I do not like this character, but I love the skill Adam displays in portraying him; I recognize that I despise Jamie precisely because Adam is so good at what he does. In every role I've seen him in, Adam takes what could so easily be a flat, one-dimensional character and breathes them into complicated, multifaceted, relatable life. In this case, Jamie, outwardly charming, intelligent, and ambitious, is also a manipulative social and professional climber. We also see signs of behavior, especially toward Darby, later in the movie which point to abusive, controlling aspects of his personality that he's careful not to reveal in public.
But I love watching him! The physicality that Adam brought to Jamie is unlike any he's brought to the other characters I've seen him play. It's definitely the most "mannered" portrayal I've seen from him, usually he underplays the various tics and physical habits, making them almost subliminal, but not this time. Many of them are openly effete and yet he's still so very definitely male; Jamie's habit of holding a glass or a can, like the beer at the barbeque, with his hand dropped limply below the wrist, his habit of crossing his legs so far over that he's actually sitting on one hip, the way he drapes his suit coat over his shoulders like a cape. He holds himself like he knows he's beautiful AND a man.
Towards the end of painting this piece, in a lovely little bit of synchronicity, I re-read the article that accompanied those glorious photos of Adam in the 28 Nov 2016 edition of Interview Magazine. It's a great interview, led by Noah Baumbach, and they ramble on about all kinds of things, but this tidbit about making "While We're Young" jumped out and caught my creative-process-loving eye:
A defining characteristic of a fluid is that it takes the shape of the container it's in; Jamie, in his attempts to get ahead, takes on whatever shape that moment and space demands. Not only are his movements fluid, but so is his whole philosophy toward life; he changes and adapts as circumstances demand, with nary a flicker of remorse for the damage he might do to anything or anyone along the way, because that's his essential nature.
Photo used for reference was a promotional still shared by![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
adamdriverfiles. I am one portrait away from getting a blackout on that character bingo sheet they posted back in May 2020.
About 11 hours for this one. I blame it on the hat. And the cardigan; after several failed attempts to get the feel of the weave I finally gave up and used a pre-made texture layer, which is not something I like doing.
But I love watching him! The physicality that Adam brought to Jamie is unlike any he's brought to the other characters I've seen him play. It's definitely the most "mannered" portrayal I've seen from him, usually he underplays the various tics and physical habits, making them almost subliminal, but not this time. Many of them are openly effete and yet he's still so very definitely male; Jamie's habit of holding a glass or a can, like the beer at the barbeque, with his hand dropped limply below the wrist, his habit of crossing his legs so far over that he's actually sitting on one hip, the way he drapes his suit coat over his shoulders like a cape. He holds himself like he knows he's beautiful AND a man.
Towards the end of painting this piece, in a lovely little bit of synchronicity, I re-read the article that accompanied those glorious photos of Adam in the 28 Nov 2016 edition of Interview Magazine. It's a great interview, led by Noah Baumbach, and they ramble on about all kinds of things, but this tidbit about making "While We're Young" jumped out and caught my creative-process-loving eye:
"...[Noah Baumbach] gave me a physical thing to hold on to from the beginning and that was helpful. When I wasn’t making sense of it, I would go back to this physical thing, this idea of water, where he moves into a room and then he moves out of the room and it’s all very fluid."
--Adam Driver, Interview magazine, 28 Nov 2016
A defining characteristic of a fluid is that it takes the shape of the container it's in; Jamie, in his attempts to get ahead, takes on whatever shape that moment and space demands. Not only are his movements fluid, but so is his whole philosophy toward life; he changes and adapts as circumstances demand, with nary a flicker of remorse for the damage he might do to anything or anyone along the way, because that's his essential nature.
Photo used for reference was a promotional still shared by
adamdriverfiles. I am one portrait away from getting a blackout on that character bingo sheet they posted back in May 2020. About 11 hours for this one. I blame it on the hat. And the cardigan; after several failed attempts to get the feel of the weave I finally gave up and used a pre-made texture layer, which is not something I like doing.
