The “Hidden Figure” Bringing Hollywood Scripts to Life
For more than 40 years, alum Wynn Thomas (CFA'75) has created the look for films such as Malcolm X, A Beautiful Mind, and Hidden Figures. This fall, he was recognized with an honorary Oscar
Production designers like Wynn Thomas (CFA’75) play a crucial role on a film set, working closely with the director to establish the visual concept—the mood, atmosphere, color, and composition—and then making sure the movie adheres to that look and feel throughout filming.
The “Hidden Figure” Bringing Hollywood Scripts to Life
For more than 40 years, CFA alum Wynn Thomas (CFA’75) has created the look for films such as Malcolm X, A Beautiful Mind, and Hidden Figures. This fall, he was recognized with an honorary Oscar.
This article was originally published in Bostonia on November 25, 2025. By John O’Rourke
EXCERPT
If you’ve been to the movies in the last 40 years, chances are you’ve seen Wynn Thomas’ work on the big screen. As one of the film industry’s most respected production designers, Thomas (CFA’75) has created the visual look for such acclaimed movies as Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, Mars Attacks!, A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, A Bronx Tale, and Hidden Figures, collaborating with directors like Spike Lee, Tim Burton, Robert De Niro, and Ron Howard.
“The production designer is responsible for taking the writer’s words and turning them into concrete images,” says Thomas. “No one else on a film does that. We illustrate the film, we formulate the look of the movie.”
Over the course of his decades-long career, Thomas has designed an art deco jazz nightclub for Mo’ Better Blues, created the unforgettable spaceship in Mars Attacks!, and recreated Vietnam’s famous Mỹ Sơn temple complex for Da 5 Bloods, shot in Thailand. Directors routinely praise his attention to detail, his gift for collaboration, and the way his designs enhance a film’s storytelling and emotional arc.
Despite having worked on more than 40 movies, Thomas has never been nominated for an Academy Award. “I knew that the work was good,” he says. “I just came to terms with the fact that it wasn’t going to happen for me.”
Until now. This summer, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced that Thomas would receive an honorary Oscar at the Academy’s 16th Governors Awards in November. This year’s other honorees were actor Tom Cruise, director and choreographer Debbie Allen, and singer-songwriter and actor Dolly Parton. The award is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy,” according to AMPAS.
“Production designer Wynn Thomas has brought some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft,” AMPAS president Janet Yang said in announcing his award.
Thomas is only the second production designer in history to receive an honorary Oscar. (Robert Boyle, who worked on many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films as well as Fiddler on the Roof, was the first, in 2008.)
I’ve been pinching myself, saying, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m going to have an Oscar in the fall.’ It’s fantastic to have the work recognized—the contributions I’ve made to the film business recognized. And it’s recognition for all of the incredible craftsmen and craftswomen I’ve collaborated with for the last 40 years. It’s a thrill to share this moment with them.
“I’ve been pinching myself, saying, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m going to have an Oscar in the fall,’” Thomas says. “It’s fantastic to have the work recognized—the contributions I’ve made to the film business recognized. And it’s recognition for all of the incredible craftsmen and craftswomen I’ve collaborated with for the last 40 years. It’s a thrill to share this moment with them.”
Thomas prefers to design using pencil and paper, as he did with the sketch for Malcolm X. Courtesy of Wynn Thomas
The scenes of Malcolm X’s early adulthood have lots of color. For the scenes of him in jail, Thomas chose grays and pale greens. Courtesy of Cinematic/Alamy.com
For the 2005 film Cinderella Man, Thomas designed the exterior of the home so it existed in a back courtyard, surrounded by a series of porches that looked as though they were about to collapse on the family. Photos courtesy of Wynn Thomas
For the 2005 film Cinderella Man, Thomas designed the exterior of the home so it existed in a back courtyard, surrounded by a series of porches that looked as though they were about to collapse on the family. Photos courtesy of Wynn Thomas