iPhone Face’s Impact on Cinema

Have you ever been watching a period piece and been transported out of the world instead of in it due to an excessive amount of microplastics within the cast? Have you ever been watching a gritty film about the working class set in the 1950s and been blinded by ridiculously white veneers? Have you ever found yourself scratching your head over what emotion an actor is supposed to be displaying due to the fact that their face doesn’t move? Then you’ve probably come across iPhone face.

iPhone face is when actors who look too modern to be believable in historical period dramas. Some common features in this phenom are veneers, lip fillers, Botox and modern makeup. A key example of this is Margot Robbie in Emerald Fennels 2026 adaptation of ‘Wuthering Heights.’

Sometimes, the makeup team is to blame. While Margot Robbie’s version of Catherine Earnshaw isn’t believable as a tragic mid-1800s gothic lead, it has little to do with Robbie herself and more to do with the fact that she’s styles as though she’s playing a game of dress up. Robbie is certainly a modern beauty, but films such as 2018s Mary Queen of Scots demonstrate that with the right costuming, hair and makeup, almost any actor is able to transform into someone unrecognisable.

The key word in here is almost. You could be the most talented makeup artist in the world but if your muse had prodded, poked and pulled their face beyond belief, there’s only so much you can do.

Cosmetic fillers affect stories set in modern day as well. In a scene from Euphoria featuring Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Heather (Jessica Blair Herman) viewers couldn’t help but notice the stark difference in how the two actresses were able to portray emotions, and even joked that if they’d been watching the scene on mute, they wouldn’t have a clue what emotion Herman was trying to display.

The key to being even a successful actor is being able to portray a range of emotions. That’s going to be rather difficult if you can’t move your face.

It’s frustrating to say to the least. But can we really blame actors for sabotaging themselves when we live in such a shallow world? Those in the limelight who dare to age gracefully often face online scrutiny from trolls. And while in an ideal world acting would be all about talent, it would be a lie to say that good looks don’t play a major role in stardom.

2023s Dial of Destiny is a prime example of this. The film uses AI to significantly de-age Harrison Ford, despite the fact that Ford is often still regarded as very handsome.

Actors, directors and viewers must stop fearing ugly.

Imagine Shelley Duvall trying to look pretty and composed while her crazed on-screen husband axes through the bathroom door. Because Duvall isn’t afraid of making strange and what could be considered unattractive facial expressions, the viewer is transported into a world of fear and terror.

Human beings aren’t supposed to be blemish free. We’re supposed to be able to make all kinds of weird and wonderful expressions. Without this, the death of film and television could be upon us.