Staying Close to the Magic: Inside the Creative World of Louise Bruun

The acclaimed Hair and Make-up Designer on trusting her instincts and remaining a student of her craft

By: The Lace Ledger Staff

Louise Bruun was 19 when Nicolas Winding Refn asked her to work on his first feature, Pusher. She had never done it before, but agreed anyway, kicking off her creative career. One of the actors in her chair was another newcomer: Mads Mikkelsen.

Decades later, Bruun is still saying yes to the creative unknown. Only now, she brings a formidable career’s worth of experience with her.

Her work has moved between the immediacy of fashion and the permanence of film, teaching her to trust an instinct while continually sharpening it. On a major production, she keeps herself close to the lens, where creative decisions can evolve alongside the scene in “reel” time. When a project changes course, she changes with it. After decades spent creating extraordinary aesthetics, she still considers herself a student of her craft.

That willingness to adapt is central to Bruun’s process. She arrives with an informed point of view but remains open to what other artists bring to it, allowing the project to take shape through collaboration.

Her latest film with Refn, Her Private Hell, offers a spectacular canvas for that philosophy. The film draws Bruun back into the horror that first captivated her as a teenager, now with a wealth of experience across fashion and film to draw from.

We spoke with Bruun about trusting her creative instincts and the creative possibilities that emerge when artists inspire one another.