A Lifetime Cable Movie-Of-The-Week
Hearst Entertainment
Starring Kirsten Dunst, Park Overall
and David Andrews.

How to Make a Girl Pregnant
(Not the way you think!)
Click on Photos for Larger Image!

One week before production of the film "Fifteen And Pregnant," a call came in to Chimera Studios from the Costume Designer wanting to know if we could make the false pregnant belly for the film. Since E. Larry Day had been hired as Key Make-Up Artist, he was already familiar with the project. The challenge of creating a photo-realistic pregnant belly in such a short time was exciting.

Kirsten Dunst, who would eventually wear the prosthesis, was unavailable prior to principal photography and the belly was needed by the second day of shooting.

Lacking a lifecast of the star, Agent Emily Dunlap at Background Action assisted us in finding an actress who met the petite measurements of Dunst. A mold of her torso was made using alginate. The mold was filled with plaster to created a positive of her body.
From this lifecast, a fiberglass torso was fabricated. This would be the base for the sculpture. The call went out for pregnant women in the area to come by Chimera Studios for photos and measurements. Once enough research had been conducted, the sculpture began.

Using oil-based clay (lots of it), the sculpture took shape over the next two days. During the research, it became apparent that no two pregnancies are the same. While some women had lots of stretch marks, others had none at all. Belly buttons came in a variety of shapes and colors and all proportions varied from person to person. The decision was made to find a 'middle ground.'

Once the sculpture was completed and textured to resemble the smooth flesh of a pregnant belly, the molding began.

The sculpture was covered in several layers of resin and fiberglass to make the final mold. The mold would need to be durable in order to survive the creation of several bellies and withstand the intense, prolonged heat of the processes involved.

Our 'stunt belly' was created with a thick layer of latex (rubber) filled with a soft flexible polyurethane. The 'hero belly' was created from foam latex. Once finished, the pieces were painted with PAX, a combination of adhesive and paints that bond to the surface. Realistic veining and stretch marks airbrushed on. Then the finishing touches were added. A soft sheen to the fake skin and a little belly button lint (just kidding).

Here are the final results in the film. The realistic belly is only viewed in one scene. The belly was used to 'sell' the idea that Kirsten is really pregnant.
The result was effective and believable. (unless, of course, you know Kirsten personally!).

"The experience of working on the film was terrific. Even though Kirsten spent weeks wearing the sometimes-uncomfortable bellies, she was always cheerful and a joy to work with."
"Fifteen And Pregnant" aired on Lifetime Cable - January 19th at 9:00pm. The movie received the second highest rating for a Lifetime movie. Congratulations to the Production, Cast and Crew!

Quoted remarks are from E. Larry Day unless otherwise noted.
(Photos from the film "Fifteen and Pregnant" are watermarked/copyrighted Chimera Studios/Lifetime Cable/Hearst Entertainment)

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