Thanks to duo from Upper Austria

A spitting image of Michael Jackson

Andrea Lehner (l.) and Michaela Hannesschläger (r.) with the actors playing Michael Jackson and Diana Ross.

(Bild: Maria Bolonga, Krone KREATIV)

On the Côte d'Azur in the footsteps of the "King of Pop": two make-up artists from Upper Austria transform actors into Michael Jackson, Diana Ross or Liz Taylor for film shoots in France. The documentary sheds light on the religious side of the music superstar, who died in 2009.

His life was shrill, bizarre and at the same time one of the most successful musicians the world has ever known: Michael Jackson. He had worldwide hits with songs such as "Thriller" and "Billie Jean" and died in June 2009.

15 years later, people in Menton currently feel as if they are standing opposite him. A film about the US singer is being made on the Côte d'Azur: In the documentary "A Gift from God", the faithful side of Jackson is highlighted.

The two Upper Austrians at work for the film "A Gift From God".

(Bild: Maria Bolonga)

Andrea Lehner and Michaela Hannesschläger, two make-up artists from Upper Austria, transform the actors into Michael Jackson, Diana Ross or Liz Taylor. "We work a lot with wigs. It takes make-up artist skills to position them in such a way that they are not recognizable," says Lehner.

Special technique for a distinctive nose
The make-up that turns Joshua Consigli into the "King of Pop" is also challenging. To make the waxed face and the very distinctive nose look like the original, "I use a special technique," reveals the styling specialist from Alberndorf.

Lehner and Hannesschläger work from Monday to Saturday, with Easter off, leaving time for sightseeing in Nice and Monaco. Now filming under the direction of Liana Marabini is entering the home straight: Tomorrow, Wednesday, is the end.