasn’t the only one who blew Kimble’s mind.

“The new generation of talent on this film is incredible. Working with Storm [Reid] was a real privilege too,” says Kimble. “She’s the new kid on the block but she’s the lead of this movie. Everyone is going to freak out when they see her performance. She’s young and she’s black and she’s talented and this is just the beginning for her.”

There hasn’t been a film with such a power-packed team of women of color behind it, and Kimble is proud to be a part of it.

“To work with the likes of Ava and Oprah and Mindy [Kaling] was such a privilege. Mindy is a woman of color and she has done great things as an actress, writer and producer. This has absolutely been a highlight of my career,” she said.

“Aside from it being such a major move for women of color, it also includes prominent white women who deliver as well. Reese [Witherspoon] is a superstar and a producer and I never thought I would work in the same trailer as her. Bellamy [Young] was awesome too. The girl-power on the film was impressive. I can’t wait to see the final product.”

Neither can we.

A Wrinkle In Time hits theaters March 9, 2018.

 

 

 

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