Firstly I want to start by saying that it is a terrible tragedy when somebody, in the prime of their life, lose their life in such a tragic manner as Paul Walker did. Although I have seen a lot of his movies, I never followed his career closely and do not know much about him. It seems like he was a wonderfully generous and genuine person who brought joy to the people around him and who gave a lot back to the world. His broad smile and ability to have fun, seems apparent in every old interview of him which I have seen in the past few days.
As with any event, we as people tend to look for our own small connection to it and of course the picture that we posted more than a year ago surfaced among the Alex fans. (You can find our post from Sept 2012 here and the original picture from November 2008 here ). The question asked with it when people posted it was – Is it really Alex?
I have never really felt it necessary to prove the picture right or wrong, because I have never had doubt about the fact that it is Alex in the picture – not up until Monday when I saw the debate on it. It got me thinking of what I might have originally missed. As most of you who know me by now know, I just had to gather the evidence.
Before we go on I want to emphasize the fact that, as somebody rightly wrote, we are just fans who were not there and have no personal connection with either Paul or Alex. We therefore do not want to make any claim that this is actually Alex in the picture. I would however like the chance to say why I believe it is Alex and also that Paula does not (or did not from the start 😉 ) necessarily agree with me on the matter. 🙂
The only two people that could really tell the truth, was the late Paul and now only Alex (or if it is not Alex in the picture, then the person who it is) Until there is any clear confirmation from him, the debate is open for anybody to see what they want to see.
I also want to add, that two people together in a picture does not necessarily make them close friends, but only show them as people who knew each other at the time it was taken.
Where to start?
I want to list the reasons given in the debate, for why it is not Alex, so that we can address them properly. Together with it, I want to say that most of the reasons are valid and they come from people who know a lot more about Alex than me. People that have been following his career for many more years than me and I therefore do not make light of any of what they say. If I had studied the picture from the start, I would have asked the same questions. My aim is not to prove anybody right or wrong, but just state the evidence as I see it and to get as close as possible to the truth.
Doubts /questions asked:
- Where are the moles that we all know Alex have on his left cheek? (he does have moles on both cheeks, but the debate is about the left side)
- Where are his beautiful long eyelashes?
- The piercing hole in his ear should be bigger – it normally looks long and appears stretched out (I think some believe it to be a plug, but I am too dumb about piercings to give my opinion on it)
- Alex’s hands are more muscular and bigger?
The possibility that it could be Alex:
- For me there are no doubt that that is the kind of thing Alex would do (to kiss a guy on the cheek in public). He is very comfortable with his male friends and loves to goof around and have fun.
- Alex likes wearing hats and we have seen him with a beany in many pictures (although I have never seen him with one looking like the one in the picture)
- Alex often wears plaid (I have seen pictures of him wearing a red plaid shirt, but it does not look like the same shirt.)
- The colour of the hair fits Alex’s hair colour, we know he has curly hair and used to wear it longer up until the beginning of 2009
- In November 2008 (when this picture was taken) Alex was living in LA, six months after Moonlight ended and by that time, working with CBS on retainer to develop new projects that he could be part off.
- Paul was about 2 to 3 cm taller than Alex and you can see the guy just have to strain a little bit higher to get to Paul’s cheek for the kiss.
The Evidence:
For me the biggest problem it this whole situation is the quality and size of the original picture. We are so used to see and work with high quality large pictures of Alex. A picture taken with one single flash, sometimes blur a lot of things. The minute you zoom into a low quality small picture the distinctive markings also become blurry and it is not easy to see them clearly.
This should be taken into account when judgements are made on what we can see on the picture. The best way is to zoom in with small bits until you find the place of optimum view, just before it becomes totally blurry.
The ear:
What I see when I look at the earlobe of the original picture, is an ear that is stretched and flattened against the head because of the beany – this causing it to appear different to what we are used to and it also makes the comparison difficult. The ear and the jaw are also stretched out of a ‘normal’ position by the straining of the head up and sideways. I also see a lobe with what looks like a piercing and maybe more piercings higher up on the edge of the lobe.
The position of the first piercing, was the one thing that made me curious to look further. I have never seen a primary piercing on the edge of the lobe. Most of the time it is located in the centre of the lobe and the piercings further up the side of the ear, are on the edge.
The stretched out piercing that Alex has, can possibly explain this to me, because it starts in the centre of the lobe and ends closer to the edge. I have seen a few pictures of Alex, were only the edge (bottom) part of the piercing is visible. And as far as I can see on this picture, there seems to be a mark showing the upper part of the stretched piercing.
Update: Maybe this picture of Mick will explain better about only the bottom part of the piercing being visible in some pictures.
The nose:
There is no indication to me that it can’t be Alex’s nose.
The eyelid, lashes and brow:
We all know that left brow of Alex very well and know how versatile it can be. Most of you will also know that he has the marks of a brow piercing on it. I believe I can see those marks on the original picture.
As far as the lashes go, you will see that with light and angle the length appears to change all the time. They also look shorter in most of the pictures where Alex close his eyes.
It is very difficult to find a picture from the exact same angle as the original. (there are clearly not enough kissy picture of Alex around 😀 )
The mouth:
There is no indication to me that this can’t be Alex’s mouth and chin. Although we don’t see the upper lip properly in the original picture, the opening of the lips seems exactly the same to me in these two pictures. (The tip and ‘bending’ of the opening of the noses as it press against the other person in the pictures, compares well with each other also, I would say)
The neck and jaw:
As with most of the features in the original picture, the neck and the jaw are in an unusual position. We are so used to see the neck veins as clear indicators to identify Alex. Unfortunately they are not visible in the picture and it makes it a bit more difficult. For me there are no reason to say that this neck and jaw in the original picture does not belong to Alex.
The cheek and moles:
On these photos of Alex as Mick, you will see the moles and piercings that are supposed to be visible:
A while ago I began to realise that the moles on Alex are not always visible – depending on light, make-up and angle of the camera. People mentioned to me that they think some of the moles have been removed. When I investigated it I realised how the moles come and go, depending on different factors. That, together with the bad quality of the original picture, might explain the seemingly lack of visible moles on the cheek.
Even a small movement of the head can make a big difference in how the moles appear. Take a look at this scene from Moonlight and see how the visibility of the moles change. (click on the pictures, and scroll through them)
These are all high quality pictures of Alex. On first glance it is really very difficult to spot the moles. When you know where to look, it can make it somewhat easier to see. But then again there are even more marks that can look like moles as well……
Taking all this into account, we can look at the bad quality original picture and see, if we can spot something. Do you maybe see anything that can look like those moles?
The hand:
Alex’s hands themselves are a paradox. In one sense they appear as large very manly hands but when you have a closer look at them, they look fragile and slender. And when you look even closer, you see hands that shows signs of being used to work. (I kind of have a fetish for his hands and find them hypnotic 😛 )
Things that I suggest you specifically look at when you compare the hands are:
- The three fingers in relation with one another other. With it also the main knuckles and how they compare.
- The front knuckles (between the tip of the finger and the middle knuckle) are very distinctive and to me they have a fairly unique look. Showing hands that have known hard labour.
- The middle knuckle of the pinkie.
Please remember to take into account that the fingers and knuckles are not bent the same way as in the original picture. There is so much footage to study and pictures to go through, but I have yet to find the exact comparison. I will most probably find it within minutes after I press the publish button 😀
I think these hands tell their own story…….
Paula:
I tried to prove beyond doubt that this guy is not Alex. But I couldn´t find the exact same profile view of Alex. I came close with some, and they showed the length of the nose and forehead matched, also the head size on profiles look very similar.
For me the most “un-familiar” feature on the pic is the blonde moustache. This guy seems to have a heavier/bigger moustache than the scruff on his chin. Alex usually has them the same, and also the moustache usually looks more fine (narrow) than in this pic. Would be fun to see this guy from the front, I would get a giggle to see this is not Alex 😀
The conclusion:
Taking all the above into account, there are more than enough evidence for me personally to believe it is in fact Alex in the picture. But again I want to emphasize that that is just the evidence as I see it and interpret it myself, without any real knowledge of the truth.
Lastly I just want to remind our readers, that this is just part of the fun we have here on Intense Study – taking a closer look at things surrounding Alex. There is nothing serious about this and it will definitely not solve all or any of the major problems out there in the real world.
The photo shows two guys (most probably as part of a group) goofing around and having some fun. This life is short and full of tragedies and sorrows. But even those hardships are part of our humanity, just as having fun and laughter should be………
Alex O´Loughlin ~ An Intense Study 