The hair and makeup team behind the Apple TV+ series “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” went through more than 100 containers of cream eye shadow to paint Elle Fanning’s entire body green for her alien OnlyFans character. The show, which earned an Emmy nomination for its makeup work, required a painstaking process that took over two hours each time Fanning transformed into the character HungryGhost.
Erin Ayanian, head of the makeup department and Fanning’s longtime collaborator, came up with the idea to use cream eye shadow instead of traditional body paint. The product gave the deep teal skin color a strong pigment that did not move or fade during filming.
“The eye shadow didn’t move and had an incredible pigment,” Ayanian said. “I decided I wanted to use that, which was a little tedious because it came in a little, hard plastic container.”
Applying the Makeup Took Two and a Half Hours
The makeup team applied the cream eye shadow by hand all over Fanning’s body, similar to putting on lotion. The full application process took up to two and a half hours to complete. Removing the makeup at the end of each shooting day took just as long.
Ayanian described the work as “crazy but really enjoyable” and said the team “had a blast” bringing the character to life.
The amount of product needed was so large that Ayanian joked about ordering in bulk if the show returns for another season.
“If we need to do that same look for season two, I’m going to contact that company and say, ‘Can we get a bucket of it?’” Ayanian said.
The Character Behind the Green Paint
Fanning plays Margo Millet, a 20-year-old single mother who turns to OnlyFans to support herself and her baby. Her online persona, HungryGhost, is a green alien character that becomes a hit with subscribers.
The show is based on Rufi Thorpe’s best-selling 2024 novel and comes from creator David E. Kelley. The cast also includes Michelle Pfeiffer as Margo’s mother Shyanne and Nick Offerman as her father Jinx, a former pro wrestler.
Keeping the DIY Look Realistic
The makeup team made sure HungryGhost’s look seemed like something Margo could have created herself with help from her roommate. This meant the green skin, pink wig, and other elements had to look homemade rather than professionally done.
Jaime Leigh McIntosh, head of the hair department, found a synthetic pink wig online and used it straight out of the bag.
“The only thing I did to it was cut the bangs,” McIntosh said. “I couldn’t believe my luck that I found this wig that was just like something that she could find, pull out of a bag and put on her head. It was very believable.”
Two Versions of HungryGhost
The first season featured two versions of Fanning’s OnlyFans character. One was a full fantasy version of HungryGhost with a Barbarella-style pink wig. The other was a more down-to-earth version that Margo creates herself to make more money.
For every look except the dream sequence, the team followed one rule: it always needed to look like Margo had done it herself.
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Emmy Recognition and Season Two
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (Non-Prosthetic). The limited series has already been renewed for a second season.
The show premiered on Apple TV+ on April 15, 2026. All eight episodes of season one are now available to stream on the platform.
Fanning, who also serves as a producer on the show alongside her sister Dakota Fanning, had a hands-on role in creating Margo’s look. She even helped bedazzle her own costume.
In earlier interviews, Fanning explained that painting herself blue or green for the role was something she enjoyed despite the long hours in the makeup chair.
“We decided, ‘Why don’t we just paint myself blue?’” Fanning recalled. “So on those days, it took a lot of time in the makeup chair, but they had to cover me in this turquoise paint. But I liked it.”
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