Rex Baluyot
Posted: February 4, 2026
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Lilja: Hi, thanks for taking the time to do this interview can you tell me a bit about who you are?Rex: Hello! My name is Rex, and I am a Make-up Artist, yes- but In the case of Welcome to Derry, I am a Prosthetics Artist / Denture Technician.
Lilja: For those who don’t know, can you tell me what a Make-up and Prosthetics Artist do?
Rex: A Make-up Artist applies makeup and prosthetics to create and enhance appearances, whereas a Prosthetics Artist (unfortunately often overlooked and uncredited) actually creates the prosthetics. A Denture Technician specifically creates functional dental appliances.
Lilja: You worked on Welcome to Derry, how did that happen?
Rex: I work at Mindwarp Productions, a workshop in Toronto. Sean Sansom, the Designer and Department Head of the Prosthetics & Special Make-up Effects team for Welcome to Derry, worked with Mindwarp to create everything for the show.
Lilja: Among the things you did for Welcome to Derry is a set of fangs and the front teeth for Pennywise (played by Bill Skarsgård). Can you tell me how you created these? What instructions and/or directions did you get?Rex: I was shown originals for the previous movies, and told to make them have a similar look. I changed up the design a little bit, sculpted them in clay, and cast them in acrylic and silicone.
Lilja: These are specially made for Bill right? How much work is put into getting them just right for his mouth? I remember there were plastic vampire teeth that I got as a child but they were often too big and made it really hard to speak. I guess that wouldn’t work here right?
Rex: Yes, they were made to fit Bill. I made them directly on models of his mouth, so it fit pretty well. There were slight adjustments that needed to be made after the initial fitting, but those only took a few minutes. Mass produced appliances definitely wouldn't work, haha.
Lilja: Are these just put into Bill’s mouth or do they require more work once in place to be ready for filming?
Rex: They just pop right in, nothing else needed.
Lilja: When you create stuff it has to look right (even if this kind of teeth don’t exist). How do you make sure things are looking just right? Do you do research?
Rex: It's more trial and error than anything else. During the process of making them, I would check in with Sean for sculpt / paint approval from the director.
Lilja: What else did you do for Welcome to Derry?
Rex: All of the Prosthetics & Special Make-up Effects were made at Mindwarp, and it's a full team effort to make everything come to life. So I had at least a small hand in the creation of nearly everything.
Lilja: Do you have a favorite thing you did that you are extra happy with and if so what was it?
Rex: My favourites would be all my dental appliances, because those were my babies.
Lilja: What happens with all these things you create for the show when the show is done? Is it thrown away? Kept for reuse.
Rex: They are inventoried and put into storage by the show's production. They may or may not be reused, sometimes they're just used as references.
Lilja: Have you worked on any other adaptation from a Stephen King book and if so which?
Rex: I have not, no.
Lilja: It must be so fun to figure out ways to make things look real and often gory. How fun is your work?
Rex: It's a pretty cool job to have, for sure. It's fun to see things get gross, it's a different kind of beautiful.
Lilja: Thanks again for taking the time to do this interview. And thanks for putting up all these cool clips and photos on your Instagram account (@recksus). I hope those who have read this interview will follow you there and check out all the cool things you do.
Rex: Thank you!
Here's a list of everyone involved from Mindwarp.
