Shad Ellis, a 47-year-old London Tube driver, has labored as a Will Smith lookalike and tribute artist since he was 18.
Whereas on a distant seashore in Papua New Guinea, Ellis, who now lives in Bedford, was lastly capable of inform the Hollywood star, who he uncannily resembles, how a lot that likeness had impacted his life over three many years.
Ellis’s story started deep underground in East London in 1997. As Males In Black posters coated the tube community, Shadwell commuters famous the station assistant’s hanging resemblance to the Hollywood star.
“I had common clients coming by means of the station saying ‘oh my god, you seem like Will Smith’,” Shad informed the BBC. “They’d name me ‘Will’ jokingly and I believed nothing of it. OK, there’s somewhat similarity, that’s all it’s.”
Ellis was inspired by a stranger to strive being a lookalike. Earlier than the age of social media, Ellis used a movie digicam to recreate Will Smith’s poses from magazines. He then despatched these images to an company he had discovered marketed in a newspaper.
Two weeks later, the company accepted him, although they cautioned him that solely lookalikes of the royal household are likely to earn a big revenue.
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He recounted, “Inside every week, I had my first job, which was the entrance cowl of {an electrical} journal, as they had been type of re-enacting the Males in Black posters, besides we had been holding these digital wind-up torches. From there, I began assembly folks, networking, then I’d have jobs, and I’d meet extra folks, and it simply grew.”
Years later, at a karaoke evening, Ellis’s buddies persuaded him to carry out Will Smith’s 90s hit, “Miami.”
He carried out the music 3 times attributable to its recognition. Afterward, his agent secured him bookings as a tribute artist at golf equipment throughout the nation, together with Leaping Jacks and Envy.
He stated, “I do something that you really want Will Smith to do this you couldn’t afford to get Will Smith to do. So I do loads of company occasions, end-of-year work events, weddings, personal birthday features, bar mitzvahs.”
He additionally does journal covers and world advertising and marketing campaigns that fly him in every single place from Dubai to Singapore.
At present, Shad is a sought-after worldwide mannequin who usually travels for journal and advertising and marketing work. He’s explicit concerning the jobs he accepts, persistently refusing gives that contain impersonating Will Smith, collaborating in associated humor, or showing in grownup movies.
“I flip down a lot work as a result of I’m fairly protecting of him and his model, they must type of respect the boundaries and stuff,” he insists.
After the 2022 Oscars slap, Ellis declined job gives, stating he didn’t need to “money in” on the incident. Nonetheless, later in 2022, he accepted a job as Will Smith’s physique double for the Nationwide Geographic collection, Pole To Pole.
His work concerned touring to places corresponding to Botswana and Norway to arrange photographs and lighting earlier than Smith arrived. He was additionally often used for aerial photographs when Smith was unavailable.
The lookalike and Smith finally met on set, sharing a handshake and shoulder bump.
They interacted a number of instances throughout filming, and Ellis discovered Smith “very humble and really appreciative” of his work, usually providing encouragement like “good job” or “I recognize you man,” and even wishing him a contented birthday on set as soon as.
After befriending considered one of Smith’s managers, Ellis made a request: “Are you able to get me 5 minutes with Will, however simply me and him? I don’t need the cameras.”
On the final day of filming in Papua New Guinea, a tube driver walked with the film star on a secluded seashore, to not befriend him, however to precise deep, long-held gratitude.
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He informed Smith: “I simply need to say how grateful I’m and the way grateful I’m to you only for being you, since you’ve enabled me — an individual that you just had no concept most likely exists — to do some superb issues.”
The Unhealthy Boys actor was delighted, calling the lookalike’s work “genius” and instantly hugging him.
The star informed Ellis, “Shad, think about you had been doing a present and I got here out! We might shut down the web,” after the lookalike shared that he performs as a tribute artist.
Even now, the reminiscence of filming Pole to Pole stays vivid: “The solar was beating down, it was scorching, and I’m sitting there considering, ‘that is boring as hell,’ however then I noticed, ‘yeah, however you would be driving a practice.’”
Ellis, who just lately attended a crew screening the place the actor was current, is conserving in contact with the manufacturing groups he encountered abroad. He’s hopeful about the potential for collaborating with Will Smith once more.
Regardless of generally questioning his path, Ellis stays dedicated to this pursuit, stating, “Yearly I get up, and I’m like, am I going to maintain going with this? Then it’s like, you already know what? I’m going to maintain doing this till I don’t seem like him or all my hair falls out.”
Even after his transient second of stardom, Ellis continues to work his common job as a driver on a London Underground practice.
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