Making quite an impression
Gary Archer
Dental technician
Specialty: Providing dental prosthetics for movies, television and commercials.
Latest project: Creating J.K. Simmons’ choppers in “Spider-Man 2.”
What the job entails: “It takes me 15 minutes to take a set of impressions. I do on-the-set consultations and do fittings either here or in my studio,” he says. “I also travel all over America and Canada and England.”
Projects with bite: “In the case of ‘Interview With the Vampire,’ they gave me sculptures and pictures of what they wanted the vampire teeth to look like. When we did ‘Red Dragon,’ I made the teeth for Ralph Fiennes. The production company hired me, and right at the beginning they gave me a script to read and said, ‘Let us know what type of dental prosthetics we need.’ So I got to literally design the stuff from the ground up.
“We also created something called ‘Hollywood braces.’ They are made to slide on and off an actor or actress’ teeth. They are made in such a way that they become invisible in the mouth but yet they look like the person is wearing a full set of braces.”
Taking on a Hollywood veneer: “We make dentures, partials, crowns and bridges for actual people. We are dental technicians first and foremost. About 15 years ago, we got involved in starting to make prosthetics for the movie studios. We were contacted by one of the Hollywood makeup artists, and he asked if we would make a prosthetic that would fall out into a glass on camera for ‘Mrs. Doubtfire.’ That was the first set of veneers we ever made for a film. He liked what we did. He told somebody else. They liked what we did. They told somebody else and so on and so on.
“I would say 75% of our business is regular dentistry and 25% is film work. Film work, being what it is, is more lucrative. But unfortunately, like the film business, it can be up and down.”
More word of mouth: “When we did, for example, ‘Interview With the Vampire,’ I was brought in by a makeup artist and introduced to Stan Winston. He has a huge prosthetics company, but what he couldn’t do is make a real good-fitting set of teeth. He hired me in to make all the teeth for all the lead characters. Sometimes producers and directors will remember me from various shows. Sometimes the actors will ask me back. Wesley Snipes in ‘Blade’ asked for us to come back three times. Tom Hanks has asked for us on numerous occasions.”
The raw materials: “Teeth are made out of acrylic, plastic. We make acrylic veneers, which are plastic shells, and they slip over an actor and actress’ own teeth. They can talk, they can act, they can do just about everything except eating.”
Getting his start: “I grew up in England and moved to America in 1976. I trained with my dad. My dad started the business over here. It was in 1982 he suffered a mild heart attack and had to pack up work for a while. I basically kind of stepped in and said I would mind the shop and keep things running and supervise and make sure everything works. I ended up staying when he came back.
He said, ‘Let me just take you on and we’ll train you.’ It takes about five years to be dental technicians. My dad still works with me, and he’s 70. He has been doing it since he was 15 years old. There is just about nothing he can’t do.”
Age: 39
Resides in: Woodland Hills
Credits: All three “Austin Powers” movies, “Red Dragon,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Interview With the Vampire,” “The Chronicles of Riddick,” “Seabiscuit.”
Union or guild: Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Local 706.
Salary: “It pays well. The rewards are consummate. As a dental technician we work for the dentist, but when we work for the film studios, I basically set my prices.... Let’s assume you need a set of braces. I charge what I feel is a fair price for my time and labor and also the fact that I am working for an industry that is not regulated.”
Problem solving: “An actor has gone to their own particular dentist to have their cast done and submitted them to me and I have gone ahead and done the work. Everything fits nicely on the model, but then we go down to the studio and put everything in the mouth and nothing fits at all. What I have to do is take an impression literally on the spot and refit everything and realign everything. That is why I like to do my own impressions.”
