Character exercise 5

From "The Fiction Writer's Workshop"

Robert Downey Jr.
His face is thin but not gaunt, and it’s punctuated with sets of vertical lines like brackets or exclamation points. Two extend from his long, straight nose up into his forehead, especially when he grimaces. A pair of lines bridges the gap between his nose and upper lip. Another pair on either side of his nose provides definition and depth to his otherwise flat cheeks. His jaw is another sharp line: a bracket running from ears to chin, intersecting with a vein that runs from beneath his ear straight down his neck. All that straightness makes those round, dark brown, heavy lidded eyes that much more arresting.
He is full of stops and starts: stillness, then a cut of the eyes, wrinkle of the nose, arch of the eyebrows, quick flash of that dazzling boyish smile followed by a snarl, a smirk, a grimace. Then, more stillness, as if to emphasize the brilliant range of movement that preceded it. His movements seem casual, offhand, yet never random. He releases his energy gracefully, generously, purposefully. He is taut, nimble, playful, elegant.

Val Kilmer
Everything about this man’s face is smooth and rounded. His teeth are like a row of white pebbles, a string of ivory beads between full, padded lips. His forehead is high and broad. His cheeks are like two apricots, warm and fleshy and smooth. Between the apricot cheeks is a wide nose. The chin below his upturned mouth is an echo of that smiling curve.
This man hoards movement like a miser on a hill of gold. Every motion is precise, controlled. His face and body are quiet, calm, with tension just beneath the surface like a cat poised to spring. He moves like a well-oiled machine. No nervous tics or fidgeting, just smooth, tight economy of gesture. He seems to gather and absorb the energy of those around him, like padded walls in an asylum, never diverted from his purposeful stillness.