Marjaneh Ayati.Photo:Courtesy of Marjaneh Ayati
Courtesy of Marjaneh Ayati
When the Writers Guild of Americawent on strikein May, Marjaneh Ayati was set to begin work as a costumer on the second season ofThat ’90s Show.
“I loved watching all the cool clothes come in during my first season on the show,” she remembers of her time on set with stars like Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith.
With theScreen Actors Guildnow alsoon strike, Ayati is currently working the picket line. And dog-sitting. And, without any Hollywood productions going, worrying.
Ayati says the shutdown of Hollywood as studios square off against writers and actors over terms including residual payments and the use of artificial intelligence is nearly an “extinction-level event.”
“I’m worried that what makes movies and television so special, what brought us all out here to pursue our dreams, is being lost," says Ayati, 38. “And that’s the human level of film production.” As the negotiating continues, the downtime gets harder.
“Plus I have no idea when my job is going to come back. And what this entire industry will look like when it’s over.”
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.CBS via Getty
What the industry looked like to the Atlanta native when she was growing up was the zenith of fashion and beauty.
Her Hollywood dream was born.
Ayati moved to Los Angeles in 2012 and began working as a celebrity stylist’s assistant. “I did all sorts of odd jobs, whatever I could.” She also worked in production for mall fashion shows. She even assisted a professional organizer, spending days in the homes of wealthy celebrities. “I remember arranging so many closets of handbags and thinking, ‘I am so poor.’ ”
GLOW.Katrina Marcinowski/Netflix
Katrina Marcinowski/Netflix
Remembering the moment she had worked enough to get her union card makes her emotional.
“It felt like I had finally made it in Hollywood. I had hustled to stay in L.A. doing whatever I needed to do, and was starting a career.”
As a set costumer, Ayati preps all the costumes, making sure that however the designer envisioned it, that’s how it appears on camera. She catalogs every look on every actor and makes sure — as the scenes are often filmed out of order — that there is continuity.
“The work I do is very personal,” she says, “interacting very closely with actors. But around the costumes, I found my community here, a belongingness and a reason to be in Hollywood. Not just trying to figure out what my next move was.”
She pauses. “Now, I’m back to figuring out what my next move is.” She laughs and jokes, “Does your dog need to be walked?”
source: people.com
