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Since its opening in Times Square back in 2000, Madame Tussauds has become part and parcel of the character of the city. Sure, the famous wax museum is a tourist magnet, but New Yorkers have also come to appreciate the art form, welcoming new celebrity clay figures joining the roster of 200-or-so sculptures always on display at the museum. In a way, Madame Tussauds is our own mini-Hollywood.
A mere walk through the giant space at 234 West 42nd Street by Seventh Avenue is sure to catch you off guard: the wax figures are, to put it simply, life-like, almost identical to their human counterparts.
You'll be excused by the masses when walking into one of the main museum rooms and kicking off a conversation with Matthew McConaughey, who will obviously not answer any of your prompts given his wax form.
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Clearly works of art, the statues take about 10 months to produce, from start to finish, and given the lack of boundaries around them, there’s a need for constant attention and repairs—a process that itself requires the work of extremely diligent artists that spend their days in a studio hidden behind the glitz and glamour of the museum.
For the first time ever, Madame Tussauds is offering museum-goers the chance to take a peek at the process: the museum will start leading behind-the-scenes tours twice a day on Mondays through Fridays, starting April 15.
We got the chance to experience the 30-minute walk-through a few days before its official debut and we’re here to report that the offering is well worth its $12 price tag (plus the price of museum admission), effectively joining the rank of best things to do in New York whether you're a local or a tourist.
We won't spoil too much, but here are some really cool things we learned while spending time inside Madame Tussauds' unique studio:
1. Celebrities are highly involved in the production of their own wax figures
Once the staff settles on the subject to be immortalized, the celebrity flies to a production studio in New York or Europe and spends hours posing for a series of photos and measurements that will guide the builders throughout the process.
The subject is specifically asked about his or her own preferences: what sort of look are they imagining for their wax counterpart? What do they hope to accomplish?
The initial sit-down leads to a preliminary sculpture of the subject’s body and head from clay. The results are sent to the A lister’s team who will respond with notes and that back-and-forward continues right until the monument is completed in the U.K., sent to the U.S. and prepared for a public presentation.
Studio artist Matthew Hilshorst illustrates the importance of that relationship when discussing Jennifer Hudson's wax figure. According to the artist, the nails on display were first sent to Hudson's actual nail tech, who shared all necessary materials and colors to make sure that the monument would turn out as true-to-reality as possible.
2. The launch of a new figure is a big event that’s very well thought out
Lest you think the unveiling to be any less important than the actual object on debut, think again: each celebrity usually has his or her way of introducing their chiseled selves to the world.
"Ronaldo did a Times Square takeover while J Balvin preferred to pull a few fans into the museum and surprise everyone," explains studio artist Matthew Hilshorst.
2. It’s not just about the ‘who’ but also about the ‘when’
"We create a figure at a moment in time," notes Hilshorst.
Take Rihanna, for example. The artist has been a staple at the museum for years but was “re-introduced” to the public with a different figure right before her Super Bowl performance last year, this time wearing her 2018 Met Gala outfit.
The passing of time may also convince the staff to re-look at a wax figure. Al Roker’s statue, which debuted before his gastric bypass, was eventually archived and replaced with a thinner version of the weather pro.
Fun fact: if you take the tour, you’ll be able to glimpse at Roker’s pre-surgery face on display in the studio.
3. Wear and tear is a big part of the story
The figures at Madame Tussauds are famously “gate-less:” there are no ropes or barriers preventing ticket-holders from getting up close and personal with the objects on display and taking pictures alongside them.
It should come as no surprise then that the structures need constant upkeep—which is where the studio artists team comes in.
Among the most common "surgeries" performed on the subjects are regular cleanup sessions of the makeup that may have stained a celebrity's outfit as guests rubbed shoulders with him or her to take a photo, the re-installation of hair (all human and ethically sourced!) and the re-application of paint/makeup.
Every morning, one of the studio artists will walk through the entire museum and touch up any of the 200 figures on display needing a bit of work.
4. The outfits are just as impressive as the physical attributes
Plenty of the clothes worn by the figures are donated by the celebrities themselves or fashion companies.
Tour ticket-holders will be able to gaze at Taylor Swift’s actual 2009 Jingle Ball outfit, which is just hanging in the studio next to one of Michael Jackson’s instantly recognizable jackets.