Adam Driver #140 (Cannes 2024)
Adam, resplendent in his gleaming white tux, artfully tousled silver shot waves of hair haloed by fine flyaways, forehead unfurrowed, brow faintly knit over eyes glancing to his left with keen attention, the firm press of his inward rolled lips rumpling his chin, the turn of his head carving deep folds into his neck.Most of the photos from Cannes 2024 show an unusually jolly Adam, joking with his costars with a broad smile on his face and actually waving amiable greetings to the walls of photographers lining the sides of the red carpet. He was fairly beaming with bonhomie, a departure from our more typically reticent relentless hillock, and it was lovely to get to see him so relaxed and having such a good time while looking like an actual prince on his wedding day in that stunning white tux.
This was a quieter moment, a little eddy in the swirling spectacle of the cast's grand procession to the premiere, and Adam's expression is one of watchful waiting; his gaze is alert but unworried, focused on something or someone at a bit of a distance from him, and it feels almost like he's looking for a cue. His expression is mostly carefully blank, with the exception of his mouth, which has his lips rolled together in what the Driver Hive has collectively dubbed, "The Mouth Thing."
It's a distinctive tic of his, much like stroking the underside of his chin with the backs of his fingers when he's bearded, or the way he'll touch his lips with the tips of his fingers when searching for a word or phrase, and I'm always delighted when someone manages to get a good photo of him doing it.
Photo used for reference taken by an unknown to me photographer at the red carpet for the premiere of "Megalopolis" at the Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2024. Pangaeastarseed asked if I'd like to play the "two cakes" game with it, where we both use the same reference to make our own versions, and of course I said YES! They finished their rendition MONTHS ago because they are awesome and you can see it here.
About 66 hours of painting time because I absolutely fell down the skin texture rabbit hole. Details that I especially enjoyed finding along the way include, but are not limited to, all those silver hairs shining on the crown of his head, that one incredibly long eyebrow hair curling down toward his eye, the reflection of the glass canopy above him in his eyes, the tracks of his quiescent crinkles by the corner of his eye, the way his rolled lips make the bristles of his stubble stand at attention just below his lower lip, the light catching on the impossibly tiny hairs along the bridge of his nose and in the stubble along the edge of his chin, and the stray white fibers on the back of his tux collar.