Aside from this case of dressing a cadaver for historical accuracy, are there reasons why an actor would choose to wear a merkin?

“Definitely. Just for discretion, not wanting to actually put themselves out there or have their own body seen. So whether it’s like wearing a body stocking or a dance belt, and then the hair [gets] put over it — you know, just layers in between the flesh, I suppose, for love scenes.”

Who's involved in discussing the specifics of the merkin or hairpiece that’s needed?

“For television, it’s all the script and what the director sees — their vision — and then working with the hair and makeup team to decide. Any kind of body hair is all in the makeup world, not the hair world, so then they reach out to me. You can also lay hair individually and glue that to the face or the body, but it takes so much time. Just like with wigs, when I’m brought in, it’s usually to save time — for the actor in a chair, rather than a three-hour makeup call to get the job done, if I make a piece, it gets put on in 15 minutes.”

Was making the merkin any different than making a wig for a person’s head?

“I suppose it would be more similar to making a beard. The shape of the head is completely different. This is more like making any kind of chest hair, armpit hair, beard, or facial hair — very fine lace and lots of knots.”

What’s the process for applying a merkin?

“It’s just glued to the skin if the person’s own body hair is shaved back, [but] the one I made was glued over the edge of a prosthetic torso. I put it on her for the fitting, but not the shoot. The actress was pretty great. It was definitely treated like a professional fitting. The special effects team was with me, and they were all male, and I think the actress was really relieved to have a female in the room. We cleared it out for my fitting with her and just got down to business. We had great humor about it, and I don’t think it was as awkward as it sounds.”

Is it painful to apply that type of wig?

“Well, they have to shave their own hair — whatever body hair they have. Usually, they’re probably not very hirsute, or we wouldn’t be making a piece. The adhesives are always a little bit inconvenient, I suppose. It’s different types of glue, but they have removers and some very calming balms for the skin, and even some pretreatments if you have very sensitive skin before you put the adhesive on. I don’t think it’s too painful.”

Did the actress on Boardwalk Empire keep her merkin?

“I don’t think so, no. Usually the wigs and hairpieces are considered assets by the production company.”

Did Scorsese say anything about it?

“It was too full, and we had to cut it down a bit... It was just too much hair.”

Have you gotten any requests to make any more merkins?

“I get a lot of press calls like this one to talk about it. I’ve gotten a few just people wanting them made, or wanting them in colors, I suppose, for a while, but I don’t do that.”

Do you think they would have to make a merkin differently if it were being worn for a sex scene versus by a cadaver on a table?

“Yeah, definitely, and sometimes in sex scenes, they’re sewn onto a dance belt or to a piece of clothing. It’s all for discretion and comfort.”

Are there wig-makers out there who are really known for making merkins?

“I don’t think so. If there are, I don’t know them.”

Do you find yourself assessing other merkins when you see them on screen?

“No I don’t, ever. I’ve never actually looked to see if there’s a merkin or not. I do look at wigs that way.”