Once more, for the record: Nestor Carbonell does NOT wear eye make-up!
During the panel for ABC’s “Lost” at the TCA Press Tour a few weeks ago, executive producer Carlton Cuse said that the true mystery of the series is, “Is Nestor Carbonell wearing make-up?”
Those familiar with the man who plays Richard Alpert, advisor to the inscrutable Benjamin Linus, have pondered this question for quite some time, and millions more wondered about it after seeing Carbonell playing the Mayor of Gotham City in “The Dark Knight,” but Cuse’s fellow “Lost” producer, Damon Lindelof, swore to an audience of TV critics that Carbonell is not guilty on all charges.
“When we first saw dailies of Nestor, we were, like, ‘Someone’s gotta talk to him about the eyeliner situation,’” Lindelof said. “And he does not wear any mascara, no eyeliner, nothing. He is completely 100 percent sans makeup. That’s the God’s honest truth.”
And, yet, there are those who still refuse to believe it.
Therefore, when I was given the opportunity to talk with Carbonell in connection with the DVD release of “Killer Movie” (he has a small but hilarious part as a Hollywood agent), I figured that this was the perfect opportunity to get confirmation straight from the horse’s mouth. Word of the TCA tour had clearly gotten back to Carbonell, however, since the mere mention of the event led him to start laughing (“My brother told me about it,” he explained), and the laughter increased dramatically, however, when I told him that the changing of my status to indicate my impending interview with him had immediately resulted in one of my friends – okay, it was Mekeisha Madden Toby, who writes for The Detroit News’ TV blog – replying, “OOOH! Ask him if he uses eyeliner!”
So I asked him.
“Let me make this perfectly clear: I do not. I do not wear make-up, and I do not wear eye-liner,” said Carbonell, still laughing. “My brother sent me that article (about the “Lost” panel), and I just laughed so loud. This is something I’ve had to deal with my whole life. When I was a little kid, I was about five years old and living in Mexico, and I remember my mom’s friends would come over and say, ‘Oh, look at his eyelashes!’ I got such a complex about it that I ended up taking scissors to them once, and my mom stopped me and said, ‘What are you doing?’ But they were talking about them, and I got a lot comments about my eye-liner. Eventually, I got over it and was, like, ‘What are you gonna do?’ But I definitely had a complex when I was a kid about having dark eyelashes.”
Sadly, the complex would come back to haunt Carbonell a few years later.
“When I was in college in Boston, I had a commercial agent who sent me out for some print commercial stuff,” he said. “But they called me into the office and said, ‘Look, we called you in to talk to you because we just want you to know that…well, we don’t think you need to wear eyeliner.’ And I’m, like, ‘What?’ ‘Yeah, it’s okay, you don’t have to wear it for print ads.’ ‘No, I’m not wearing eyeliner!’ And I kept dabbing my eyes and saying, ‘Look! No eyeliner! I’m not wearing any!’ And, finally, they started laughing.
“So, yeah, it’s something I’ve dealt with it in the past, and sometimes, makeup artists are able to diminish it…and they’re doing it on ‘Lost’ more and more…by putting a base on my eyelashes so it makes it less dark. But I didn’t know it would be a question at the TCA tour, that’s for sure!”
Stay tuned for the full interview with Mr. Carbonell on Bullz-Eye next week, with more “Lost” talk, plus conversation about the “Dark Knight” / “Tick” connection, his regrets over the too-quick departure of “Cane” from the airwaves, and…yes!…his work on “Suddenly Susan.”
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Posted in: Action Movies, Actors, Celebrities, Gossip, Interviews, Lost, Movie Dramas, Movies, News, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas
Tags: Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof, Lost, Nestor Carbonell, Richard Alpert, The Dark Knight
Yes, as I learned while I was researching my Bullz-Eye Michael Caine salute some time back, Caine apparently always wears eyeliner on camera — he says his eyes tend to disappear otherwise and, of course, no one notices.
Irony, thy name is show biz.
FINALLY! i’ve been telling people myself so many times “he does NOT wear make up! He just has beautiful eyes!!” Thanks for this article.
i love you richard! jk nestor!!!
in this week’s episode of LOST, SAwyer calls Richard Alpert “your friend with the eyeliner”… lol i still believe he does
“your friend with the eyeliner”… rofl
SAWYER: Let me talk to him.
HORACE: Excuse me?
SAWYER: Your buddy out there with the eyeliner – let me talk to him.
Damn… I’d love to have my eyes like that. It’s extremely beautiful!!! He’s very handsome.
He is fantastic actor. He is mega cute, and very nice person! Always seems to smile!
Hey come to the UK! We are big fans on the Isle of Wight!!
I never thought he was wearing makeup I was to busy having…”averts eyes” fantasies”coughs” about him.haha
Ok, I am definitly not gay or anything and I’m actually somewhat homophobic but whatever, I like how his eyes are naturally dark, I don’t think it looks girly or anything to be ashamed of, I’m actually jealous about them. I watch lost and i thought he was just wearing eye make up, either way I think it looks good. (but i still had to look it up)
Oh man he is just the hottest!! Though I’m 17 I don’ mind hookin up with this man! Just something about him is so charming! God and his eyes are SUPER SEXY!! Love you nestor!! MUAH!!
Nestor lover-
I agree with everything you said.
Danny – Even I wish I had naturally looking eyeliner on. I think it looks good. I don’t think it looks homo at all. At least on him.
I don’t believe him.
Michael Jackson also denied having most of the plastic surgery that he obviously had done. Coroners after MJs death said that his eyes were tattooed.
The closeups i have seen of Nestor Carbonell clearly show lines penciled around his eyes much thicker than any eyelashes or eyelash thickener could produce. Brooke Shields pedals that new eyelash drug and her eyes don’t even look like that.
Idreno – so you believe Nestor Carbonell tattooed his eyes or is having eyelash drugs?
Goddddd!!!!! He is fast becoming one of the hottest guys on the show for me. Esp after the last episode…
Mwah! <3
To be fair, Michael Jackson had some serious psychological issues, so perhaps denial of his cosmetic procedures was part of his condition. Nestor Carbonell seems (from interviews, etc.) to be mentally healthy. So, it is harder to see why he would lie about such a thing.
I think it’s kind of pathetic that some dude has to pencil his face up to look good. Once he rinses it off he’s probably looks completely different. WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO MEN, UGH MAKE-UP IS FOR CHICKS! And if anyone thinks its for the movies then why are there so many other male actors out there that don’t have to wear it. Besides his roles in movies are getting really old, the young sexy business man WITH EYELINER! ugh
I totally desagree with the ugh comment, i do like to see some men with makeup, if not exagerated can look very good
and Nestor, with or without makeup, is a good example of it.
Elizabeth Taylor had a genetic mutation that gave her a double row of eyelashes. I think it’s very possible that Nestor Carbonell might have the same mutation, which would explain the very thick, dark eyelashes that make it appear as though he is wearing eyeliner.
You all are hilarious! Nestor is in my husband’s family and he does not wear eyeliner. Sorry to disappoint some of you.
I don’t think he does, now at least, I mean you all have convinced me. But there is like a really dark line under his eye and, I might be wrong, but it just doesn’t look like it is regular?? idk sorry.