Key Takeaways
- Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods transformed into the Night King and a White Walker for Halloween with elaborate prosthetics and special-effects makeup.
- HBO Max shared behind-the-scenes footage of costume designer Sabrina Spanta and special-effects artist Roger Baena creating the newlyweds’ Hollywood-level Game of Thrones looks.
- The couple debuted the costumes in Manhattan during their first Halloween since marrying in Malibu in August.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods didn't just throw on a couple of Game of Thrones costumes for Halloween. They got the full Westeros treatment, complete with elaborate prosthetics and special effects makeup—and HBO Max is now showing how the transformations came together.
The streaming service released behind-the-scenes images and video of the New York Knicks star and his wife transforming into the Night King and a White Walker, revealing the work behind their elaborate Halloween looks.
Costume designer Sabrina Spanta and special effects makeup department head Roger Baena led the transformations, which featured prosthetics and makeup designed to recreate the supernatural characters from HBO's fantasy franchise.
Neither artist is new to bringing ambitious designs to life.
Baena has worked in special effects on major Hollywood productions, including Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the horror film Antlers, and the 2018 film Sorry to Bother You. His credits also include creature effects and studio work.
Spanta, meanwhile, brings a different kind of television experience to the project.
The Afghanistan-born designer competed on Season 19 of Project Runway after losing her corporate fashion job during the COVID-19 pandemic. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Spanta previously worked in commercial fashion before launching her namesake label, which emphasizes versatility, sustainability, and women's empowerment.
Her path into fashion began long before her television appearance.
After immigrating to the United States as a child, Spanta recalled being fascinated by her adoptive mother wearing pants and driving a car—symbols of independence and personal freedom.
"I wanted to be an American girl; free, powerful, and chic, wearing pants and driving a car," Spanta explained.
That creative background helped Towns and Woods bring an entirely different wardrobe challenge to life for Halloween, as their appearances required more than the couple's usual designer outfits.
Towns portrayed the Night King, the formidable leader of the White Walkers, while Woods appeared as one of the series’ icy creatures. The two were photographed walking through Manhattan before sitting down at an outdoor table at what appeared to be Sartiano's in SoHo.
The costumes also marked the couple's first Halloween since their August wedding in Malibu, which followed Towns helping the Knicks capture their first NBA championship since 1973.
The accessory became a good-luck charm before the Guggenheim Museum temporarily exhibited it.
