Glenn Close and Amy Adams surprised each other with their Hillbilly Elegy transformations

As Glenn Close’s Mamaw claims in the trailer for Hillbilly Elegy, “Everyone in this world is one of three kinds: Good Terminator, a Bad Terminator, and Neutral.” If that’s the case, then we can definitely say that the Hair, Makeup, and Costuming Departments of Ron Howard’s new drama are Good Terminators, at least in terms of their exemplary work transforming Close and Amy Adams into the small-town Ohio women at the heart of author J.D. Vance’s memoir. The A.V. Club couldn’t pass up the chance to talk to the two legendary performers and learn about the work that went in their new appearances; as we learned, Glenn Close was able to walk around set unrecognized by some, and Amy Adams felt very comfortable in hair that reminded her of her own locks at Homecoming “circa 1989.” As Close’s Instagram-famous pup Pip dozed off in the background, we also spoke with the actors about their time in Middletown, OH, and how returning to Hillbilly Elegy’s roots inspired their performances.

In a separate conversation, stars Gabriel Basso and Owen Asztalos explained how they worked with director Ron Howard to create a cohesive performance as J.D. Vance at different ages. The duo also reflected on their time filming in Ohio, and shared what the learned from their Oscar-nominated co-stars.

Hillbilly Elegy is playing select theaters now, and will be available to stream exclusively on Netflix beginning November 24.