UNITED STATES
The New York Times
By RAVI SOMAIYA
NOV. 6, 2015
“Spotlight,” a movie about The Boston Globe’s reporting on the sexual abuse of children in the Roman Catholic Church that opens in theaters on Friday, has caught the attention of critics.
But its costumes, based on the clothing of the real journalists involved, have caused comment for another reason: They have uncannily captured a particular style (or lack of style), that still distinguishes reporters and editors today.
When the movie’s high-wattage stars, including Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo, were pictured on set last year, their unglamorous outfits made tabloid headlines.
The film’s costume designer, Wendy Chuck, a veteran of subtle clothing choices in movies like “Sideways” and “Twilight,” spoke Friday by phone on what makes newsroom-chic, and the challenges of making movie stars look like journalists. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Q. How would you describe the style of journalists?
A. It’s an unthought-about uniform. It mirrors school uniforms really. It’s something you don’t think about when you dress. You don’t really care; you’ve got other things to think about that are not clothes.
It says you’re comfortable, but nobody is going to comment on how you look or how you appear. You’re not going to offend anybody. Nobody is going to be able to read much into you.
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