Alex O’Loughlin on Mick St. John’s Vampire Teeth

Alex O'Loughlin's dental model and "Moonlight" vampire teeth

[Updated 30-Mar-09]

Courtesy of my friend J. who was on the production team for the TV show Moonlight, here are three photos of one of the three sets of vampire teeth that were made especially for Alex O’Loughlin to use in his vamping scenes as Mick St. John.

In an interview with Bill Florence in the March 2008 issue of Starlog magazine, Alex explains, “The teeth snap in and out pretty easily, and they’re extremely realistic. I do go through them, though. Occasionally, I get pretty heavily into character, and I’ll bite down on them, or I’ll get punched in the mouth or fall on my face and break them.”

The model shown here, cast from a mold made of Alex’s upper dental arch, was first used to build the vampire teeth and later served as a holder for them. The vampire teeth were created from the dental model and then stored on it Because the teeth were made to fit Alex’s bite, they weren’t uncomfortable to wear. They were lightweight and fit him snugly.

Alex has a set as a keepsake and J. has the other. The red box is the container in which the model and teeth are stored.

Initially, there were three stages of vamping, each with their own make-up. Stage 1 was the start of the transformation (with smaller fangs and minimal vamp make-up), in Stage 2 the vamp teeth were fully extended while the eyes were still morphing and in the last stage, Stage 3, the vamp transformation is completed. In Stage 3, the make-up included cracked lips, the very light blue contact lenses, dark eye make-up, mottling of the skin and prominent veins in the face and neck areas.

Production, however, decided that only the Stage 2 vamp teeth would be used at all times, as the Stage 1 fangs were hardly visible on film.

According to Alex in Starlog, “It takes me about an hour to get into full vamp mode. When we do the morphing on-screen, that’s a process which involves greenscreen and slates both with and without me, and I have to keep the same position. It’s pretty standard procedure for the show to morph me from normal to vamp, but it’s time-consuming. As the actor, I have to remain patient and let everyone fuss about and do their job frantically around me, while I stay in character and in the moment. But I’ll tell you, mate, once I put those teeth and eyes in, it’s like I’m wearing a mask. It completely shifts me away from who I am. Mick St. John as a normal guy, before he vamps, is one character, but Mick St. John in full vamp is another beast altogether!”

Mick St. John's vampire teeth were custom made for Alex O'Loughlin's bite View the photos of Alex O’Loughlin being transformed into Mick St. John, Moonlight‘s premier vampire, by the TV show’s head make-up artist.