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This is only one of several "mouth things" that he does, but this one translates well in a still, lol.
We've gotten to see this rather distinctive odd expression a lot recently. He did it at the Venice FF-- I saw him do this both while striding into the photocall and while he was lined up on the wall with everyone-- and again, several times, at the NYFF. This particular photographer caught him in the act last fall in New York for the premiere of "House of Gucci." It looks like he's concentrating on something someone is saying; his head turned toward them, cocked slightly at an angle, the twist folding the skin on his neck, that brow furrowed in concentration. I've heard that frown just means he's listening intently, even if it is mildly terrifying to be on the receiving end of it.
But I've also seen him make this shape with his mouth when he's definitely NOT listening to anyone, a kind of a physical tic that he just does from time to time. One of the peculiar things about painting someone is that I tend to mimic their expression, so I smile a lot at him when he's smiling, and I tend to frown when he's got his Resting Hades face on. I discovered two things while painting this and unconsciously mimicking him; one, it's hard to roll them as far as he does, and two, you generate a lot of sensation when you do, because lips are very sensitive. It's a kinesthetically pleasing thing to do, even if you look a little odd while doing it.
He's always made this face, but it seems like we're seeing it more than we used to, and I wonder if part of that is due to habits we've all developed while being masked in public so much over the last couple of years. We've not needed to police our expressions below the eyes while hidden behind a mask, and it's been funny, and sometimes mortifying, to see what kinds of faces we all make now that masks are coming off of folks more in public.
Adam is a dedicated masker in enclosed public spaces (bless! it makes me so happy to see him being so careful for himself and others in public), and this kind of expression would be completely hidden behind a mask, so he can make it with impunity while wearing one. It would also let someone who we know touches his mouth and lips frequently (just watch any interview, he really does touch his mouth a LOT, especially while thinking about the answer to a question, probably a legacy of his smoking habit) be able to get the satisfaction of the sensation without touching his lips with his hands. Hands free self-soothing, so to speak.
I also suspect that it might be a sign that he's very tired; all the times I've seen him make this expression a lot have been when we know he's exhausted, and is doing his Oscar-nominated best to pretend to be alert. Who wouldn't need a bit of self-soothing in that circumstance?
Photo used for reference was taken by Eduardo Munoz on 16 Nov 2021 at the NY premiere of "House of Gucci," with thanks to AdamDriverCentl for bringing it to my attention.
About 18 hrs of painting time. It was odd to paint him with his lips hidden like that, it changes the whole shape of the lower half of his face, but the biggest challenge was figuring out how to render the light on the fine lines below his left eye, at the top of his cheek.
We've gotten to see this rather distinctive odd expression a lot recently. He did it at the Venice FF-- I saw him do this both while striding into the photocall and while he was lined up on the wall with everyone-- and again, several times, at the NYFF. This particular photographer caught him in the act last fall in New York for the premiere of "House of Gucci." It looks like he's concentrating on something someone is saying; his head turned toward them, cocked slightly at an angle, the twist folding the skin on his neck, that brow furrowed in concentration. I've heard that frown just means he's listening intently, even if it is mildly terrifying to be on the receiving end of it.
But I've also seen him make this shape with his mouth when he's definitely NOT listening to anyone, a kind of a physical tic that he just does from time to time. One of the peculiar things about painting someone is that I tend to mimic their expression, so I smile a lot at him when he's smiling, and I tend to frown when he's got his Resting Hades face on. I discovered two things while painting this and unconsciously mimicking him; one, it's hard to roll them as far as he does, and two, you generate a lot of sensation when you do, because lips are very sensitive. It's a kinesthetically pleasing thing to do, even if you look a little odd while doing it.
He's always made this face, but it seems like we're seeing it more than we used to, and I wonder if part of that is due to habits we've all developed while being masked in public so much over the last couple of years. We've not needed to police our expressions below the eyes while hidden behind a mask, and it's been funny, and sometimes mortifying, to see what kinds of faces we all make now that masks are coming off of folks more in public.
Adam is a dedicated masker in enclosed public spaces (bless! it makes me so happy to see him being so careful for himself and others in public), and this kind of expression would be completely hidden behind a mask, so he can make it with impunity while wearing one. It would also let someone who we know touches his mouth and lips frequently (just watch any interview, he really does touch his mouth a LOT, especially while thinking about the answer to a question, probably a legacy of his smoking habit) be able to get the satisfaction of the sensation without touching his lips with his hands. Hands free self-soothing, so to speak.
I also suspect that it might be a sign that he's very tired; all the times I've seen him make this expression a lot have been when we know he's exhausted, and is doing his Oscar-nominated best to pretend to be alert. Who wouldn't need a bit of self-soothing in that circumstance?
Photo used for reference was taken by Eduardo Munoz on 16 Nov 2021 at the NY premiere of "House of Gucci," with thanks to AdamDriverCentl for bringing it to my attention.
About 18 hrs of painting time. It was odd to paint him with his lips hidden like that, it changes the whole shape of the lower half of his face, but the biggest challenge was figuring out how to render the light on the fine lines below his left eye, at the top of his cheek.
