Practical effects are one of the most enduring legacies of cinema. From all the way back in the early days of moving pictures through to new blockbusters like The Mandalorian and Grogu, there has always been a place for those willing to undergo physical transformations into characters through the use of prosthetics and make-up. This kind of filmmaking also leaves behind many items that can then find their way to auction years later, something that CGI-heavy movies cannot offer collectors of the future. In 2011, Jennifer Lawrence underwent a daily eight-hour process to become Mystique in X-Men: First Class, having numerous pieces of latex adhered directly to her face and body to portray the mutant also known as Raven Darkholme. Thanks to VIP Fan Auctions, one collector has now managed to buy several of these screen-worn blue appliances for price that is surprisingly low.
In many cases, the mere mention of Marvel in an auction is enough to push prices beyond the reach of many general collectors. When you also throw in words like “screen-used,” and then consider that an Oscar-winner once wore these pieces, the $1,401 hammer price of this lot seems ridiculously low compared to the five-figure sums that such items can frequently sell for. X-Men: First Class was the first of Fox’s several X-Men prequel movies, which saw a younger cast taking on the X-Men roles made famous by the likes of Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, and Rebecca Rominj, who played Mystique in the original X-Men trilogy. Lawrence played the character in several movies, but the prosthetics in this auction were worn by the actress in her first appearance in the franchise – something else that could potentially add an extra zero to price tag. When taking it all into account, it makes the sub-$1,500 result even more disappointing.
Lawrence has appeared in many movies over the last two decades, from the Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook, through The Hunger Games, to her recent return in films like No Hard Feelings. However, her Marvel appearances were among her more memorable roles thanks to her striking appearance in the films. Spending eight hours having make-up applied is not an enjoyable part of the movie-making process, and Lawrence has spoken about the discomfort of the endurance test in many interviews. Thanks to Mystique being seen on screen with her full body on display, Lawrence had to have scales and other prosthetics glued to almost every part of her body, and then have it all painted blue. On some occasions, she even had to sit on a bicycle to allow a team of six make-up artists to work on her. The process was so grueling for Lawrence that is is probably one of the reasons her subsequent appearances saw Mystique mostly wearing a bodysuit, negating the need for so many hours in make-up.
The history of these prosthetic parts, having been attached to and removed from Lawrences body is one that should have probably seen the lot selling for more than it did. While this could be down to various things like the timing of the auction, the site hosting it not being one of the biggest auction site, or just be the fact that as Lawrence was not the original Mystique in Fox’s X-Men line-up, collectors may not see items linked to First Class and the movies that followed it as important as ones from the 2000 movie and its first two sequels. Either way, $1,401 became the price that someone was willing to pay for this collection. While this is definitely on the low side, the fragile nature of prosthetic appliances, along with them being relatively new rather than something vintage, seems to have put people off entering a bidding war to get their hands on this particular lot of X-Men memorabilia. What ever the reason for the lack of interest, these pieces of Marvel history now have a new home, where if looked after they could be worth more if returning to auction sometimes in the future.
