Путь водителя лондонского метро, ставшего двойником Уилла Смита

"...The twist? The face the London tube driver's gaze alighted on looked uncannily like his own...."

"...But after three decades of "getting jiggy with it" for fans across the globe, he was finally telling the Hollywood star how much that resemblance had changed his life...."

"...Although he now lives in Bedford, Ellis was born and raised in the capital...."

"...While the Fresh Prince famously began his story on a playground in West Philadelphia, Ellis's unfolded deep within the Underground in east London...."

"...The resemblance between the Hollywood star on the walls and the then station assistant behind the barrier was impossible for commuters to ignore...."

"...One day a stranger approached him with a life-changing tip — he had a friend making money as a lookalike and Ellis should give it a go...."

"...As this was pre-social media and selfie sticks, Ellis had to take photos of himself with a film camera as he recreated Will's magazine poses...."

"...He sent those to an agency he found in a newspaper and two weeks later they wrote to him saying he had the right look, but they warned that only royal family lookalikes make any real money...."

"...At a karaoke night, some years later, Ellis's friends convinced him to perform the star's 90s hit single Miami. They liked it so much they made him do it three times...."

"...After that his agent started booking him tribute artist slots at clubs like Jumping Jacks and Envy across the country...."

"...He also does magazine covers and global marketing campaigns that fly him everywhere from Dubai to Singapore...."

"...Occasionally offers come in that Shad is not comfortable with, such as events pretending it's the real Will Smith, stunts designed to make a joke out of the actor and occasionally adult films...."

"...After the actor infamously slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, Ellis was inundated with offers which he turned down...."

"...He refused to be "the guy that's been cashing in" as he felt that one day he would have to look the star in the face...."

"...Also in 2022, the doppelganger's life was turned upside down...."

"...Ellis was flown to locations like Botswana, Norway and Papua New Guinea so crews could prepare shots and lighting before Smith's arrival, to make the best use of the actor's time...."

"...Occasionally he was used in place of the busy star for aerial shots where you cannot clearly see his face...."

"...Eventually both men crossed paths on set and the lookalike was embraced with a handshake and a shoulder bump...."

"...They ran into each other a few times during filming and Ellis described Smith as "very humble and very appreciative" of the work he was doing...."

"...The star would often offer a "good job" or an "I appreciate you man", at one point he took the time to wish Ellis a happy birthday on set...."

"...After befriending one of Smith's managers Ellis made a request: "Can you get me five minutes with Will, but just me and him? I don't want the cameras."..."

"...Then on the last day of shooting in Papua New Guinea the tube driver and the movie star took a walk along a remote beach...."

"...He was not trying to become "best friends" with the actor, he just wanted to use that time to express a gratitude decades in the making...."

"...The Bad Boys actor responded with joy, describing the lookalike's work as "genius" and embracing him in a hug...."

"...When Ellis mentioned he performs as a tribute artist the star joked: "Shad, imagine you were doing a show and I came out! We would shut down the internet."..."

"...Despite his international experiences, Ellis continues his role as a driver on the London Underground, balancing his regular job with his work as a lookalike and tribute artist...."