Adam Driver #153 (Cannes 2026)
A blurry Adam, caught mid-stride, hair shining in the sun, the lower half of his left ear peeking out from under those waves, brow a bit knitted from squinting in the bright Mediterranean sun, gaze obscured by the impassive darkness of his sunglasses, lips parted softly, mouth and chin framed by the dark bristles of a short beard, the strong column of his neck furrowed by folds as he turns his head to his left while walking forward.
Captured while bustling along during the photocall and press portion of his Cannes trip, Adam was dressed in a beautiful deep brown linen suit, fine-knit black sweater, and his classic sunglasses. Thanks to how those shades hide his eyes, his expression is even more inscrutable than usual, which is saying something for our habitually sphinx-like sasquatch.
But, if you look closely, it seems friendly enough to me.
Sure his brow is knitted a little, but I ascribe that to how bright it must have been in the mid-day light of the Cote d'Azure, which is shining in his hair and off the most prominent places on his face, like his forehead, nose, and crest of his cheekbone. One of my favorite subtle details to render was the way you can just barely see the very top of his right cheekbone through the dark lens of his sunglasses, courtesy of the light reflecting off the very white wall behind him. His dimples are quiescent, but there's a quirk to the corners of his mouth which suggests a nascent smile might have bloomed in the moments immediately after this was snapped.
In general his mien at this event was genial, not only with his co-stars and the director, but also with the hordes of photographers who were busy documenting everything. I was especially amused when he teased the photocall photographers by taking off, then jokingly putting back on, his sunglasses before finally taking them off for good and putting them away. It's clear that he's learned to accept film festivals for the carnivals they are, and to just relax into the enthusiastic absurdity of it all, rather than fight against it.
Promotion, as exhausting as I'm sure it can be, is an important part of his job; I'm glad he's figured out that he may as well enjoy the ride while he's on it.
Photo used for reference was taken on 17 May 2026 either just before or immediately after the photocall for PAPER TIGER at the Cannes Film Festival, and shared by Patrice Terraz.
Probably about 7 hours of work. The blurry nature of the reference meant that there were minimal moles to render, which always makes for a shorter painting time. This was one where I had "final" drafts several times but kept noticing little things I wanted to change until I made myself put it down and walk away (there are no "finished" works of art, simply ones that the artist stopped working on), and I always forget to time that part.
