Glass Onion, Knives Out, Costumer Designer Jenny Eagan

Designing Hollywood Podcast Show

Jenny Eagan, costume designer for the new star-studded Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, has a career path defined by opportunities taken. Although she did not formally study costume design, her many award-winning projects feature characters who leap off the screen, thanks in no small part to her costumes. Who would have thought a girl from Independence, Missouri would end up in this profession? “Certainly not my Mom,” laughs Eagan. “I wanted to be a middle-school teacher to make a difference. Halfway through college, I switched to textile marketing and merchandising because I love clothes, but never knew that could lead to working in the entertainment industry.” Post-graduation, Eagan drove cross country to live in San Diego, where she became ‘excellent on rollerblades’ before following friends to Los Angeles. She joined a temp agency and her first interview was for a low budget film. As fate would have it, Mary Zophres was the costume designer on her second temp job. Eagan shadowed her on weekends, getting coffee and grabbing lunches. She observed and absorbed everything, until Zophres invited her to join the team on Any Given Sunday, her first job as a production assistant. Six months at Western Costume Company gained her entry into the Union. She spent over a decade with Zophres, progressing from production assistant to assistant costume designer. “Mary hates when I say she was an amazing mentor, but I didn’t know anything and she taught me everything.” Her first feature as a costume designer was Contraband, with Mark Wahlberg and director Baltasar Kormákur, but the project that launched her career was the first season of True Detective for HBO. The show garnered her the Costume Designers Guild Award for Best Contemporary Television Series in 2015. “It was an amazing experience and a confidence builder for me.” Eagan moved on to design several small but critically acclaimed films and television series including Olive Kitteridge which won her an Emmy, Widows, and the celebrated Beasts of No Nation. The first iteration of the Knives Out trilogy, written and directed by Rian Johnson, was an unmitigated hit. “Because of our limited shoot time, we had all guns blazing,” she says. “I feel like I fit every single one of the cast members the week before. Thankfully, Rian wrote well-defined characters and chose seasoned actors. We were all in sync.” She was awarded her third CDGA for her efforts. Johnson wanted everyone to ratchet it up for the sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Eagan decided early on that most of the costumes would be custom made. Shooting on a remote island off Greece and in Serbia during Covid, she knew she could not count on shopping. She prepped in Los Angeles, anticipating multiples for principals and stunt doubles, then brought extra fabrics to cover her back. While designing the first Knives Out, Eagan forged great relationships with Johnson and producer Ram Bergman. They agreed that travel during the pandemic could be problematic and allowed her to bring her union team from Los Angeles. She brought ACD Jessica Albertson, supervisor Emily Egge, set costumer Claire Sandrin, and cutter/fitter Erica Ciaglia. “Claire, Emily, and I first worked together on No Country for Old Men (designed by Mary Zophres) and have collaborated as much as possible since. I was thankful for this luxury. I’m not a one-man show, we are a team.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices