A 23-year-old Will Smith, but with the swag of a 51-year-old Will Smith? This is the promise of Gemini Man, to be seen (again) this Monday on W9.
We've only been talking about him since the Oscarsand it will be doubly in the spotlight this weekend on France 2. The channel will broadcast on Sunday, for the first time in the clear, Gemini Mana film directed by Ang Lee (The Secret of Brokeback Mountain, Pi's Odyssey…) with a dual role given to Will Smithwho, thanks to new digital technologies, embodies a hitman in his fifties, but also his clone in his twenties. In October 2019, shortly after the film's release in theaters, the star expressed his admiration for the talented technical teams, who were able to rejuvenate him in a realistic way.
Will Smith vs Will Smith: we could (almost) summarize the scenario of Gemini Man in this way. In Ang Lee's action thriller, the actor plays the role of Henry Brogan, an accomplished hitman who finds himself being chased by a strange individual. The latter ultimately turns out to be his own clone, but much younger. For the occasion, digital rejuvenation was necessary. The technique is fashionable at the moment in Hollywood: used by Martin Scorsese on Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in The Irishmanor by Andy Muschietti on his young cast having grown up too quickly to This, chapter 2the special effect has been in the news a lot recently. And Will Smith himself was amazed.
The Irishman, Captain Marvel, Gemini Man: how does digital rejuvenation of actors work?
The actor, however, is not embarrassed by his age. He made it clear with humor during the premiere of Lee's film, in remarks relayed by Variety and speaking of his two sons, Jaden and Trey who joined him on the red carpet: “These young men can't have the swag of an older man like me. I'm 50 years old and I'm doing well. They can't do anything about it.“As for rejuvenation, its first impression remains surprise:”The first shot I saw was when the older character faced his younger clone. Old Will confronting young Will. There's a moment where the flashlight passes over his face… It's one of the best digital images in the film.“
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