Ep. 66 - Helen Huang "The Shrink Next Door"

Emmy-winning costume designer Helen Huang discusses how she brought a true story to life through her work in the new dark comedy, THE SHRINK NEXT DOOR, premiering November 12th on AppleTV+. The miniseries is inspired by The Shrink Next Door podcast on Wondery about power, control and turning to the wrong person for help. The dark comedy explores the bizarre, alarming and co-dependent relationship between celebrity psychiatrist Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf (Paul Rudd) and his longtime patient Martin “Marty” Markowitz (Will Ferrell). Over the course of their relationship, the all-too-charming Ike slowly inserts himself into Marty’s life, even moving into Marty’s Hamptons home and persuading Marty to name him president of the family business. The series explores how a seemingly normal doctor-patient dynamic morphs into an exploitative relationship filled with manipulation, power grabs and dysfunction at its finest. Helen discusses how she designed three decades worth of costumes, starting in the early 1980’s. She also shares her creative approach, inspirations and color palettes when designing costumes that reflect the tone and mindset of the characters. Huang's work can previously be seen in American Horror Story, The Night Shift, Birds of Prey, Get Shorty and 9-1-1. She received a Primetime Emmy Award for her costuming work in American Horror Story in 2016.