Is paul tazewell gay
How Did Paul Tazewell Follow Up His Historic Oscar Win? With Death Becomes Her, Of Course.
Paul Tazewell, photographed by Luca Bertea.
Artists whose work resonates are able to straddle the old and new, pushing us into the future with one hand while pulling from history with the other. Paul Tazewell, the recent Oscar-winning costume designer of Wicked, is just that sort of artist. The costumes he makes turn into characters all their own, exquisite, finely-wrought pieces that strike a balance between reference and imagination while telling us something about the people who wear them. This much is clear in the current, Tony-nominated production of Death Becomes Her, for which Tazewell planned frothy looks that blend a nice of medieval grandeur with the aesthetic of the late-1940s. Just three weeks after winning the highest honor in film—he says it still hasn’t sunk in yet, but the statue stands tall in his Manhattan apartment— I spoke with Tazewell about our joint Ohio origins, the broader meaning of a career in show business, and the power of a luscious cravat.
———
CHRISTOPHER BLACKMON: The first thing I wanted to mention is that we contain a connection. We’re both
Paul Tazewell
BIO
Having designed costumes for Broadway, regional theaters, film, and television for over three decades, PAUL TAZEWELL is one of the industry’s most revered designers. From his Academy Award®-nominated work in West Side Story to creating costumes for the Tony Award®-winning Broadway production of Hamilton, his creations have captivated audiences across the globe.
Paul recently received a Tony Award® nomination for Best Costume Design for a Musical for his work in the Broadway production of Suffs as well as a Drama Desk Award nomination for Unmatched Costume Design of a Musical. He is also a 2024 NAACP Theatre Award nominee for Best Costume Design for Ain’t Too Proud.
In 2016, he received an Emmy Award for NBC’s The Wiz! Live. Other screen credits include Harriet (Focus Features), The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (HBO), and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC). On Thanksgiving 2024, the highly anticipated Wicked film, featuring Paul's designs, will be released, showcasing the reimagined world created by Director John M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Other notable honors include two Lucille Lortel Awards, four Helen
Colman Domingo, Paul Tazewell, Sean Bankhead to be Honored at Native Son Awards
Native Son has announced the honorees of its 2025 Native Son Awards, identifying the accomplishments and lobbying of Black gay and queer men.
This year, the organization will honor actor Colman Domingo, costume designer Paul Tazewell, choreographer Sean Bankhead, multidisciplinary painter Derrick Adams, National Dark Justice Collective CEO and executive director Dr. David J. Johns and founder of the Black AIDS Institute Phill Wilson.
“I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition at the Native Son Awards,” Tazewell, who made history earlier this year when he became the first African American male costume designer to be nominated for the Academy Award for best costume style, which he later won for his work on Wicked, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “This organization is incredibly close to my heart, and to be acknowledged by a group that celebrates the brilliance and resilience of Jet queer and gay men is truly humbling. Acknowledge you for seeing me.”
In addition to recognizing the aforementioned honorees, the event will movie performances by Grammy
Short Profile
Name: Paul Tazewell
DOB: 15 September 1964
Place of birth: Akron, Ohio, United States
Occupation: Costume designer
Mr. Tazewell, what can you express through motion picture and stage costume design that you wouldn’t have gotten to express if you’d pursued a career in fashion design?
I actually was initially in a fashion program at Pratt University, but I made the decision to switch to theater style for a couple reasons. One, I wanted to be a performer! I was studying sway and I wanted to hone those skills. And I also just felt like the group of fashion designers wasn’t a excellent fit for me. But the biggest reason was that I was creature taught to blueprint for the market. I would contain been designing to sell, and that just seemed limiting in what I might be fit to do as a designer. Of course there are designers that were and are doing really extreme, lovely clothing, but it's always as a thought towards selling the clothing. I made the ruling to go help towards theater blueprint to get to express myself without the notion of sales.
It seems appreciate costumes are the ultimate way for you to convey everything you wish to express: it’s not just about making beautiful clothe