The surprising reason Ella Purnell's makeup team at Fallout TV had to 'face the biggest challenge of their lives'

If you were to guess the actor who presented the greatest challenge for makeup and prosthetics on Amazon's Fallout, you would probably choose The Ghoul - the rotting but charming 200-year-old mutated Walton Goggins with a missing nose and scar tissue. Goggins' prosthetics were developed over months and applied each day during filming. But according to Michael Harvey of Fallout's makeup department, that wasn’t the only challenge.

Ella Purnell's makeup was a major challenge for Lucy, the Vault Dweller. But not in the way you might expect.

"The one thing a lot people don't realize unless they've done extensive research on Ella Purnell is that she's covered with tattoos. Harvey told PC Gamer that she was tattooed from head to toe. "And for most of episode 1, she's running about in a wedding gown."

Harvey explained that since Purnell's character grew up in a Vault, it would not make sense for her tattoos. "So, every day for a minimum of a month, i'm sitting here covering tattoos," Harvey stated. "Even when she exits the super duper Mart and anytime her vault suit was down, I was covering tattoos."

Harvey's job was not only difficult. Purnell's index finger was "part of the greatest challenge" in handling her makeup.

If you haven't watched it yet, I apologize for the spoilers, but Lucy bites The Ghoul off in an episode of Fallout. The Ghoul immediately cut off Lucy's finger in order to replace the one he lost. Mister Handy, a robot, replaces Lucy's missing finger with one he has in a drawer. Lucy's finger issue was resolved, but the makeup problem was just beginning.

For continuity, Purnell's hand had to appear to have a strange dead finger attached. This isn't quite as easy as it seems.

"It was a real chore to paint her finger every day," he said. Harvey said that he did not paint her finger just once per day. He had to hold her hand constantly throughout the day. "She would pick something up and put it in her pockets. She would wash her hands. Oop, gotta paint her finger [again].

"And the writers told me that by episode four we'd write something so [the finger] would heal and you wouldn't see it again." I was like, "Great, thank-you!"

Harvey was left to constantly touch up Ella Purnell's nail because the writers never showed up. Fallout will continue to do this chore. Harvey said, "You'll see that finger again in season two."

Worth it? Fallout has been nominated for sixteen Emmys. Two of those are for makeup, both for outstanding prosthetic makeup and non-prosthetic makeup. So, yeah. It's probably worth it.