Janelle Monáe plans Halloween costumes at least two years in advance, but when the Screen Actors Guild went on strike last year, the entertainer decided to scrap her spooky plans. “SAG-AFTRA has issued guidelines that discourage members from dressing up as movie or television characters, so I stood in solidarity with my people and changed my plan,” the 38-year-old singer, actress and creative recently said. The Hollywood journalist.
Monáe didn't quite abandon the iconic movie character she wanted to be last season, and she managed to keep her identity a secret… until Wednesday. With less than 24 hours until Halloween, Monáe revealed an epic transformation into the beloved character from Steven Spielberg's 1982 sci-fi film ET the extraterrestrial.
Not only did she post the look on Instagram for her five million followers with videos and a carousel of images, many of which captured ET as a day in the life, from eating breakfast to getting dressed for the day (in both men's and men's versions ). women's clothing) to flying high in the sky on a bicycle with “Janelllllliott” — Monáe passed through here The Jennifer Hudson Show for his small screen debut.
It's also worth pointing out that in one of the images, ET is wearing a Kamala Harris 2024 pin as a political endorsement just days before the Nov. 5 election. A few years ago, Monáe also transformed into the fly that landed on Mike Pence's head during a television debate, and told THR that he did so as a way to encourage people to get out and vote ahead of the 2020 election — and to discourage voters from supporting Pence and his running mate, former President Donald Trump.
Those who have been paying close attention to Monáe's Halloween transformations over the past five years know that the Wondaland creative doesn't just put on an outfit and run around town. He collaborates with stylists, special effects and makeup artists, creative directors, videographers and more to bring the vision to life, often spending more than five hours in the chair to get into character. He also devotes his imagination to fleshing out the characters' backstories and often follows method during the process.
“Halloween is such a happy space for me,” she said THR. “It's been since I was a kid. Does it open up a larger conversation about how we can become agents of joy? How do we become agents of happiness? How do we become agents of the imagination? I'm just doing what I want to see more of. Bringing Halloween experiences and creative experiences is heart work, not hard work. I do it because my heart needs it.”
Fun fact: To become ET, Monáe collaborated with visionary photographer Pol Korucz, who recently photographed the star for her cover story in The Hollywood journalist. The film, released last week, featured Monáe as an original monster in the vein of iconic big screen villains like Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. “Thank you so much for making my childhood dream come true, Janelle Monae,” Kurucz shared on Instagram.
See all the social posts featuring her ET below.