Becoming Jack Nicholson

In his latest feat of prosthetic fun, the performance artist Alexis Stone transformed himself into the actor at the Balenciaga fashion show in Paris.

An hour before Balenciaga’s spring 2025 runway show in Paris on Monday night, Jack Nicholson walked out of the Scribe hotel in a white hotel bathrobe and slippers, gin and cigar in hand, and got into a white stretch limousine to head to the show. His sunglasses were on, his hair wild and askew, his unmistakable grin plastered across his face.

Technically, Mr. Nicholson’s smile wasn’t plastered. His teeth were custom fakes created by a dental special effects expert, and his distinctive curled lips and cheeks were molded and sculpted silicone prosthetics that had been glued onto the face of Elliot Joseph Rentz, a performance and makeup artist known to 1.3 million Instagram followers as his drag persona Alexis Stone.

Mr. Rentz was greeted like a celebrity upon arrival at the Balenciaga show. He ambled around the front row like a disheveled, mildly intoxicated 60-something man, gamely posing for photographers and selfies. He answered to “Jack!,” a look of permanent amusement stretched across his silicone face. He was seated at the enormous table that served as a runway for the show, joined by Nicole Kidman, Lindsay Lohan, Salma Hayek Pinault, Katy Perry and Anna Wintour (the real ones).

Mr. Rentz spent six hours transforming himself from a youthful 30-year-old man to Mr. Nicholson in his peak late 1990s, early 2000s era. Prosthetics covered Mr. Rentz’s entire head and neck. There was a bodysuit and chest piece. Look closely and the robe was embroidered with “Balenciaga Hotels” under a five-star crest.

Just before he walked out the door, Mr. Rentz applied the finishing touch, a custom fragrance developed by the perfumer John Stephen to capture the olfactory essence of what Mr. Nicholson might smell like.