It Took Heidi Klum One Year—and 30 FX Artists—to Craft Her E.T. Halloween Costume

Every year, Heidi Klum—the reigning queen of Halloween—delivers an unforgettable costume. She has transformed into a sexy Jessica Rabbit, a flamboyant peacock, and even a grotesque worm. Always one to deliver the unexpected, Klum knew she had to transform into something unique for this year’s festivities. So, the day after last Halloween, the star instantly got to brainstorming. “I knew I wanted to do something nostalgic,” says Klum. “I started going down memory lane, thinking about which dolls I played with, what movies I watched, and what some of my favorite childhood memories were.” The model stumbled upon a mini figurine of E.T., which was one of her favorite movies and characters as a kid, and thus, a 2024 concept was born. “It’s my favorite childhood movie of all time—I watched it a million times,” says Klum. “It’s a movie that inspired me to dream and imagine the possibility of life beyond Earth.”

It’s not Klum’s first time dressing up as an alien, of course: See her 2019 look, when she was an alien science experiment gone wrong. But with E.T., the star was excited to put a new stamp on a classic Hollywood figure—and to enlist her husband, Tom Kaulitz, to be in a couples costume with her. (Yes, there are two E.T.s.) Their extraterrestrial looks took a whole year to bring to life. The process began back in November 2023, when Klum called her go-to FX artist Mike Marino and his team; They immediately started discussing the costume’s execution. “There were many fittings, and countless meetings,” says Klum.

Photo: Max Montgomery

Marino and his team of 30 artists started the laborious process by taking digital scans of both Klum and Kaulitz’s bodies and faces. “We began by digitally printing their bodies, and digitally sculpting E.T.’s various parts—arms, legs, feet,” says Marino. “Then, we puzzled everything together to make sure they lined up and fit. We 3D-printed all the sculptures, molded them, cast them in foam latex, and reinforced them with spandex. We then glued the pieces to their faces, and blended them into the body.”  The team crafted every single detail from scratch—right down to the otherworldly eyeballs, teeth, tongues, and fingernails. “Everything was finished with a full airbrush job,” Marino says.

The main challenge, of course, was nailing the exact scales of the E.T.s, who are meant to be mini-sized. “E.T. is much smaller than a regular human, so we had to create an illusion to position their body on both mine and Tom’s,” says Klum. “It was tricky, but we figured it out.” To make things even more difficult, Marino and his team had the added challenge of making both looks fully animatronic, too. “We had to design a head rig to balance on their heads without being too heavy,” says Marino. For Klum, this proved to be the most difficult thing to navigate while in-costume. “Balancing the headpiece was one of the biggest challenges,” she says. “It had to be secure without being too heavy, as I wore it for hours. We also used detailed airbrushing to blend the costume seamlessly with our faces; This was a long, meticulous process, but it was worth it.”

Photo: Max Montgomery

Klum debuted the look at her annual Heidiween party in New York City tonight. (She wasn’t the only famous E.T. on Halloween night, either: Janelle Monáe, another enthusiast of the holiday, also dressed as E.T., for her Wondaween party in Los Angeles.) It took Klum and Kaulitz seven hours each to get into full costume—and, of course, the countless hours of preparation. “The process drives me a little crazy! But I love it,” says Klum. “This costume had so many puzzle pieces and layers that needed to fit perfectly for everything to work.” After years of dressing up, Klum admits that she’s used to the hours of commitment. “Most of my costumes aren’t comfortable to wear for hours, but I love the end result so much that I push through,” Klum says. Her secret for staying sane? “I meditate a little to keep calm, and I remind myself that the outcome is worth it,” she says. “My main trick is to embrace the process and find inspiration in it.” She tries not to think about the end of the night, either: “Getting out of the costume afterward is also a process,” Klum says. “It’s not something you can just unzip and take off!”

Photo: Max Montgomery

Klum’s annual star-studded Heidiween bash is certainly worth all of the effort. The celebrity-filled Halloween party is one of the buzziest events of the year—and it’s that fun and excitement that compels Klum to throw it time and time again. “While there’s a lot of anticipation around what I’ll be wearing, I actually really enjoy seeing everyone else’s outfits,” says Klum. “The best part is seeing their reactions when they see me for the first time—the big eyes, the fun of people guessing who’s behind each costume. It’s all about creating a new persona for the evening and enjoying it together.”

As for how Klum will be spending the day after Halloween? “I sleep in, take a bath, and pamper myself with a face mask,” says Klum. (E.T., stay home!). “I want to rehydrate my skin after all the work we put into the costume. I also get a manicure and pedicure, since I usually have to shorten my nails for the costume.” Her most important post-Halloween, task, though, is to begin brainstorming Halloween 2025. (Yes, really.) “I start thinking about next year, and then we do it all over again!”

Photo: Max Montgomery